Belfast Department Stores

In 1974 Belfast boasted no less than twelve department stores. I remember most of them.

Robinson & Cleaver, at 56 Donegall Place, was "Northern Ireland's most famous Department Store."

One of my favourite ties, a navy blue, polka dot silk tie which I wear to this very day, was purchased at Robinson Cleaver's.

The Bank Buildings, at Castle Place, was a lovely store in its time. It had been taken over by House of Fraser, I seem to recall.

The Belfast Co-operative Society's store was by far the largest of them all. It was vast, in fact.

• Anderson & McAuley, 1-9 Donegall Place, and 2-16 Castle Street
• Arnott, John & Co, of Belfast, 26-32 High Street, and 16 Bridge Street
• Bank Buildings, The, Castle Place
• Belfast Co-operative Society, 12-44 York Street
• Brands Birdcage Walk, 1-8 Brand's Arcade, and 49 Donegall Place
• Brands & Normans, 18-26 Castle Lane
• British Home Stores (BHS), 24-26 Castle Place, 13-25 Castle Lane, and 11-15 and 14-18 Castle Arcade
• Leahy, Kelly & Leahy, 2-6 Castle Place
• Littlewoods Mail Order Stores, 5-17 Ann Street, and 14-30 William Street South
• Marks & Spencer, 48-52 Donegall Place
• Robinson & Cleaver, 56, Donegall Place
• Woolworth, F W, 11-15 High Street, 2-6 Ann Street, 4-10 Cornmarket, and 127-161 North Street

Three of the aforesaid stores survive, viz. Bank Buildings (being re-built after a catastrophic fire); Marks & Spencer (to their credit throughout the Troubles); and the former Woolworth's store (now Dunnes Stores).

In addition there is a Frasers (House of Fraser) store.

1974: Barristers

I happen to have a 1974 Belfast and Northern Ireland street directory. There are collections of them dating from the 19th century at the Linenhall Library, Belfast Central Library, and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

I have no idea whether any other libraries have them in the Province, though I'm sure they do.

These directories (are they still produced?) have many, many categories, including a comprehensive list of streets in the city, from Abbey Gardens to Zetland Street; Government Administration; Government Services; Legal Directory; Towns & Villages. Ad infinitum.

Under Professions and Trades we have the sub-section entitled BARRISTERS-AT-LAW.

Here's a selective list:-

• R Appleton QC, 12 Waterloo Park South, Belfast
• R D Carswell QC, 40 Massey Avenue, Belfast
• His Honour Judge Conaghan, 17 Beechlands, Belfast
• The Rt Hon Lord Justice Curran, 19 Deramore Park, Belfast
• The Rt Hon Lord Justice Gibson, 13 Broomhill Park, Belfast
• F P Girvan, 11 Waterloo Park, Belfast
• A R Hart, 94 Old Holywood Road, Belfast
• His Honour Judge Higgins, 2 Waterloo Park, Belfast
• J B E Hutton, 9 North Circular Road, Belfast
• His Honour Judge Johnson, 69 Somerton Road, Belfast
• The Rt Hon Lord Justice Jones, 10 Kincora Avenue, Belfast
• Brian F Kerr, 23 Ailesbury Road, Belfast
• C M Lavery QC, 120 Harberton Park, Belfast
• R L McCartney QC, 35 Malone Park, Belfast
• L P McCollum, 24 Adelaide Park, Belfast
• His Honour Judge McGonigal, 16 Hawthornden Road, Belfast
• Wm B McIvor QC MP, 2 Cherryvalley Park, Belfast
• John McKee, 40 Malone Heights, Belfast
• J D McSparran QC, 10 Malone Park, Belfast
• The Rt Hon Lord Justice McVeigh, 12 Annadale Avenue, Belfast
• The Hon Mr Justice O'Donnell, 155 Glen Road, Falls, Belfast
• His Honour Judge Sir Robert Porter PC QC, 86 Marlborough Park North, Belfast
• J K Pringle, 10 Harberton Avenue, Belfast
• His Honour Judge Watt, 12 Deramore Drive, Belfast

First published in May, 2010.

Belfast Fishmongers

Ewing's fishmongery, Shankill Road, Belfast

In 1974, there were no less than fifty-two merchants in Belfast who were classified as Fishmongers, sixteen of which were in east Belfast.

Ewing's, originally on Shankill Road, is now the oldest fish merchant in the city, established in 1911.

Do any readers recall J Christie of 32 Belmont Road?

How many fishmongeries are there in Belfast today?

