Glengormley

[niemand13]

Hello, my name is David Hill.  My father's family used to live at "Seaforde", 10 Carnmoney Road, Glengormley.  My uncle, Alexander Hill, was the local tailor and postman.  His father, my grandfather, died in 1940 and was also the tailor. 

Initially, it would be great to hear from anyone who remembers the family in general.  In particular any old photos of my uncle(s) or Bob Hill, my father.

BTW, I am still in touch with, and know very well, the son of the late Mr & Mrs Sutton who had the sweet shop.

Ironically i now live in that house and the old outhouse at the back had the remains of the old tailorshop. It was a real snapshot of the period. It had a little "stage" to display clothes, tailors workbench, a fireplace and gas lighting...a little dangerous next to a naked flame..!

[shep79]

stiofan
I just came across your posting in the Glengormley thread and my very old brain kicked into gear when I saw the name Shepherd. I have been trying to put together a Family Tree for the past year or more but have not had any connecton with John Shepherd since the late 1950's, he lived with his mother Jean (she worked as housekeeper for doctor Gray at the bottom of the Hightown Road). Would this be the same Shepherd family, your help might help me get in touch?
JimIGS

Evening, the John shepherd you are referring to is my father and Jeanie my granny,
Happy to discuss further

[Machri9]

does anyone remember the shops being blown up?i think it would have been early 70s

I think it was the IRA who blew up Doyle’s sweetshop and the ‘reason’ was that the owner refused to close on Internment Day. That, I think, would be August 9, 1974. Aug 9 1974 was a Friday. But I think the explosion was on the Sunday morning, Aug 11. Does that sound right?

[fionna_b]

Love them!   

[tommo]

Love who?

[Dargan]

Cartmills I think it was called. Unfortunate girls were sent there for work experience from Graymount School in Newtownabbey when they couldn't be placed elsewhere because they'd said on the forms that they wanted to be astronauts or groupies. I'm sure Cartmills wanted shot of the lot of them. But anyway I seem to recall it was an old-fashioned sort of place with standards and a bit of atmosphere and that maybe it was a ladies' and men's garment place. I also remember Stewart's supermarket when it came out, and the wonder of dandering up and down aisles full of crisps and security guards in livery who let you know in no uncertain terms that they didn't like the look of you. What a wonder it all was, and they gave out for free real ox eyes for Graymount School's biology experiments too. One thing we did learn from that was that we certainly didn't want to go into the butchery trade. The stink of vitreous and aqueous humours will be with me forever. I never went on work experience at all. I don't know what skill I possessed to dodge that one because ever other bleedin' infringement of liberty was foisted upon me left, right and centre. Yes indeed, in the 70's Glengormely had something going on which wasn't uninteresting. It had a modern feel at Farmley before it all went to the dogs. I hope the place is doing well in this ultra-modern age.  Regards.

[Roadracer]

Dargan
I think it's still a step up from the Shore Road in the 70's and today 

[Dargan]

God, Glengormley! The flood-gates of memory have opened now. Four short tales of the "Church" area.

One. The first time I was in Glengormley it was because my ma drove her cousin up there to go to view a house in one of the Church streets. I was trailed along and had to wait in the car. I was raging because I missed When The Boat Comes In. She bought the place and moved there from Keadyville Avenue.

Two. I once went to guitar lessons somewhere about Church Crescent. The guy looked like Walter Becker from Steely Dan. I learned next to nothing but it wasn't really the man's fault because when I was there I was a bit twitchy knowing that the Edenmore was in full swing. I learned to play one song which went, "Dance Gypsy, dance Gypsy, laugh and romance Gypsy," and then it all got too much for me knowing my pals were drinking snake-bites down the road on the sewer pipe that led out into the lough while they were rustling other people's birth certificates hoping they'd get into the Edenmore.

Three. Then there was a school-friend called Julie. She was from the Church area too. We had one or two things in common such as being obsessed with Dracula, but where we differed was that she was into horses and Gary Glitter. Looking back on that roughcast and rum fella, his music, no doubt, was highly exciting in spite of what he was. But what did we know back then? For the carry-on of the likes of him was tolerated, and even the BBC turned blind eyes.

Four. Now the fourth and final person I knew from the Church area: it was a fella I went out with. Then one day his sister told me he kept my photograph in an old broken teapot, and that was that. When I look back now it seems quaint, but back then it wasn't "snappy" enough for me.

Hapy memories of Glengormley. Regards.

[Roadracer]

Same area as Machri9 mentioned in previous post known as Elmfield.

[Machri9]

Very interesting post. I also loved When the Boat Comes In. And Steely Dan. Didn’t know there was a guitar teacher nearby. My bro played and actually played in a local (Whiteabbey) jazz-rock band called Arcadia Lake. Rock on, the Glens of Gormley! 

God, Glengormley! The flood-gates of memory have opened now. Four short tales of the "Church" area.

One. The first time I was in Glengormley it was because my ma drove her cousin up there to go to view a house in one of the Church streets. I was trailed along and had to wait in the car. I was raging because I missed When The Boat Comes In. She bought the place and moved there from Keadyville Avenue.

Two. I once went to guitar lessons somewhere about Church Crescent. The guy looked like Walter Becker from Steely Dan. I learned next to nothing but it wasn't really the man's fault because when I was there I was a bit twitchy knowing that the Edenmore was in full swing. I learned to play one song which went, "Dance Gypsy, dance Gypsy, laugh and romance Gypsy," and then it all got too much for me knowing my pals were drinking snake-bites down the road on the sewer pipe that led out into the lough while they were rustling other people's birth certificates hoping they'd get into the Edenmore.

Three. Then there was a school-friend called Julie. She was from the Church area too. We had one or two things in common such as being obsessed with Dracula, but where we differed was that she was into horses and Gary Glitter. Looking back on that roughcast and rum fella, his music, no doubt, was highly exciting in spite of what he was. But what did we know back then? For the carry-on of the likes of him was tolerated, and even the BBC turned blind eyes.

Four. Now the fourth and final person I knew from the Church area: it was a fella I went out with. Then one day his sister told me he kept my photograph in an old broken teapot, and that was that. When I look back now it seems quaint, but back then it wasn't "snappy" enough for me.

Hapy memories of Glengormley. Regards.