Titanic design plan comes back to Belfast

15 November 2012 Last updated at 15:35 Help

The most expensive piece of Titanic memorabilia sold at auction - the 33-feet long design plan - is coming back to Belfast.

The 100-year-old scale drawing was sold last year in England for almost a quarter of a million pounds, but the anonymous buyer has agreed for it to go on show at the new Titanic visitor centre in Belfast.

The huge plan, regarded as the Holy Grail of Titanic memorabilia, shows the intricate detail of the ship - from the location of the squash court, to the Turkish baths to the first-class lavatories.

It was bought at auction in Wiltshire last year by a private collector.

Although he spent £220,000 on it, the new owner has now agreed for it to go on public display.

The plan was used in the inquiry after Titanic sank, and still has the chalk markings drawn on it in 1912 to show where the iceberg struck.

It is now back in Belfast and being prepared by a paper conservationist before it goes on display.

It will be exhibited at the city's Titanic centre before Christmas.

Mark Simpson reports for BBC News.

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