Ballymena C1

COTTAGE HOSPITAL 3096
This is a view of the Cottage Hospital which was built in 1882 in the South-East corner of the Peoples Park in Ballymena.
The Cottage Hospital was renovated in 1995, creating a much-improved vista in the southeast corner. This building is now the headquarters of the Homefirst Community Trust. I think the goat on the right is saying to the other goat "No more head butting I've got a headache".

CAMBRIDGE HOUSE SCHOOL 3272
It's the summer of 1955 and these girls of Cambridge House school in Ballymena can't wait to finish school. On the left is Joan Nesbitt, Muriel Ross and Florence Simpson they would be singing to themselves the No.1 hits of that summer. Jimmy Young had two hits that year but the one in the summer was 'Unchained Melody', Alma Cogan with 'Dreamboat' and Slim Whitman with 'Rose Marie'.

BALLYMENA CASTLE 4111
Here in Ballymena Castle grounds we have the Castle's fire engine, it is powered by steam but pulled by 4 horses. I know you can only see two horses but if you look at the top of the horse's legs you will see a shaft out and past the horse's nose for no way could two horses pull the fire engine at speed. The four men standing two of them are called James and Charles Forsythe. They have 8 firemen, 3 of them are on the fire engine while behind are 4 on the carriage with one of them driving the pair of horses one of which is white. The fireman standing by the carriage is holding part of their equipment this is screwed in to the water mains and they can attach two hoses to it.

BALLYMENA CASTLE 4064
This is Ballymena Castle in all its glory, it was a Scottish-Baronial mansion built in 1869 for Sir Robert Adair, later 1st Baron Waveney. It had a massive seven-storey tower at one end and was built by Lanyon & Lynn of Belfast. This victorian house was so-named after the original castle, built by the Adairs, was burnt in 1720. The Adair estate at Ballymena was sold to the tenants in 1904 and the castle fell into disuse. The castle was still standing in 1953, but was badly damaged by arson in 1955 and condemmed as unsafe the following year. When the local council demolished it in 1957, Sir Allen Adair bought Holly Hill House, near Strabane, County Tyrone and installed ten stained glass windows from the castle there, where they remain to this day. (10th March 2024)

CULLYBACKEY 1593
Out for a walk through the fields of haystacks at Cullybackey we have from the left Sally McDowell, Doris Blackbourne, Marnie Blackbourne, Pat McDowell, Liam Blackbourne and John Cunningham. What have girls stuffed in their pockets?

CHURCH STREET 4065
Here on a cold and blustry day on Church Street Ballymena it's 11.45am and the year is 1910. Walking towards the camera is a young lad well wrapped up and passing a carpet shop. across the road is a horse and cart and I bet the horse is glad to get to the top of the hill. Just in front is a splendid looking shop with two Eagles perched on top looking down.

CHURCH STREET 4089
It's the 1930's and here in Ballymena we are on Church Street in the middle of the road is a young boy with a bicyle. In front of the boy is a jaunting car with a man and woman sitting either side while the driver is wearing a uniform with a top hat.To the left on the pavement are two men watching the Jaunting car as well as the man with the cart with two children on it while holding on to his horse. On the right is a donkey pulling a cart with a man on it, further down the road is the future creeping in, in the form of two cars.In the foreground is Montgomery's garage who is looking ahead for his sign reads ' Carriage & Motor Works '. On down on the left is the Grand Central Hotel Cafe. In the distance a sign on the wall reads ' McDowells Boots '.

CREBILLY HOUSE 4095
Burned burned by IRA in 1922 Originally the O'Hara family estate from 1730, but left to a John Francis Hamilton in the early 1800's who added O'Hara to his name on succeeding to
the estate even though he wasn't a blood relative. It was later taken over General Wardlaw who was married to the sister of the famous Squire O'Hara. The story is about the
owner being a drunk who Upon returning home with friends from drinking in Ballymena town one winter night he was abusive to his wife and the friends chased him out of
house He then jumped on his loyal stead and upon getting to the end of the lane were the white gates were he was thrown from the horse and impaled on the spikes of the
gates hence the ghost being a headless horseman. The house belonged to lady Wardlow The Crebilly Road, used to run up the front of the House, but one of the owners
uphappy with this, arranged for a new road to be built from the Kennel Bridge, through the Fair hill and round to the Roslin Pillars. So bypassing the house and making the
house more secluded.

