Those with longer memories of life on the Newtownards Road will frequently reminisce about the shops and business that gave such vitality and energy. Places like Mahood’s Bicycle Shop or Burke’s Draper and Outfitters at number 213-223, or Irvine’s Shoe Shop at the Arches.
No story is complete without ice cream from Desano’s or Fuscos, after fish and chips from somewhere like the Fish Supper Saloon at Hanvey’s, 83 Newtownards Road or maybe Vincent’s Fish Restaurant.
The Bloomfield Bakery at the corner of the Newtownards Road and Bloomfield Avenue was the largest in the city and had at one time over 80 carts and 100 horses serving the city. They also had the contract to provide the bread and sundries for the 36th Ulster Division prior to the Division going to France in 1915.
The Road even had its own organ builder by the name of F Pancott, and at 439 was the British and Argentina Meat Company.
The Strand Spinning Mill now called Portview was a very modern Mill that gives employment to many women and young girls it was the last purpose built Mill to be built in Belfast.
Beside the mill was Browns. Having outgrown the Bloomfield Road premises Browns moved to the Newtownards Road in 1936. Surveying 50 years of activity in 1954, from furniture removers to taxis and wedding limousines to funeral services, Elizabeth Brown wrote, ‘During the past 50 years our path has often been beset by obstacles which at times seemed insurmountable, but God’s grace supporting human perseverance brought us safely through. Celebrating 100 years in 2004, the then director, James Brown, agreed.
At number 74 was the Medical Institute for Working People run by Dr Cardwell and in Cuba Street the first commercial Motor Carriage to be built in Ireland. It was known as the Chambers car and one can be seen at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra. There was also a gentleman who operated a bakery from the front and undertakers from the rear of his premises.
And finally, many people have stories of queuing up on a Saturday morning outside of Pat Jordan’s bakery for apple tarts or tatie bread. The business, which was listed in a 1920 street directory, still exists today and is operated by the same family. Those in the know say the apple tarts are still as good.
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thanks to local historian Bobby Cosgrove for his invaluable help in compiling these stories
Born in Ballymacarrett prior to the First World War Fredrick Roberts was to become the greatest goal-scoring machine in the history of Irish football. The record books say he was 6ft 2ins tall, but on the 4th of May 1931 he stood 10ft tall when he broke the league’s all-time scoring record, one that he holds to this day and which is unlikely to be bettered.
Fred was signed by Glentoran from Broadway United, in 1928 and that first season he scored 66 goals in 44 matches, including five hat-tricks, four goals in three games, and five goals in two other games, yet he failed to win any medals.
Nor were there any trophies gained in the following season, a fact that was particularly galling because the year belonged to Glentoran’s great cross-town rivals Linfield. Their centre forward, Joe Bambrick broke the Irish goal scoring record finding the net 94 times during the season. He also managed to score seven times for Northern Ireland against Wales at Windsor Park, a feat never to be broken since by any other British or Irish International player.
The 1930-31 season was to be Fred Roberts’ response to the record set by Joe. He started in August with a brace against Coleraine, and did not stop scoring until the end of the season. In December of 1930 Fred hit 19 goals in 5 games including three hat-tricks and 4 goals in another two games. In February he scored six against Larne bringing his total to ten in the two league games against them.
With only one game to play, Fred had scored 94 goals to equal Joe’s record. The Glen men had only one target in sight, to win the record for Fred. They had to wait until half an hour into the game when a pass from Geary found Callaghan on the right. He crossed and Fred nodded in goal number 95 to break the record.
The press at the time reported that the roar was heard on the Newtownards Road. He added a second as the Glens were beaten 3-2 but no one cared. Fred had at last given them something to cheer about. At the full time whistle the Glentoran supporters invaded the pitch and they and his teammates carried Fred on their shoulders as a tribute to his wonderful scoring prowess.
During the season Fred had hit 8 hat-tricks, four fours, one five, and a double hat-trick once, and at last he was rewarded with an Irish league and County Antrim Shield medal.
Including friendly games, Fred scored 105 goals for the Glens that year.
Fred Roberts played for Glentoran for five seasons before being given a shock free transfer. He never lost his love of the Glens and could be seen on the terraces right up to his death in 1988.
Belfast is a city created by the amalgamation of a number of small villages and communities back in the 1750’s. Most of the villages started were established country folk began moving into the town. In the town land of Ballymacarrett, there were a number of these small villages springing up and amongst them was New Bridge.
