STEEPLE 1470
Standing outside their homes in the Steeple we have Alison Bolton and Lynette Robinson in 1985.
PIPERS 1312
On the left we have Lily Scott, in the middle is Agnes Scott, the other piper and the year are unknown.
HARRY SCOTT 3525
Having his photograph taken in a studio in his regalia is Harry Scott who lived in Fountain Street in Antrim.
St.COMGALLS 3526
This is St.Comgalls Chapel in Antrim which is siuated on the corner Castle Street and Railway Street next to the roundabout for Ballymena and Randalstown.
This photograph shows the inside of St.Comgalls in 1945 but as far as I know it has been renovated.
JOHN SURTEES 2883
The month is May and this is the 1964 world champion John Surtees at speed in his factory Ferrari 312 V12 at the 1966 Daily Express Trophy, Silverstone. No man is ever likely to emulate - - - - - - - John Surtees' feat of winning World Championships on two wheels and four. - ---- -- - My thanks to Ed Cunningham who has now gone home of Ontario, Canada for this photograph.
STUDIO PHOTOGRAPH 2764
All these lovely ladies from Antrim went to Belfast to the lady photographer Bula Smith to have their photograph taken and when you look at the result you can see why they travelled that far.
Standing at the back we have from the left Hanna Simpson, Aggie Stewart, Lizzie Nelson and Martha Rea.
Seated in front are Madge Jennings, Annie Nelson and Sarah Simpson.
LADY DIANA'S GRAVE 2830
As the sun goes down on this very sad day in Antrim, the two people looking at flowers still can't belive that their beloved daughter has gone home as they kneel and stand with shattered hearts.
The area Diana was layed to rest in was known as ‘The Pontier’, and was consecrated for the internment.
The entrance was once marked with two concrete acorns, with two large whalebones ornately marking an archway. Her grave was angled to face Scotland, and was covered with thousands of flowers in the shape of a cross.
The whalebones have long dissapeared and only one of the original concrete acorns remain and to save it going the way of the other it was placed on the pillar of the gates at the entrance with a copy on the other pillar.
3
GEORGINA STEELE 2072
This is Georgina Steele outside her home, on her left on the ground is a foot scraper where you scraped the mud and dirt off your shoes before going into the house. Now rather than leave a mess, the Steele family have two plant pots behind the foot scrapers to catch the muck and dirt.
STEELE WEDDING 2071
Standing nervously in his Army uniform after his Wedding his Jim Steele, beside him is his Bride Jean Steele nee Adamson. Her Bridesmaid was Ethel Steele and the Best man is Unknown. Now some information for the ladies: The bride's dress was Pink with a matching Pink hat.The flowers were Pink Sweet Pea and she had Sandy hair and Brown eyes. The Bridesmaid dress was Green with matching hat and her flowers were White Daisies. The Groom was in Kaki and had Sandy hair and Blue eyes. The Best man had a brown suit with matching shoes and had fair hair and blue eyes.
STEELE FAMILY 2076
This studio photograph of the Steele family, Jim and Jean Steele with their baby son Samuel on her knee was taken in 1947, shortly afterwards they emigrated to Australia.
SWEET SIXTEEN 1476
Sweet Sixteen and never been kissed at least that's what I was told!
This is Margaret Allen, Lena Reade and Evelyn Reade enjoying themselves in Barry's at Portrush in 1963.
STEEPLE 1471
Standing next to an electric milk float in the Steeple in 1986, which are a thing of the past. We have from the left Sharon McCutcheon, Nadine Cunningham, Lynette Robinson,Unknown, Unknown and Garth Smyth.
WINNIE STEWART 3667
Now this is one Lily Donaldson's (nee Kelly) girls who has got married and is now called Winnie Stewart and seems to be wearing some sort of unifom. Winnie had gone to Newman's Studio at 27 Queen's Road Nuneaton to get this photograph taken probably for Mum.
JOHN SURTEES 1017
This John Surtees on his Manx Norton in 1952 racing on the Oldstone Road just before turning on to the Seven Mile Straight, the other racer is unknown.
In the background you can see part of York Street Flax Spinning Mill.
STEVENSONS 2948
Out for the day at Portrush we have sitting on the rocks in the 1960's we have Doreen and Hugh Stevenson.
HUGH STEVENSON 2947
This is a young Hugh Stevenson aged 5 years old having his school photograph taken back in 1936. That's a woolen tie he has on.
ON STAGE 3559
All I know is that this photograph was taken in Antrim, it could have been the Protestant Hall or any of the hotels in High Street. Now whether these ladies and gentlemem where from a Dramatic's club here to perform or just local people putting on a show I do not know.Some of them are dressed up as a Scotsman, a Dutch lady, a Sheik, a painter, a lord, an Eastern lady with a veil, a Mexican cowboy and one chap could be Abraham Lincoln.
