Belgrave Square - RMS Titanic

RMS Titanic

In the south corner of Belgrave Square is the mansion that in the early part of the 20th Century was known as Downshire House, the London home of Lord and Lady William James Pirrie. Lord Pirrie was the chairman of Harland and Wolff, a leading shipbuilding firm located in Belfast, Ireland. One evening in July 1907, the Pirries hosted J. Bruce and Florence Ismay for dinner. J. Bruce Ismay was the managing director of the White Star Line, one of the top shipping companies of the North Atlantic. Harland and Wolff constructed all of White Star's vessels. White Star's main rival was the Cunard Line. The Cunard Line's newest ships, the Mauretania and Lusitania, the largest ships in the world, had just entered service. Pirrie and Ismay discussed the new ships during the dinner, and how to counter the competition of these new ships. Their discussions led to them planning that night the construction of three ships, larger than any in the world. Later the names of the ships would be RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and RMS Gigantic, renamed Britannic after the sinking of the Titanic.