In 1755 Richard McCleery, a Master Baker from the town land of Ballymacarret was returning home on horse back after attending a family reunion in Newtownards. On arriving at the Connswater River he found the river in full flow due to the heavy rains and high tides. The only crossing point was via large stepping-stones and while attempting to cross he was washed away and drowned. Two days later, his horse was found wandering on the Strands near Hollywood and a week later, his body was washed ashore.
There was much publicity and public outcry at this incident and the people of Ballymacarret protested through their land agent, Thomas Pottinger.
In 1755 The Grand Juries of Down ruled that a new bridge over the Connswater River and a straight road be built. From here, the roads from Hollywood and Newtownards would meet down to the Long Bridge that leads into Belfast Town.
This work was completed in 1758, but because of the slob lands it was not possible to build a straight road to the bridge so an “S bend” had to be put in. This was called the Bridge End, and the name remains today.
The straight road was called the New Road and was renamed the Newtownards Road at the end of the 1800s.
The Bridge was called the Connswater Bridge after the Conn O Neill river “Connswater” which at this time was a wide fast flowing river coming down off the Castlereagh hills.
The Newtownards road has been well-known in the past, for such icons as Inglis’s Bakery, the Sirocco Works and Irvine’s Shoe Shop. Norman Kennedy and Jim Patton, of the East Belfast Historical Society, recall the shops of the past and their memories of growing up on the Newtownards road; ” it was great, at Christmas.. my mother would have gone in for messages.. and you would’ve got a box of grapes, or a sugar loaf.. just put in as a wee extra.” The future of the Newtownards road is firmly in the hands of the East Belfast Partnership, with the new NR2012 scheme. “As this area regenerates.. it is going to attract new businesses,” reflects Elma Newberry, Chief Executive, “there is no reason why it couldn’t it be a Lisburn road.”
Watch the extended presentation for a visual history of the Newtownards Road HERE.
Continuing a series looking at the history of the Skainos site along the Newtownards Road we want to look at the history of development in the area.
It seems that the area itself, because it was wetland has only been settled in the relatively recent past, though there is evidence of a settlement called West Holywood a little to the east of the Connswater and near Strandtown. There was also a ferry that departed from Ballymacarrett presumably to the other side of Belfast Lough to the significant settlement at Carrickfergus.
At one stage the land was owned by the O’Neill Clan from Tyrone and was part of their vast territory known as Clandeboye, indeed the whole of what is now North Down was then known as Upper or Southern Clandeboye.
One of the most exciting as well as most moving features of the preparations for Skainos has been what we have learned about the history of the site through the archaeology.We have learned a considerable amount about the history of this community as well as about what we like to call the DNA of the organisation, East Belfast Mission, that has given birth to the Skainos vision.
In January of 2009 following a formal tender process Skainos appointed Northern Archaeological Consultancy to conduct the necessary archaeological work on the site. Their first task was to produce a desk survey of the history and pre-history of the site, much of which was fascinating. We’d like to share some of this detail with visitors to the website.
This first instalment covers the pre-history of the area and its strategic location. Did you know for instance, that when sea-levels rose following the ice age this area remained above water, but close to the shoreline and between the estuaries of the Connswater and the Lagan? Furthermore, because of this the soil here is not the common Belfast sleech, upon which most of the city floats, indeed the good quality land here made it an ideal place for settlement.
And ever wondered why Strandtown is called Strandtown? There may be some clue in the detail which you can download here.
Here is a quick shot of video taken after Friday’s all-day review of M&E services in Skainos. Many of the drawings were incredibly intricate and beautiful arrangements of often quite mundane things like waste removal from the toilets, or lighting or heating systems.
Video taken at a recent design meeting with members of the East Belfast Mission congregation. The meeting was called to discuss progress on the design of the church and gathering space of the development.
One of the recent events which impressed on us the permanent changes that Skainos would bring to East Belfast Mission was the erecting of hoarding in the carpark. This was done to facilitate the archaeological dig.
Staff at EBM didn’t miss the significance of the fact that from this point onward the Mission was changing and things would never be the same again. This was, in effect, the beginning of the Skainos Project.
Several staff gathered in the carpark for a small, informal ceremony to mark the moment and the cameras captured it.
Toe, heel or head, pass the ball to Fred
Belfast is a city created by the amalgamation of a number of small villages and communities back in the 1750’s. Most of the villages started were established country folk began moving into the town. In the town land of Ballymacarrett, there were a number of these small villages springing up and amongst them was New Bridge.