1. Adams, T, 24 Bromley Street
2. Bon-Accord, 169 Victoria Street
3. Boyle, F, 169 Divis Street
4. Campbell, T, 332 Woodstock Road
5. Christie, J, 32 Belmont Road
6. Christie, Walter, 94 York Road
7. Coulter, J, 162 Crumlin Road
8. Crawford, John, 34 Botanic Avenue
9. Crawford, William, 239-241 Cliftonville Road
10. Crawford's, 2-4 Westland Road
11. Curran, J, 241 Grosvenor Road
12. Davey, Robertina, 849 Crumlin Road
13. Dickson, John, 122 Oldpark Road
14. Donnelly, T, 62 Knockbreda Road
15. Duffy, John, 43 Bradbury Place
16. Dungannon Stores, 145 Upper Lisburn road
17. Eagle, The, 233 North Queen Street & 171 Shankill Rd
18. Ewing, J, 32 Gilnahirk Road
19. Ewing, M & H, 124 Shankill Road
20. Ewing, Walter, 11 Oldpark Road
21. Ewing, William, 427 Lisburn road
22. Fitzsimmons & Son, 261 Upper Newtownards Road
23. Fitzsimmons, James, 431 Upper Newtownards Road
24. Frizzell, 273 Shankill Road
25. Gillespie, JH, 223 Woodstock Rd & 138 Ravenhill Rd
26. Gillespie, W, 252 Newtownards Road
27. Gilroy, George, 66-72 Ann Street
28. Hanlon, Archer, 14 Woodvale Road
29. James, H, 112 Albertbridge Road
30. Johnston, James A, 23 Castlereagh Road
31. Kingham, Thomas, 76 Shore Road
32. Larmour, A, 249 North Queen Street
33. Loughran, J & Sons, 137 Antrim Road
34. Magill, Mrs M, 183 Newtownards Road
35. Marquis, The, 91 Castle Street & 2 Marquis Street
36. Mayne, N, 393 Ormeau Road
37. Moss, R, 67 Ormeau Road
38. McAreavy's, 242 Springfield Road
39. McCrory, Edward, 146 Castlereagh Road
40. McCusker, John, 295 Grosvenor Road
41. McGonigle & Malcolm, 14 Upper Newtownards Road
42. McNeill, FG, 5 Ardoyne Road
43. Nightingale, Thomas, 79 Castlereagh Road
44. McTeggart, Mrs C, 68-78 Oxford Street
45. McVeigh, J, 83 Newtownards Road
46. O'Connor, A, 374 Crumlin Road
47. Quinn, Hugh, 68-78 Oxford Street
48. Rogan, Patrick, 792 Shore Road
49. Ross, John & Sons, 68-78 Oxford Street
50. Sawers Ltd, 24-38 Castle Street & 15 Fountain Street
51. Somerville, H, 112 Bloomfield Avenue
52. Stewart, WH, 307 Springfield Road

First published in May, 2017.

The George

The Clandeboye estate schoolhouse, County Down, was built by Lord Dufferin in ca 1858.

William Burn submitted designs for the school in 1850, and a further design was commissioned from Benjamin Ferrey in 1854.

Neither plan was executed and the architect of the school as it was built remains uncertain.

In the mid 1970s Ballysallagh Primary School was converted to licensed premises (The George) and was largely extended in the process, with large function rooms added.

Click to Enlarge

The George at Clandeboye, County Down, was a hostelry I frequented often in my younger days.

I have found a little leaflet entitled The George.



Many Saturday nights were spent here during the seventies and eighties.

Incidentally, the George's postal address was Crawfordsburn Road, Clandeboye, County Down.

The lodge bedroom block was constructed in 1992-4 to designs by Alan Cook Architects.

It now forms a part of Clandeboye Lodge Hotel.

First published in June, 2011.

Belfast Steamship Company

Full steam ahead!

I couldn't resist posting the nostalgic advertisement (below) placed the in the 1974 street directory.

We frequently sailed to Liverpool on these ships.

They were very popular in Northern Ireland.

I seem to recall that it took ages for the ferries to negotiate the series of docks at Liverpool!

Do any readers have memories of their voyages in the MV Ulster Prince or MV Ulster Queen?

I believe there was an MV Ulster Monarch, too.

The Belfast Steamship Company was taken over by P&O in 1975.

First published in May, 2010.

1974: Belfast Car Dealers

The 1974 Series: Any suggestions about other categories to write about, viz. hatters, book-sellers, restaurants or whatever are welcome.

The first topic is going to be car dealerships and distributors in central Belfast mainly because, as a little boy, I simply adored motor-cars and car show-rooms. Which ones did I frequent?

Mostly Thompson-Reid's and Charles Hurst. Thompson-Reid's show-room at Breda shopping centre (Supermac) was a place I often visited, and the sales men invariably indulged me.

Thompson-Reid had their head office and show-room at 14-16 Donegall Square East, and the show-room went right back to Upper Arthur Street, where there was a little petrol station.

They sold Austin cars.

Thompson-Reid also had premises at the aforementioned Supermac shopping centre.

Charles Hurst was the other big dealership in Belfast which sold British marques, their show-rooms being at 44-54 Chichester Street and 17-27 Montgomery Street.

W H Alexander sold Morris and Wolseley cars at the aptly named Morris House, 90-108 Victoria Street.

Stanley Harvey, at 4 Clarence Street West had, I believe, the concession for Rolls-Royce.

The main Ford dealers were J E Coulter, at 78-82 Antrim road and 38-42 Chichester Street; and R E Hamilton, at 32 Linen Hall Street.

Isaac Agnew was considerably smaller, in commercial terms, though it survives today.

They were main Volkswagon dealers at North Howard Street, Lisburn Road and Falls Road.

A S Baird sold Chrysler, Humber, Hillman, Sunbeam and Simca.

Baird's offices were at was Humber House, 26-30 Ormeau Avenue, and 62-66 Bedford Street.

Clarence Engineering Limited, of 24 Ormeau Avenue and Bankmore Street, sold Triumph and Standard cars.

W H Connolly was located at 118-124 Donegall Pass and, I think, sold Citroen cars.

Dick and company, Donegall Street,  sold Fiat cars.

Geddis Cars, 28 Linen Hall Street - Datsun (now Nissan).

David Marshall Limited was the main Vauxhall dealer at 17 Bedford Street.

Have I omitted any?

First published in May, 2010.