Now sadly at the moment none of their names are known to me but if you know please tell me and a large copy of the photograph will be sent to you.
STEVENSON WEDDING 3460
In this photograph taken at the Park Avenue Belfast it's Saturday the 14th September 1963.
Now the Groom Hugh Stevenson came from Saintfield while his lovely Bride Doreen who still has that great smile also came from Saintfield. Doreen's gown was white lace and nylon had a fitted bodice and full length skirt. The embroidered shoulder length veil was held in place with two white roses.Her bouquet was peach roses and freesias. Doreen's honeymoon outfit was a geranium red Irish tweed suit with black accessories.
RIVERSIDE 1315
Sitting side-saddle on the back of this motorbike from a bygone era at Riverside is Agnes Scott. I don't know who is on front or the year it was taken.
MUCKAMORE TENNIS CLUB 598
Here we Have May Stewart and a friend who is unknown pictured in their whites for a quick game at Muckamore Tennis Club during the hot summer of 1937. The club has been popular with fans and players and recently underwent a major redevelopment.
MUCKAMORE CRICKET CLUB HOUSE 605
This is May Stewart still game for a laugh at 27 outside the club in July 1937.
MUCKAMORE TENNIS CLUB 597
This is May Stewart playing tennis in 1936, May loved her tennis and every spare minute she would be of to play. Take a look at the fields in the background, that's something you wouldn't see nowadays, Haystacks!
MUCKAMORE CRICKET CLUB HOUSE 610
This is May Stewart with her parents sitting outside the club house in 1932.
As there are two ladies hats on the bench one presumes that a lady took this photograph.
LONE PIPER 1786
Up an alley off Castle Street we have Sam Scott tuning up his bagpipes in 1966. Behind Sam waiting patiently in a Mini car is another member of the band.
THE FOLLY 1303
Here at the Folly and raring to go on this Radge Withworth motorbike is Miss Scott. The grandfather is watching her closely and look at the horn on the bike, which meant you had to let go of one hand on the handlebars to pump it. The year is unknown.
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ISLANDBAWN 1816
It's 1937 and sitting on the steps of his home at Islandbawn, Muckamore is John Steele aged four with his dog.
SMITH'S CHEMIST 927
This is F. T. Smith's shop in High Street in 1936 - now he was not only a Chemist but an Optician and worst of all a Dentist! The shop also catered for the tourists as you can see by the crowd outside and also the car with the pile of luggage at the back. Here the tourist could by the usual postcards, Bog Oak souvenirs and Bellek China. Best of was that you could leave your films here and collect them the following day. These were developed and printed by Mr. and Mrs Nicholl in Church Street, they also did the photos for quite a number of shops and Hotels. Remember there was no machines back then, these were all done by hand and Mrs Nicholl remembers working long hours into the night to make sure all the photos were completed for the following day. Now look to your left and you can just catch a glimpse of Nutt's Entry and the cottages of the lesser well-off lived, no running water no electric only oil lamps.
DUBLIN ROAD 814
Here we have Agnes Scott who was going with Jack McElrea that lived in the Frencman's cottage in Castle Street.
They were out for a cycle along the Dublin Road in 1931.
Now if anyone has this photograph complete please let me know for I would love a copy of it.
LADY DIANA'S GRAVE 2829
What a sad day for her family and also for the people of Antrim for Lady Diana Elizabeth Margaret Skeffington who died on the 6th November 1930 at the tender young age of 21. Diana was loved by the towns-folk because she mixed quite freely with them and was a kind, gentle and loving girl.
This is her grave on the day of the funeral which is in the Antrim Castle grounds, which incidently had to be dug twice so that she would be facing Scotland.
The photograph was probably taken from one of the very tall ladders used for cutting the hedges. Here you can see with his hands in his pockets still shocked Viscount Massereene while his wife is looking at the flowers.
LADY DIANA ELIZABETH MARGARET SKEFFINGTON 2306
On a bitterly cold November day at 3.40pm this is the funeral cortege of Lady Diana Elizabeth Margaret Skeffington who died on the 6th November 1930 at the young age of 21.
Her coffin draped with the family banner and is coming back down High Street after the service in All Saints' Parish church that you can see in the background.