CHURCH STREET 4091
It's early afternoon here in Ballymena going by the shadows being cast. In the middle of the road is a jaunting car with a lady and man sitting either side being driven by a man in a coachman's outfit and top hat. He is at the start of Church Street.

COTTAGE HOSPITAL 4100
This is the Park dam on an idyllc summer day with the swan and to the left a duck fastly swimming away from the swan with her ducklings to protect them. On the banks of the dam is the Cottage hospital.

CHURCH STREET 4099
This is Church Street in Ballymena back in 1921, on the left outside G. Black & Co., a drapers shop is gentleman wearing a bowler hat and holding in his right arm what looks like a rug. Standing beside him is a shop assistant most likely for the photograph. On down the street are two ladies and their shawls have a double white band around them. In front of them six men standing still for the photo along with the dog and the man in the road with his paper. Further down the road is a horse and cart with it's driver while on his left is another horse and cart filled high either just loaded or going to be unloaded. On his right is the Town Hall with local people people caiing it the clock tower, coming back up the street you see a building with two eagles on the roof that is the Barclay and Crawford’s building. Next to it is a lady talking to a man under the shop's canopy.

CASTLE STREET 4101
This is Castle Street in Ballymena but all over the country streets were decorated like this. Fot this was the 8th May 1945 VE day to celebrate the end of the war in Europe. At the top end of the street is St. Patrick's Church with its three stained glass windows. Even though it's a public holiday the shops are open as well as the barber's and the Post Office for the lady on the right has a parcel to post.

CHURCH STREET 4102
It's the late 1800's and we are in Church Street Ballymena in the winter for there is snow on the ground. On the left are two ladies looking at the goods on display in the shop window of Acheson & Co. Ladies & Gents Outfitters at number 15 Church Street. On down we have Montgomery's Garage Carriage and Motor Works, the sign shows they are preparing for the future. Across the road to where the man is standing the building behind him upstairs is the Ballymena Observer Newspaper offices while below is Hamilton's China Shop. To his left is the Jewelers and then the Drapers.

CAUFIELD'S 4103
Sadly the only one known in Caufield's ice-cream vehicle is the driver Joe MacRory, apparently their ice-cream would make your mouth water at the thought of the ice-cream.
One person said " After GB display in the Town Hall, we always went en masse to upper Mill Street get chips there and of course the ice-cream." Another said " Loved going into Lena Caufield’s on Bridge Street ."

CAUFIELD'S 4104
I don't remember the man who is selling the Caufield ice-cream but I do remember as a child the ice-cream cart coming round the Fernagh Estate at Cloughfern. It was Walls ice-cream and for three pence (old money) you got a plain slider, but for six pence half of your slider was plain and the other half was strawberry.
There were three very successful Caulfields' Cafes and Ice Cream parlours in Ballymena at one time. One was situated in lower Mill St on the other side of the gateway
beside Henry's pub (known as The Farmers Rest), another on upper Mill St (which in later years became Caspers and owned by Rodney Kennedy), and a third on Bridge St
below Woolworths. All three cafes were popular meeting places in Ballymena back in the day, particularly with American servicemen during the second world war.

RIC 4107
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was formed as a result of the Irish Constabulary (Ireland) Act 1836 and was responsible for keeping the peace in Ireland, though not of Dublin which retained its own police force, the Dublin Metropolitan Police. This photo was taken outside main entrance to Ballymena Court house in the 1870s and the party are in undress uniform. The County Inspector 5th from the left in the front row and with a monocle is wearing half wellington boots outside of his trousers - most unusal against regulations. the Sub-Inspector beside him is wearing the regulation riding boots with patent leather strappings on his breeches. 2nd from the left front row this man is a mounted constable, he not wearing knee boots. His trousers have heavy leather cuffings below the knee. of the pattern used by the heavy cavalry during the Crimean War.

CHURCH STREET 4107
The year is 1952 which is 31 years later than the Church Street photo 4102 and what a difference no horses just cars and vans and packed with people shopping even though rationing still had 2 years to go, but most of the shops are still the same. To the left of the photo is Tweedy, Acheson & Co. still going strong., as is Montgomery Motors Ltd. the sign has changed, the name Carriages has been removed. On the right coming up the road is a man in a kilted band uniform and carrying a side drum. Those were the days when you didn't hurry, you went out knowing it would take most of the day because you would see your friends and also the shop assistants that you knew. Now a day not so many people and not so many shops open, for today (2024) people just lift their phones or laptops and what they want is delivered to their door, so, so sad.

