Belfast S1

STEEPLE DEFENDERS BAND 1687
Playing their hearts out are the Steeple Defenders band from Antrim seen here in Royal Avenue, Belfast in 1982.
On the left is John Burke, then Paul Michael "a man for the people", Phil Forger, Stephen Houston, Jeremy Burke and Jim Rankin.
The only other two members known behind them are Sammy McCormick and Desi Wilson.

J. C. SCOTT 2563
This is Corporal John Cousins Scott of the122nd Field Company Royal Engineers (Ulster Division), he had lived at 67 Bedeque Street Belfast and who was in WWI, Scott was badly wounded on the 10th May 1916 on the Western Front at the Battle of Verdun. He was taken to No. 29 Casualty Clearing Station but on the 12th May 1916 he sadly he died of his wounds. he was only 28 years old.

GEORGE STEVENSON 3440
Sitting relaxing in a cane chair in 1939 on the deck of RMS ANDES whilst in Belfast harbour is George Steven who is the Engineer Officer.
Because of the outbreak of WWII, Andes did not sail on her planned maiden voyage in 1939. Still in Belfast being fitted out by Harland & Wolff, Andes was quickly converted to a troop transport. Her wartime voyages took her mostly to the Orient, the Pacific and South Africa. At last, in 1947, she was handed over by the British government to Royal Mail and was restored to her originally intended de luxe standard as a top class liner.

GEORGE STEVENSON 3441
This is George Stevenson leaning on a bollard at Donaghdee quayside back in 1940. It seems to be very busy harbour for while one ship is tied up the one next to it is getting up a head of steam while behind George is another ship coming into berth. Looking unassuming with his hands in his pockets George and many others in his profession where anything but. Classed as bottom of the pile in the services they lost more men per ratio than any of the other services, it was of course the Merchant Navy and all of them volunteers.

STEVENSON SISTERS 3444
Standing in their back garden all smiles are the Stevenson sisters on the left is Elizabeth and beside her is Marie. The reason they are smiling is that they are showing off their new frocks which Marie had made back in 1947. Even though war in Europe ended 7th May 1945 government rationing here did not end until the 4th July 1954 so most people had to save their coupons to buy materails or recycle old ones. My mother used to use my father's old trousers to make me short trousers and I had to wear braces to keep them up.

STEVENSON STUDIO PORTRAIT 3610
Here in a Belfast photography studio in 1890 we have Jessie Stevenson who was 9 years old with her lovely short hair and a beautiful white lace dress with laced calf length boots. Beside her is her younger brother Andrew and he was 5 years old and who looks scared because you had to keep still in those days but is dressed in a very smart outfit. Now Andrew when he grew up he played for the Scottish National football team, he was a very good player and oftenwon for the team so naturally he partied hard to celebrate every time they won which was quite often. His mother banished him for one year to the New World to improve himself. He landed in Montreal and when the year was up he missed the boat home, the reason? Too much partying! Andrew then moved to Toronto and set up an upholstery business. One contract he had was with the local Lunatic Asylum to cover all the chairs. Meanwhile a Margaret Kirkwood who Andrew did not know her had a job arranged by her father to be a housekeeper for Lord Baden Powell in Toronto. Margaret tired of the job and took another in the local Lunatic Asylum where of course the two met and fell in love. Andrew and Margaret ran off to Buffalo, New York and married on the 1st July 1909 so Andrew was only 14 then! They had eleven Children in Canada who all stayed there and have many descendants. Eventually the horsehair used in the upholstery caused the death of Andrew, probably combined with the heavy drinking and smoking.

GEORGE STEVENSON 3442
Looking very solemn having his photograph George Stevenson should be smiling for it's 1939 and he's 21 today. George served in the Merchant Navy during and after WWII. George married Nora and they had two sons, they emigrated to Canada and by the 1960's with hard work and dedication George had become an Official Inspector for the Canadian Government. When he had time to spare George's hobby was boat building and became very skilled at it.

SANDY ROW 4613
baHere we are again in a quiter part of Sandy Row in the early part of the 1900's and morning. On the left is a young man walking towards a boy who is carrying a tin can on a piece of string most likley for milk and he is in his bare feet. Over to the right a lady is looking in a shop window at ladies garments. Behind her is a man leaning against the lampost while carrying a dustbin on his shoulder.

SANDY ROW 4611
Now I think everyone knows where this photograph is from, of course it's Sandy Row back in 1937 and you are looking at theSandy Row Post Office with a letter box in the foreground, attached to the window on the right is where you can get First & Second class stamps. Also in the building is 'The Central Tea & Coffee Wharehouse' along with 'Baird's Bakery.' The business next door sells household goods mats, mugs and Bibles, hanging outside the shop are pots and a Washboard. My mum had one and I used it when I was in a Skiffle band.

SERVIA STREET 4591
Here you aare in Servia street in the lower Falls and the towering spires in the distance belong to St. Peter's Cathedral. The little boy is looking around while the girls seem to be waiting on someone and at the other lampost down the street a girl is trying to put up a rope on it to make a swing.