Behind the coffin are her parents Viscountess Jean Barbara Ainsworth and her husband 12th Viscount Massereene & Ferrard who continued his father's love of music by supporting the Massereene Brass and Reed band. Behind them is Nathaniel Clark the Viscount's Estate agent. In the crowd to the right is local man George Fleming and the shop behind him is Coopers a milliners shop, then Reeds followed by Felix Quinn's pub and finally Renton's which was a stationary and gift shop all with their blinds down as a sign of respect. On the left in the crowd next to the Guides is Teresa Gaynor. The Guides leader is Miss Bryan who later married a Burrowes. The reason the Guides where there was because Lady Diana used to be a Guide in her younger days would later become the leader of the Primrose Patrol.
The course of history might have been changed if Lady Diana had not died for at the time this young Debutante was romantically linked to Prince Edward who was the Prince of Wales who went on to abdicate the throne and marry Mrs Simpson!
Local lass Sadie Bain remembers the funeral and the crowds that lined the street for her father was Viscount Massereene & Ferrard's Head gardener and also the sexton of All Saints' Parish church. That day her father John J McElrea was tolling the church bell for the funeral. When Major Clarke's wife died he had Sadie's father every Wednesday night at 9pm ring the church bell. John J McElrea would ring the bell 100 times at the double and then depending on the day of the month he would ring the bell that number of times e.g.: 20th of the month 20 rings of the bell. The locals would listen out so they could tell what day it was.
Now let us move away from this sad day and go back in time to when Lady Diana was in the Girl Guides. Lady Diana then was a leader of the Primrose patrol and Sadie's sister Millie was a seconder. Sadie lived with her family in the Frenchman's house in Castle street when it was originally on its own and next to an archway which led to the castle grounds, gardens and of course the castle. Lady Diana used to call at the house regularly, her governess Mrs. Molloy used to accompany her then call back when Lady Diana wanted to go back to the castle. She always came to the back door and this used to make Sadie's mum so angry because, after all, she was a Lady and should use the front door. Also Sadie's mum was mortified at having to bring Lady Diana through the scullery and kitchen to reach the parlour. Lady Diana being used to servants would just stand there waiting for someone to take off her coat and it would be the same when she was leaving. "She didn't mean anything by it; it was just the way she was brought up. Lady Diana was a very nice girl," says Sadie, " tall, thin, very beautiful and treated us as equals. When she was with us she was just like any other girl, but our mum always made us call her Miss Diana".
One day when Lady Diana was there she asked Mrs McElrea if Millie could go with her to a shop she had heard sold sweets. So off they went and when inside the shop, Lady Diana who had never done any shopping on her own before gave Millie the money and told her what sweets to buy. Of course when they got back to the house Lady Diana immediately shared them out.
Back to this sad day and how it came about, Lady Diana was in Scotland with her parents attending a wedding as a bridesmaid. She became thirsty and asked for a glass of water, which sadly was contaminated. The following week back at Ardanaseig House in Argyll which was her mother's family home she collapsed with a fever, which got worse over the following week. Her parents took her back to London to see a Harley Street doctor who diagnosed that it was Typhoid. A beacon of hope was erected in the minds of friends and family as Diana claimed to have been feeling much better. Ever eager to help, she took to the streets of London on a cold Trafalgar Day, to help sell flags to raise money for servicemen. Yet despite her protests of improving health, Diana's friends urged her to rest. In good humour, Diana quipped back “If I go to bed now, it will be weeks before I shall get up again.” Sadly, Diana's health deteriorated further. She had developed pneumonia alongside her battle with typhoid in the end, the complications took her life.
Lady Diana was laid to rest in her bridesmaid's dress in the burial grounds of Antrim Castle where you can see her grave is purposely angled to face Scotland.
When you next stand there remember this beautiful young girl whose life was so tragically cut short could have changed our history.
BACK-BREAKING WORK 1308
Building Haystacks was a back-breaking job but it had to be done even in 1928. Frank Scott on the left holding the wooden rake could tell you that bits of straw and dust got everywhere not only on you but inside your clothes. You would feel like you had a large cheese grater going up and down your back by the end of the day. The other two men are unknown.
BOB SCOTT 1933
This portrait is of Bob Scott who came from Antrim.
AGNES SCOTT 1799
This is Agnes Scott aged 12 in 1924.
Agnes when she grew up married Jack McElrea who lived in the Frenchman's house in Castle Street.
ONE MAN AND HIS DOG 1302
Holding proudly onto the lead of his beloved dog is John Scott with a great shine on his shoes.
The lady at the door is unknown and so is the year.
EILEEN SWAN 280
This is Eileen Swan sitting on the wall at Tullymore Forest.
AGNES SCOTT 777
This is Agnes Scott aged 12 in 1924with her butterfly brooch, Agnes when she grew up married Jack McElrea who lived in the Frenchman's house in Castle Street.