CHURCH STREET 4113
This view of Church Street in Ballymena was taken from the taken from the Griddle Room opposite Mckillens in the 1930's. Here you can see two ladies crossing the road while a man on the right walking is reading a paper and carrying a briefcase. Although there are no horses to be seen we know they have been here. Further down the road we can see two Charabancs (coaches) parked while in the foreground there are two Ford cars. Henry Ford the car maker was quoted as saying: “Any colour the customer wants, as long as it's black.”

CHURCH STREET 4112
It's 5mins to 11am and looks like it's going to be a real sunny day here on Church Street in Ballymena with the Town Hall towering above one and all. The saying "The Times they are a-changing" is so true in this photo, on the left and coming up the road we have one horse power while across the road we have a Renault AX Tourer which was eight horse power! The year has to be from 1910 and onwards for the car was only built in 1910.

CURRELLS BRIDGE 4110
On a beautiful sunny day with the Braid Water river running under Currells Bridge which was part of the Broughshane Road. While on the river bank is a lady feeding the ducks ih the
river. In the Autumn the lads would go to Currells Avenue to the Chestnut trees to look for conckers on the ground, if there wasn't any they would throw sticks at the conkers on the
trees branches to make them fall.

COTTAGE HOSPITAL 4121
It's 1910 here in Ballymena and looking across the dam is the cottage Hospital. It looks like a summers day and sitting outside enjoying it are two men on a bench, while over to the left you can see a cow enjoying the grass.
Footnote: The definition of a “Cottage Hospital” is a “local small hospital which does not deal with serious diseases”.

CORONATION DAY 4110
Here we are in Ballymena in Greenvale Street and it's the 2nd of June 1953 the Queen's Coronation. Like in many streets across the United Kingdom people were celebrating the accession of the Queen to the throne. Just luck at all those happy faces and thinking of the sandwiches, cakes and jelly that the children will be eating. The boy with the cone hat and leaning forward is Joe McRandal and the girl sitting down on the road 2nd from right is Ethna McRandal.

CRAIG FAMILY 4132
This photograph was taken in a Studio back in 1892, the reason they all look so solemn is back then you had to stand still up to 30 seconds. If you couldn't stand still they would put a stand behind you with a telescope arm and attached would be bracket shaped like a horseshoe only more open, this they would put at your neck to hold you still.
- - -The Craig family lived in Princess Street around the same time as the photograph was taken.-Back Row: Annie, Ellen and Elizabeth.-Look at the waist on Annie.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - Front Row: Father James Craig, his wife Sarah, Jemima and only son Archibald. - - -- - - - - - -.- - - - -
Before stopping to live in Princess Street the Craig family had lived in Rasharkin, Cullybackey and Galgorm.

CORONATION DAY 4133
Here in Waveney Avenue Ballymena and not only the children are exicited but the parents as well. The reason it's the 2nd of June 1953 and Princess Elizabeth is being crowned Queen. Now only the children in the middle are named. Does anyone know the name of the child in the lady's arms?
Back Row: From the left Mervyn Davidson, Jean Lorimer and Pauline Speers.- - - - - - - - - - - -
Middle Row: Ian Robinson, Roy Davidson, Roy Sampson, Ken Sampson, Jackie Greer and Brian Speers.
Front Row: Elizabeth Wilson, Peter Wilson, Arlene Davidson, Maureen Tweed (with Geo Sloan - holding her) Kay Marks Brian Greer and Tommy Marks.

CORONATION DAY 4133
This is Coronation Day 2nd June 1953 and to celebrate here in Ballymena by having the largest Fancy Dress parade I've ever seen. Sadly I cannot make out most of the outfits as they come up the Broughshane road past West Church and now passing the Adair Hotel. The first one is a young lad dressed as a Security person, behind him is a little girl dressed as a Ghost, behind her is a young lad dressed as a fancy soldier and then most likely 4 girls, the one on the outside is dressed in a Scottish outfit carrying a basket full of Heather. Beside her the girl is dressed in a traditional Welsh dress and hat carrying a basket of Leeks, the next two girls I cannot see what they are wearing presumably a English and Northern Irish dresses.