The Jampot

[carbolicsoap]

thanks what street was it in do you know the exact address

The jampot was on a lane just off the main Donegall Road as others had said.The lane had no name,the postal address was 273 b,c,d Donegall road.(there was a few businesses on the lane)
The actual site of the Jampot is where Prince Andrew Park now stands.
Also the sweet factory was called 'Golden ball confectionary'
The Jampot was not a glamorous place at all,it was a big old dark and dingy store/workshop that smelt of damp.The snooker tables where in the middle of the floor with arcade and fruit machines lining the walls.It was a hangout for people on 'the beak'.We would go there quite often and bring with us a peice of strimmer wire that had a bend.We'd feed it into the slots of the arcade machines to clock up free credits.

[goshawk]

thanks for this info on the jampot,id love to get a photo of the jampot.

[goshawk]

thanks for this info on the jampot,id love to get a photo of the jampot.

would prince andrew park be a street name or an actual park,is it possible to be shown the actual spot where the jampot stood.id love to see a photo of the jampot,im not from belfast myself im from lurgan,i use to play over 11 hours a day of snooker in the mechanics institute back in the 1980's

[carbolicsoap]

would prince andrew park be a street name or an actual park,is it possible to be shown the actual spot where the jampot stood.id love to see a photo of the jampot,im not from belfast myself im from lurgan,i use to play over 11 hours a day of snooker in the mechanics institute back in the 1980's

 
Prince Andrew Park is a street.It would be quite difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the old jampot as the buildings on the lane were knockdown years ago and the whole layout is beyond recognition.

[Val]

Hi Geordie
did you ever play in the bct club? .I new Joe Kerr when he was playing for the Dunmurry Club
he was a very good snooker player and also remember we Cecil Mason at the Windsor.His son Alan
was a good player late 70s early 80s. I came from Sandy Row,Majestic St when the Jampot was going in the 60s
I was to young to get in but used to watch from the open door in the entry. The sweety factory that started there was called the Golden Ball. I played Higgy in an exhibition match at the carreras club 1976 .My mate Tommy McCochoran was a good friend of Higgys and got us front row seats.Eddie Swaffield had just won the all Irelandand was heading for the world amateurs in South Africa Alex asked the audience for a whip round to help fundthe trip as at that time there was no funding available im sure Eddie was gratefulRegards Jimbo

That is really very interesting information on Big Eddie Swaffield, a regular in our house almost everyday in the 50's/60's. I must let my brother know this when he comes back in Sept..Many thanks Jimbo. ...Val 

[gillespie]

Val
The Eddie Swaffield to whom i was refering was 5ft 5in not very big at all. Val do you remember my mum Greta Gillespie nee Audley. Must call into truffles and tell Kim and Roberta that we have been in contact
Jimbo

[Val]

Jimbo, I am terrible with names, Kim's Mom would probably know her better than me, I left in 1966.
I was in touch with Kim by FB when she was in Orlando, Florida. Jimbo, do you have any pictures you can post?

Did your Eddie Swaffield live in Norwood St. there was a big family of them. If it is the same one to me he looked big and he was always referred to as Big Eddie. I am of course 5ft nuthin' 

[artibell]

The jampot was on a lane just off the main Donegall Road as others had said.The lane had no name,the postal address was 273 b,c,d Donegall road.(there was a few businesses on the lane)
The actual site of the Jampot is where Prince Andrew Park now stands.
Also the sweet factory was called 'Golden ball confectionary'
The Jampot was not a glamorous place at all,it was a big old dark and dingy store/workshop that smelt of damp.The snooker tables where in the middle of the floor with arcade and fruit machines lining the walls.It was a hangout for people on 'the beak'.We would go there quite often and bring with us a peice of strimmer wire that had a bend.We'd feed it into the slots of the arcade machines to clock up free credits.
In the 1964 Belfast Street Directory 275a is a billiard hall

[goshawk]

i wonder does anyone have a photo of the jampot,your not the arti bell who raced motorcycles are you.

[doare.]

we used to paly in the shaftsbury hall, on the donegal rd , they had a ticket with a clock face and the hands were marked where u started and then when u were finished they, charged accordingly, that was in 1957 and 58.we were 3' fenians" from the falls , no one ever passed any remarks, that was the time of italian suits , they would play music it was great.it was cheaper than the oxford, oxford was a half crown an hour.

[muckles]

Hi Val:
 
You mentioned Norwood Street.  Did you know the Todds who lived there?

[Val]

Hi Muckles,

yes, Mr & Mrs Todd lived a few doors up from us, she used to collect our Church Offering and take it to St. Andrews for us. They were very nice people to our family which was big (13) our mother died when the youngest brother was only two. 

[muckles]

Hi Muckles,

yes, Mr & Mrs Todd lived a few doors up from us, she used to collect our Church Offering and take it to St. Andrews for us. They were very nice people to our family which was big (13) our mother died when the youngest brother was only two. 

Well Val:
They were my Granny and Grampa.  My mothers name was Emma, my aunt Vera and my uncle Earl.

[Val]

Well Val:
They were my Granny and Grampa.  My mothers name was Emma, my aunt Vera and my uncle Earl.

See what I mean, you just don't know who you are going to meet that knows someone you do. That's amazing, funny I remember the name Vera & Earl but not Emma. I will have to let my sister Muriel know because she would have been closer in age I think. I think they were all married and moved before I came along. 

There is another member on here who lived just across the street from them, his name is McCusker and we were talking one day about playing ball and how your Grandma would sometimes take the ball and chase us. She would always give me the ball back as long as I went to the top of the street to play. 

[DJ]

Alex Higgins was a Kelvin boy and there is a well known story that anyone who went to Kelvin would remember. The teachers common room had a little snooker table in it, really small, probably 4x3 or something like that, Alex, as we all know lived and breathed snooker even at school. So he challenged the teachers to a game in the common room which if I remember right was declined. I wonder why?