Antrim H2

HALL'S HOTEL 57
This is Marie and Alan Abercrombie on their wedding day 1956.
The photograph was taken at the back of Hall's hotel and behind them to your left you can see the Sixmileriver water.

HALL'S HOTEL 1
This is part of the ballroom in Hall's hotel as you can see it is laid out for a wedding reception. At the far end of the ballroom you can see the bar.
It was the wedding of Marie and Alan Abercrombie on the 5th April 1956.

HALL'S HOTEL 59
Taken in 1953 outside Hall's hotel this shows the wedding car
taking away the bride and groom on their honeymoon.
Looking in the window on left side of the car is Marie Abercrombie nee Wilson.

HIGH STREET 2290
Now who remembers the traffic lights in Antrim? Well this photograph was taken in the 80's and remember back then it was a through road. Across the road there was McCabe's garage, if they had only thought they could have had the first drive by butchers in the world!

HIGH STREET 2292
In this 1980's photograph of High Street in the distance is a familar landmark our Markethouse.
On the right is Enketell's which used to be the Lough Neagh Hotel. On down at the traffic lights is McCabes garage , further down is Antrim Wine market and finally the Trustees Savings bank which in later years moved up to Enketell's when it was demolished and is now the First Trust bank. It too now has long gone. (1995)

CAUGHT IN THE ACT 2701
It's the weekend and here in the Chimney Corner F.C. Social Club in the 70's and caught in the act with a surprised look on his face is Lawrence Hutchins. Lawrence protested "That the pint was for one of his mates" but the looks on the faces of Tommy Coulter and Paddy Dumigan tell a different story!

FOOTBALL MAD 2704
Down at Riverside in the 70's and next to the Chimney Corner football pitch we have two football mad fans. Just getting ready to head of the Windsor Park to see their team playing are Lawrence Hutchins and James Harkness.

HOLYWELL HOSPITAL 2705
These are the people you don't see but need them, it's some of the hard working kitchen staff at Holywell Hospital in the 1960's. Having just finished a batch of bread rolls and scones for the patients and staff, these three are having a well earned break and smiling at the camera.They are Molly Beresford, Nellie Thompson and finally jolly Tommy Baird.

HOLYWELL HOSPITAL 2193
Here we are inside Holywell Hospital in the 60's seeing the nurses getting their photo taken for passing their exams. Only the front row are known and from the left we have Rose O'Hagan, Annie Duffin and Elizabeth Brown.

HIGH STREET 191
Taken in 1960's this photograph was taken from the top of the motte in the Castle gardens and before the new Dublin road was built. In the foreground you can see the walled gardens but sadly growing wild.

HIGH STREET 701
The photographer got up real early to take this photo in High Street for the sun is only breaking over the roof tops in 1929 and 6 years before the roads were tarmaced. To the right you can see Hall's Hotel, The Massereene Arms Hotel and across the road the Antrim Arms Hotel, the postcard is stamped 2nd August 1930.
- - - - - - - - -- - -To Mr. Sharp, 37, Sea Farm Road, Kirrotall, Leeds England.- - - -- - - - -Message reads: Massereene Arms Hotel Antrim. Landed here (Ireland) at about 11 o'clock,
after nearly 8 hours on the sea. We have come in a drizzly day, but had a good sail, hardly knew the boat was moving at all. We had an ordinary English Breakfast in Belfast. We are now in this road. Beal.

HIGH STREET 188
Here at the start of High Street we have on the right High Street Presbyterian Church and next to it is a house which had two shops. One was Johnny McMaster's Barber shop and the other one was Honeyford's Wool shop.They were pulled down on the very day Johnny McMaster was being buried, the reason they were pulled down was to widen the road into Riverside. Then in the background with its towering steeple is All Saints' Parish Church. Date is unknown.

HIGH STREET 953
Just shows you how much traffic there was in High Street 1928 when two men can stand and have a yard in the middle of the road. The car at Joe Barr's garage is a Herbie Austin, I wonder how much petrol was at the two pumps back then? The butcher standing outside his shop is Mr. Sloan and on the other side of the garage was a Drapers which also sold newspapers and was owned by Molly Wilson who went on to marry Bob Fleming. On down is the Antrim Arms Hotel and Lough Neagh Hotel. Across the road you have Massereene Hotel and Hall's Hotel and in the centre as always the Court House.

HIGH STREET 855
High Street in the afternoon of 1949, the shops are busy and as you can see time marches on, No more horses only cars and on one farm tractors one of which is halfway down the street on the right. also on the right one lady heads towards Church Street with her daughter at her side who is clutching tightly under each arm her Teddy and Doll. Behind them the first three shops are owned by John Kirk. Next is a Drapers, then skip two and we have McIlwaine's Hairdressers and next to it a Doctors Surgery. Then further down the road is a tractor parked and behind it is a large lorry delivering goods to the shops. In the foreground on the left parked is an armed services truck, perhaps the driver's doing some shopping too.

