The Northern Whig was first published in 1832 in Belfast when it was founded by John Arnott. It was published twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, until 1849 when it increased publication to three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It quickly became one of Belfast’s leading newspapers. It was known as a liberal unionist paper. In 1858, The Northern Whig became a daily paper. The company changed its name to Northern Whig and Belfast Post in 1919. Three years later The Northern Whig moved to new premises on Bridge Street, where it remained until the paper ceased in 1963.

The building was damaged during the Belfast Blitz on 15 April 1941, when Bridge Street was almost decimated by the German Luftwaffe. On Thursday, 17 April 1941, the paper reported, ‘A heavy death roll, possibly 200, is expected as a result of yesterday morning’s German air raid on Northern Ireland. Residential districts in Belfast were the main targets, and sections of the city far removed from military objectives were laid in ruins’. Today, the Belfast newspapers’ former premises is the site of a fashionable bar and restaurant.