Ballymoney H1

HIGH STREET _4239
This is High Street Ballymoney around mid-morning as the sun's rays are only hitting one side of the street back in 1956.
On the left standing still is a young boy with perhaps his brother beside a ruined building where you can see the outline of the roof on the gable wall of the house.
Across the road and just coming into the sunlight are three men and a lady all with bikes.

HIGH STREET & DIAMOND_4238
It's 1950 here in High Street and the Diamond in Ballymoney and as you can see it's quite a busy place sadly no more horse and carts.
Parked waiting on passengerson either side of the road are two UTA ( Ulster Transport Authority) buses. Coming up the road is an Austin motor car while the one facing the camera parked is a Ford car.

HIRING FAIR _4241
Here we are at the Diamond with High Street behind the people in Ballymoney, October 1900. The reason the people are here is because they are looking for work, this is a Hiring Fair.
Prospective workers would gather in the street or market place, often sporting some sort of badge or tool to denote their speciality. Shepherds held a crook or a tuft of wool,
Cowmen brought wisps of straw, Dairymaids carried a milking stool or pail and Housemaids held brooms or mops; this is why some hiring fairs were known as mop fairs.
Employers would look them over and, if they were thought fit, hire them for the coming six months or a year, handing over a shilling to seal the arrangement This was the only money people would receive until the end of their six month or a year's contract! This pratice would continue into the 1950's.
Take a look at the girl on the left her face full of hope of getting a job and all her earthly possions wrapped up in a bag. At the other end you see small children even they had a job.
Sadly some employers were known to try and get an excuse to sack the person before the contract finished that way they did not have to pay them.

HIGH STREET _4240
It looks like it has been raining here in High Street Ballymoney at 12.20pm while it's 1958 and only two people on the street. a father and a son pushing his bike.
They are just passing Thomas McElderry's Tractor and Motor garage, it too like all the shops are closed perhaps it's a Sunday.

HIGH STREET _4354
Now we are in High Street 1968/69 after a band parade and in front of the store Orbit are three ladies with their children in prams surounded by a crowd. On the left is a young Irene Boyd next to her is her brother Pasty Boyd who has now gone home. Then we have Belinda and her mum, next Stephen Lee (Ivan’s cousin) and his mum, finally Sadie Lee with Ivan and then Sharon Tweed.

A. L. HANNA_4363
Another Linenhall street photo only this time Mr. Hanna is standing in the doorway of his hardware store in which he now sells Bicycles with two displayed in the window. Also a young man standing in the Furnisher's delivery entrance.

HIGH STREET _4369
Prehaps it's too early here on High street for many people to be around except the people a=up the street are watching what the photographer is doing like the old man on the right and the lady striding along. behind the old man is W.J. Wilson a tobaccionist advertising 'War Horse' a tobacco for the pipe.Is'nt that a lovely old car and has it's AA badge on the raditor with another car behind and evidence that the horse and cart have not gone yet. Now for anyone who can correctly tell me what the car in the background has that no modern car of today (2025) has I will email them a copy of the photo. len.kinley@hotmail.com

A. L. HANNA_4362
This is Linenhall Street back in 1900, on the left we have Pinkertons Solicitors and then Hanna's hardware store which later it would become Christies. Then on the right is a furnisher's with some of its wares on display.

HENRY STREET _4367
Nearly everyone seated at the tables set out in Henry street and look to be having a great time and cutting the cake at the far end is Joe.The reason it was the 9th May 1945 Victory Day because WW11 in Europe was over. Across the street is a car which did taxing and belonged to Bobby Hamilton. At the end house you can see two elderly people and a younger lady in dark clothing with two small children who arn't joining in the celebration. The reason could be that sadly she has lost her husband to the war.

J.D. HART_4365
Here we are on Main street looking across at J.D. Hart Flesher (Butcher) and their display of vairous kinds of meat and beef. No Health & Saftey back then, you can see even a little boy touching the meat but I don't remember any outbreaks of food poisoning back then.On the pavement in front of the shop you can see what looks like snow, it's not, it's sawdust to catch any blood dripping from the carcass's hanging up. Standing in the doorway of the shop are Archie & Pasty Olphert, now Pasty Olphert had his own butcher's shop in Victoria Street beside Bobby Kirgan's Shoe shop. A Norman Beverland Thorpe remembers Minnie Hart's shop.

HIGH STREET _4374
Here on High Street at 5.30pm, you can see only old men, boys and youths the reason? It is 1943 WW11 has been raging on since 3rd September 1939, France surrendered 22 June 1940 so we have been fighting on our own for 3 years, although when you look at this photgraphyou wouldn't think we were at war. On the corner of the street is E. Cochrane & Son's Arcade which was a wholesale and retail drapers. Mrs. George Cochrane was the dress maker, Amazingly we know the name of one of the lads and that is Jamie Connor, he is in the middle of the photo in the foreground.

HIGH STREET _4375
It's early morning here in the 1900's, we are looking down at Main street and the Town Hall. On the left of the street sitting on the steps is a little girl dressed but not as well dressed as the little girl across the street. She has a white pinafore on to protect her good clothes, behind her are three men and a young man watching the photographer.

HOCKEY SCHOOL_4372
Please can anyone tell me why this photo is called Hockey picture ?
The boys are all well turned out for getting their photograph taken and I would say that this is the way went to school everyday. The boys in the front row seem to be seated on a railway sleeper, Behind them is either a Church or a Chapel, the boy second from the left in the back row has a black eye, I wonder how he got that? Even atranger are the two boys in front of him are wearing Kippah's showing that they are Jewish.