HIGH STREET 697
It's early morning and the fires have been lit as the smoke listfully comes from the chimney tops as High Street starts to waken to a summers day.This elevated view of High Street was actually taken from the cupola at the top of the Court House in Market Square and the photographer captured the image some time before 1897. The clue lies in the row of buildings to the right of the frame - and, more, particularly, the conspicuous absence of Hall's Hotel which was built three years before the end of the 19th century. You can make out, however, the smaller Massereene Arms Hotel with the jaunting cars in the street awaiting the horses and tourists. The shop on the corner of High Street and Market Square sold fancy goods and was owned by W Lowery. They were also agents for Provincial Fire and Life Insurance Company, and also the African, Australian and New Zealand Shipping Companies. On close examination of the shop window to the left, you can make out posters advertising trips to Boston and New York - though this would have been well out of reach of most turn of the century people.

HALL'S HOTEL 2438
Studying the bookings in Hall's Hotel are Mrs. Wilson the proprietor and Maureen Gaynor the receptionist. Now if you look behind Maureen you will see what a lot of you ladies practiced on at the 'Tec', a typewriter. No spell check, no erasing mistakes on a screen if you did make one you had to start all over again!

HIGH STREET 693
High Street in the year 1920, for once the street is empty perhaps it's a Sunday. At the archway is Fleming's the garage in at the back, on up is T.Boston and I.Bones Bros Shop and then the Court House.

HIGH STREET 694
It's early morning in High Street in the 1920's, you can see a young man standing at the back of the milk cart full of milk churns to deliver. (I can remember aged six going off with milkman and when we stopped the housewives and ladies would come out to get their jugs filled with milk.) Behind him is a motorbike and sidecar and then Lawlor's the Drapers shop. Next is the Belfast Savings Bank and parked outside is a Bread cart delivering the fresh bread. The name on the cart has the letters Baines Bakery. Further up is the Massereene Arms Hotel, Hall's Hotel and various shops the Barbican Gate. Across the road is the Courthouse and coming back down the road we have two men having a yarn while one holds a pony. Heading in the direction of the Court House is a car while going in the opposite direction is a boy on his bike with a little girl on the bar. The round sign on the building to the right tells you that it is the Antrim Arms Hotel and crossing the road is a lady.

HIGH STREET 854
It's a quarter past eight in the morning of 1908 and High Street already has the early birds out and about. On the left is J.Nutt's shop and on down a dog is patiently waiting at the door to get in then we have Antrim Arms Hotel which has a few men and a lady standing outside it posing for the camera. Beyond that is a gas lamp post and a pony and jaunting car outside a building with a thatched roof. Then in the middle of the road we have a boy standing still for the camera while behind him is a horse and cart heading towards Church Street and All Saints' Presbyterain Church with it's towering steeple.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to cross the road after a downpour of rain.

HOLYWELL REC FOOTBALL TEAM 2595
It's 1955 and it is no wonder these lads who make up Holywell Rec. Football team are smiling for they have won the Mackie Cup!
Standing from left are: H Taggart, R McFarland, K McKittrick, T Tweedie, S McKeown, Unknown and Unknown.
Seated are: J McGaw, B Tweedie, B Kinnan, R Steele, S Quinn, B Fullerton and T Clarke.
All worked at Holywell Hospital, Jimmy McGaw worked in the Kitchen, Tommy Tweedie Upholster, Billy Tweedie Stores and the rest were Nurses.

HIGH STREET 7
The roads are still not macadamized so it's before 1935. The black squares to the left along the side of the road is where the rubbish on the road has been swept into piles with a yard brush to be lifted later by a horse and cart. Which are getting smaller in number when you look at the photo.The tyres on the car in the foreground are solid giving a bumpy ride, it must be one of the newest car as behing it a man has stopped on his bike to look at it. Over to the left ia a small boy carrying a bag and a can, then over to the right are Hall's Hotel and Massereene Arms Hotel. There's a slight wind blowing as the smoke from the chimneys is drifting across All Saints' Presbyterain Church with its tower.

HIGH STREET 11
To the left of the photograph is Peter Conway's general store. He sold mostly clothing but if he thought there was a ready market for an item Peter would have it in his shop. Some of the advertisements outside his shop show that he sold Lyons Tea, Pastry, Minerals and Players cigarettes. Looking further up the street is a little old lady in black, bent over walking with the aid of a stick.In between the car and the coach you can see a man with a lady who looks class and he is dressed all in a light grey suit with a top hat. In the centre of the road are two ladies, one in dark clothing carrying a suitcase, could they be booking into one of the hotels? To the far right is a horse and cart and at the back of the cart you can see the owner selling some of his goods to the lady next to him. Date is unknown.

HIGH STREET 550
This is, of course, another wonderful time capsule caught on camera in 1918 of High Street in Antrim. To the left is Anderson's shop, followed by a hardware store, the Lough Neagh Hotel, McKeown's sweet shop and Sloane's, the butchers. On the right hand side of the street you can see Hall's Hotel, an early motor garage, James McNally's Hotel (which later would become the Massereene Hotel), The Castle an ice-cream parlour, a home bakery and the Belfast Savings Bank. Next is Mrs Simpson's shop, which sold stationary, 'fancy goods', books and newspapers; John Orton's and , last but not least, Mayberry's boot merchants. Just beneath the lamp in the foreground you can just make out a man smoking a pipe and leading a young girl across the road by the hand - though going by the carefree posing of the other boys, traffic was not a problem 87 years ago! The little in white is carrying a basket, so perhaps she and her friends were off to do some shopping for her mum.

