Andersonstown
| Andersonstown | |
|---|---|
 Andersonstown Road, 2007 |
|
| Population | (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | NW4190927083 |
| Irish grid reference | O003360 |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | BT11 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
Andersonstown is a suburb in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The area was originally known as Whitesidetown after the family that owned the land but they were dispossessed for the support they gave to the Society of United Irishmen, resulting in a change of name. The district is sometimes colloquially referred to as "Andytown."
Andersonstown sits at the bottom of the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain and contains a mixture of public and private housing. It is largely populated by Irish nationalists/Irish Catholics. Andersonstown is an electoral ward of Belfast. The consensus view is that the area begins at the tip of the upper Falls Road, where it becomes the Andersonstown Road, close to the junction with the Glen Road. It is bounded at the western end by Shaw's Road, forming a large triangle.
The area rapidly expanded during the 1950s and 1960s as the local housing authority built hundreds of houses for people who were rehoused during the redevelopment of the lower Falls Road. Holy Child School and La Salle Secondary School were built, along with a library. As the population of the area increased Twinbrook and Poleglass housing estates were built further out of Belfast.
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s the area was a major centre of civil disturbances during the social-political conflict known as The Troubles. During this period a large British army fort – known as Silver City was built in the central Broom Hill part of Andersonstown. However there was generally less strife than in, for instance, neighbouring districts such as Lenadoon, which in 1972 saw clashes between the IRA and Ulster Defence Association and a subsequent demographic shift in the estate from Protestant to Catholic, and Ballymurphy, the scene of the Ballymurphy massacre and Springhill massacre.
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