Records relating to the Bloomfield Land and Building Company Ltd.

The Bloomfield Land and Building Company Ltd. Incorporated in Belfast on 18 May 1874. The company was acquired in 1947 by Yorkshire Insurance Company Ltd. On 1 April 1983 its assets and liabilities were transferred to Yorkshire-General Insurance Company Ltd. and in 1986 the company was wound up.BusinessEstablished by the Boyd family, who also founded Ulster Marine Insurance Company Ltd., to secure building leases of portions of the lands of Bloomfield, in the townland of Ballyhackamore, County Down, and also portions of the adjoining townland of Ballycloughan in the same county. The company ran a business leasing and selling land and property in this area. In 1967 the company was described as a property company with underlying assets small ground rents in and around Belfast. By 1983 its principal activity was the collection of ground rents.

Staff/ officialsDirectors (1874)Henry BoydWilliam Sinclair Boyd

ManagerSinclair & Boyd (1874 - 1947)

Secretary (first mentioned 1947)Thomas McKillen (by 1947 - 1958)John M Bailie (1958 - 1977)A Cade (1977 - 1986)

Head office premises32 Donegal Quay, Belfast (by 1877 - 1884)28 Waring Street, Belfast (1884 - 1898 at least)Bank of Ireland Chambers, Queen's bridge, Belfast (by 1900 - 1928) in 1904 change address to 93 Ann Street1 Linenhall Street Belfast (1928 - 1972 at least)5 Donegall Square South, Belfast (by 1974 - 1977)2 Rougier Street York (1977 - 1986)

FACTSThe Boyd family also established another Aviva company, Ulster Marine Insurance. In 1878 the company advertised four new villas in Bloomfield as available to let: "each with two sitting rooms and five bedrooms, enclosed yard and garden and water laid on at pressure".Clearly the company's activities had left them with surplus building material - in 1879 they advertised the sale of: "a large quantity of superior stock bricks"Owning a number of properties meant the company often had to deal with petty vandalism. On one occasion the company received 5 shillings compensation each from Alexander Adam and James McCreigh for "damage to shrubs". The company donated the money to Belfast Royal Hospital.