HUTCHINSON_4373
Here on Main Street on the left is the Brown Jug, the store on the right has the owner Mr Hannah of the Hardware Store standing proudly in front of his business and has on display galvanised buckets and chairs in front of the shop window and more chairs at the kerbside with rools of something Below the middle window is a small statue of a Unicorn. Further down the street he has two farming implements outside the Manor House, a very famous house and the gentleman who lived there. a person you did not want to meet when he was alive or dead. That was George 'Bloody' Hutchinson, he was a Justice of the Peace in the 1800's. He had the reputation as a Hanging Judge, who is buried in Ballymoney Old Graveyard. After he died It was said that the house was haunted and that adults would hurry by the house while children would run.

HIGH STREET _4370
Here we are near the bottom of High street and on the left what I can make out of the store sign is Cash Hardware Store and has a display at the kerbside with galvanised buckets on the bottom and brush heads on the shelf aboce. In the store's doorway you can see a svthe for cutting grass, wheat, straw or whatever you want. Plenty of bikes around and no chains on them as a young boy lifts his bike with its saddle bag under the saddle for carrying your puncture tin, I wonder what the bottle is in his pocket. Beside him is an Austin car with its temperature gauge at the top of the radiator. At the bottom of the radiator you can see a long handle sticking out, this was how you started your car by swinging the handle round so the engine would start.

HIGH STREET _4371
It's very early in the morning looking at the shadows on the road and it must be market day here in High street. There's only one woman shopping and she's on the right while its men only at the stall which seemed to have caught all their interest, Except for one young lad who is looking at the motorbike parked in front of him wishing it was his. They must be getting ready to put telephones in the houses and businesses in the street, the telephone post further up has spars on it to carry the telephone lines but the one where the men are has none.

HIGH STREET _4381
This is a young Trevor in his nice new pedal car in the yard at 51 High Stre A Mr Cromie built this terrace in 1936 or 1937 - hence the nice new concrete. Residents included Nevins, Brewsters, Pedens, Pollocks and the Twaddles. Now if you know Trevor's last name, please let me know and if you want I will send you this photo. len.kinley@hotmail.com

HIGH STREET _4378
High Street the year is unknown.On the leftis a hardware store with farming equipment at the kerb and other implements on the pavement.It looks busy with plenty of people around, across the road is a horse and trap with the driver parked outside the Antrim Arms Commercial Hotel. To the left is the Northern Bank another shop then the Clock tower. On the left in the foreground is Hamill's hardware shore with farming equipment at the kerb and other implements on the pavement.

HIGH STREET _4379
It's the late 1940's here in a busy High Street while cyclling down the middle of the road, eyes firmly looking ahead was James Glass who worked in a chemist. Behind another cyclist and also a deliverly Ormo bread van. To the left of the photograph is a man wearing a bowler hat patiently waiting on his son who is trying out one of Fullerton's stools. Further up the street we have 3 parked motorbikes behind them are 2 cars parked side by side, the outside one looks like an Austin and 2 petrol pumps outside of a garage belonging to Kennedy Lyle McAteer. In 1938 he'd have sold you an Austin 7 Deluxe saloon equipped as per catalogue specification. for £140! Their telephone number back then was Ballymoney 65, later on he became a funeral director.

HIGH STREET _4377
This an extremly early day here in High street in the 1900's, on tjhe left is a man on a seat enjoying the peace and quiet. further up is a horse and cart with owner heading towards one of the shops. Over to the right one of the shops is open as they have their awning out. On down still on the rright probably heading up to the shop, the strange thing is you can see a blurred skirt and a bit of a waist and in front is a lady with a head and shoulders and part of her body. The reason for this is that back then a photo exposure could take anything from 5 to 20 seconds to get a sharp photograph so you had to stand perfectly still while the lady was moving.

HOME GUARD _4384
Here we are sometime during WW11 and these men are part of the Home Guard at the time. They were men too old or something else that stops them serving in the armed forces. In the back row 2nd from the right the Sergeant is Willie Laverty. If you know any of the other and where they are in the photo, please let me know and if you want I will send you this photo. len.kinley@hotmail.com

HIGH STREET _4383
Standing beside an Ambulance are some of the staff from Ballymoney Hospital. On the left is Archie Hume, next to him is Eleanor Craig and the rest are unknown. now if you know any of them and where they are in the photo please let me know and if you want I will send you this photo. len.kinley@hotmail.com

HIGH STREET _4382
Sadly all the horses are gone but then it's 1950's and here on a sunny High Street we cars, Humber, Vauxhall, Ford, Mg and the good old faithfull the Morris Minor. On the right is a black car which is "wee" Bobby Hamilton's which he used for Taxing. Behind Bobby's car is McCorriston's shop and the man crossing the road with a newspaper in his hand which he had bought from the shop is Willie Dickson. Thank goodness there were no Parking Wardens back then, seems you just parked where you wanted.

HIGH STREET _43885
It's 1941 and we are fighting the Germans on our own but thankfully these two girls are happily playing away in a back yard in High Street.
Part of the tricycle you see belongs to the little girl called Helen Peden who lives at 53 High Street. The girl standing behind Helen who has her hans on her shoulders is called Shelia McKay and she lives at 49 High Street.