HIGH STREET 8
It must have been great weather back then because out of the seven cars in the picture only two have a solid roof, even the tour bus is opened topped. It is parked outside the Antrim Arms Hotel and just up from it is a garage. Date is unknown.

HIGH STREET 700
In this photograph to the left is Orr School on the right is McCabe's shoe shop, then Billy's cafe and the Ulster Bar at the corner of Railway Street. The Hillman Imp car next to the barrier was green, because the owner was the photographer Jackie Peacocke. The year is unknown.

HIGH STREET 954
We often think of traffic congestion as a uniquely modern phenomenon, but this vintage picture in 1970 certainly suggests otherwise! This clearly illustrates that Antrim was once a very busy little town indeed and just look at the number of shoppers on either side of the street. This stretch of road was pedestrianised a decade ago, and some traders suggested the move coincided with a marked downturn in trade in and around Market Square.

HIGH STREET 852
As the sun is slowly coming up on High Street in 1940 it is still early morning and only a few shops are open. On the right is W. & ?, then left Isaac Unal, who sold Carpets, Pictures and all types of Household furniture, next we have The Northern Bank. Beside the bank was Josie's Sweet Shop with sweets too numerous to mention, then Sloans pub and Sloans butcher's shop with the canopy.

HIGH STREET 698
Here you can see the Antrim Tavern, The Antrim Wine Market, Trustee Savings Bank, Lee's the Chemist, a Barbers, Gulliver's Travels, Newsagents, A.Bloggs, next shop unknown, the Ulster Bar and Billy's Fish & Chip shop. The year is unknown.

HIGH STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 866
This is some of the committie, Stallholders and Helpers very pleased with themselves having raised a lot of money at the Auxiliary Christmas Fair in December 1938 in connection with High Street Presbyterain Church. In the back row in the centre we have the Rev Mitchell and also Ellie Brown, the rest are unknown.

HIGH STREET 853
It's 1948 and we are halfway down High Street in Antrim, as you can see plenty of cars and only one horse attached to a jaunting car outside waiting to take tourists for a ride from either Hall's hotel or the Massereene Arms hotel with Murphy's bar below it for there are a couple of ladies and men standing outside. At the side of the road are a group of men having a yarn while a man cycles past them. Next to Massereene Hotel is the Northern Bank and on the corner is a shop selling Ladies and mens shoes and boots. Further down is an Ulster Transport bus which folk called a single decker, beyond the bus with its tall spire is All Saints' Presbyterain Church.

HIGH STREET 14
This photograph was taken in 1924. If you look to your left behind the man and woman on the pavement that is the start of Bridge street and if you look closely you will see that the road is still cobbled. To your right is the garage which was owned by Franklin Young, next is a Stationary & Confectionary shop owned by A.E. Ba?r, next Stephen Sloan's pub then Antrim Arms Hotel, you also had Mrs Scott's Tea Rooms of which Lady cyclists were especially catered for and further up Lough Neagh Hotel and then Anderson's.

HIGH STREET 190
High Street early morning in 1910, the mode of transport is horses and the shops are open for business and on the left is the Hardware store of R.Anderson who was a Tea, Hardware and China Merchant and also a Provision Curer. On the door is a poster of a man in a Naval uniform, below it is a poster selling soap. Above the three little girls outside the store are wooden buckets.The street lighing is gas and was supplied by the Gas Company works in Railway Street. The next three shops are unknown then the one with the awning is the butchers, I wonder is that why the dog is lying out in road opposite it ? Coming down the road we have two cyclists perhaps heading for one the three Hotels on the right which are the Massereene Arms, Hall's and Adair's to meet the three boys sitting outside.

HIGH STREET 13
This is High Street in Antrim where to your right are three of the five hotels in the street. Massereene Arms Hotel, Hall's Hotel and the Adair's Temperance Arms Hotel. On the left of the Massereene Arms Hotel is a hardware-grocers shop then the Northern Bank followed by a sweet shop, newsagents and on the corner which is the start of Bridge Street is the cobblers shop. Opposite the cobblers shop in the road is a horse and cart with a heavy load, the horse must be tired for the man is walking beside the horse while cars are starting to put in an appearance.

HALLS HOTEL 2403
This is part of Hall's Hotel that only the staff seen and here are some of them.
On the left is Unknown, Miss Sikas Manageress, Maureen Gaynor, Susan Conway and sadly the rest are Unknown as is the year.

HIGH STREET 9
Photographed before 1938 to the left of the picture you can see Lough Neagh Hotel while on the ground floor it is a shop. The town is getting prosperous more shops and more traffic, sadly no horses to be seen but they are still around. The poles that are along the street are telegraph poles which then carried the telephone lines. Date is unknown.