SHAW'S BRIDGE 4608
It's the 22nd of May 1930 and here we are at Shaw's Bridge with the river Lagan flowing below it. As you can see the photographer has got people to stop and let him take a photograph of them on the bridge. On the right is a young man standing at an opening in the bridge wall which leads down to the river Lagan's banks. up on the hill is Terrace Hill House (the notable residence on the hill overlooking Shaw's Bridge and the River Lagan) was owned by Edward "Ned" Robinson. He was the proprietor of Belfast’s iconic Robinson & Cleaver department store. Where it is located was on the site of a 17th century fort.

SANDY ROW 4612
Once again we are back in Sandy Row very early in the mornning and yet people are here to get the freshly brought in goods. All the way down both sides of the street are out doing the family shopping, reember back then people shopped every day because their was no way of keeping food fresh at home. At the bottom of the street towering over Sandy Row we have Cresent Presbyterian Church and University Road Methodist church. Near the middle of the road we have three boys, one of them has a handcart while one is picking something up from the road are all barefoot. In contrast on the right in the foreground is a well dressed young man walking along eating a sandwitch. Still on the right down the street is a place were folk go who are not so lucky - the Pawn Brokers.

SHAW'S BRIDGE 4609
Here we are back at Shaw's Bridge in the 1950's 20 years later the bridge is still the same but the transport has changed. A man and wife along with three children are riding along in a horse and trap which soon will disappear. The reason is behind them, motorised transport and this is the form of a single decker bus owned by the Ulsterbus Transport Authority.

HUGH STEVENSON 3641
This is Hugh Stevenson looking deep in thought probably about how he was going to do his next dive. He was an Irish Swallow Diving Champion and was also an ace Juggler and any visitors thtat called at the house he would try to teach them to juggle.
Hugh went home in 1982 but has left many descendants in Northern Ireland, United States, Wales and Scotland.

THE STEVENSONS 3611
Here in a photographic studios in Belfast we have James Stevenson and his lovely wife Margaret holding an umbrella, just look at the ornamental handle. James and his wife came over to Belfast from Paisley Scotland in 1875. His father Hugh had a shawl company in Paisley but there was a collaspe in the market for Paisley shawls in the second half of the 18th century. James got himself a job at Watson mattresses manufatctures and worked there for 50 years at which point he was presented with a gold watch.

THE STEVENSONS 3612
Here at their home at 2 Georges Terrace, Ballysillan, Belfast in 1925 standing proudly is James Stevenson with arm behind his wife. The reason he is so proud looking in his best suit and the fob hanging from a gold chain which is attached to a gold Hunter watch. This was to mark 50 years of service at Robert Watson & Son Ltd in Library Street, Belfast and James and his wife Margaret start their retirement.

JOHN HAMILTON STEVENSON 4023
This is John Hamilton Stevenson who was born 7th August 1882 at Killymuck, Kilrea. He was apprenticed to William Clark and Sons who were in the Linen business at Upperlands about two miles from the family farm. So John had to walk the two miles to work in the wind, rain and snow. He worked hard for he later became a manger for Ross and Bowl of Ballymena and then managing director for David Waugh and Sons in Ligoniel Belfast.Finally he began his own business which he named J.H.Stevenson Ltd producing linen at Bain's Place Belfast. John was a sucessful manufacturer and exporter of his linen for many years until he went home on the 14th January 1964 aged 82.

DOROTHY ORME 3642
This is Dorothy Orme (nee) Stevenson back in 1938 one of Hugh and Maggie Stevenson's children., Dorothy when she was younger she decided to emigrate to Australia just for adventure of it. But little did she know that love was on that ship, for it was on board she met her husband William Leonard Orme and they got married. Dorothy went on to have two daughters of which we know nothing about. Later on in her life as she could be possibly a little stubborn she took ill and would not let a doctor see her and sadly Dorothy passed away.

JIM STEVENSON and ELZA 3643
This is Jim Stevenson anotheer one of Hugh and Maggie Stevenson's children from Belfast.
Jim got married to Jean in Belfast where they adopted the little girl in hs arms call Elza. Jim became a school teacher and then they emigrated to Canada.
Now the ironic thing is that Elza eventually came back to Belfast and got married so is now Elza Margrain.

SHAFTESBURY SQUARE 3643
ThIt's a winters cold evening with snow on the ground here at Shaftesbury Square on corner of Great Victoria Street and the Dublin Road. What you are seeing here is a daily ritual the Belfast Telegraph's newspapers being distributed to paperboys to sell and you can see the boys hands reaching out to get their quota.The round building next to the man giving out papers is a mens toilet. If you look closely you will see that a right number of the boys are in their feet ! Also it's 1908 and to make a picture sharp you had to stand still for a couple of minutes, some hope here. for example the two boys in front looking at the camera have moved resulting in them having two heads.Over to the right is wavey lines someone walking past and below that is a boot of someone who moved away. Jimmy Hillick says Times were extremely hard in them days, houses had no power or bathrooms so no one was clean that’s the reason Belfast city council built public toilets and baths around the city so people could go and get a bath with hot water. My mother was from the Falls road, she had to go and get a bath once a week if they could afford it.