Northern Ireland Without History ...

... is hard to imagine. But Google Maps, for a while at least, can help us imagine such a thing. Google Maps' aerial photographs lag behind the true development of Belfast. In this image it seems that the public record office is nothing but brownfield, utterly vacant.


Fig1.


Fig2, zoomed in a little.

In reality, of course, a shiny new edifice now stands here, the new Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is open for visitors and researchers. But on Google Maps the site is empty. As if Northern Ireland has decided against keeping records and wiped the slate clean.