In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland emerged as one of the shipbuilding capitals of the world.

The sprawling Harland & Wolff shipyards cranked out thousands of Navy cruisers, monitors, aircraft carriers and civilian ocean liners, including one famously massive and ill-fated one.

In 1955, Picture Post photographer Bert Hardy visited the city, wandering the bustling shipyards and lively streets.

Just a few years later, the local shipbuilding industry entered a downturn as the advent of jet travel reduced the demand for passenger ships.