Antrim R1

RAILWAY STATION 651
The year is 1933 and the station has'nt changed much over the years.
The posters on the wall to your right advertising Antrim Technical School for classes. Also one's about the sale of Small Farms and Farms of Land.

RAILWAY STATION 31
The train is called " Dunluce Castle " and was built in 1942 by the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow. Seen here at Antrim railway station in 1958. When it was withdrawn from service in 1963 it had completed 1,135,484 miles. You can still see this train, as it is on permanent display at The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra.

RODGERS WEDDING 2303
It's the 2nd June 1979 and here we are at the old council offices to photograph a wedding.
It's the wedding of Keith Rodgers to his lovely bride Margeret Rodgers nee Todd. The best man is Ian Yarwood and the bridesmaid is Sandra Todd.

REA'S WHITE MILL 2871
Here we are inside Sam Rea's White Mill which back then was situated on the Station Road, at the moment none of the men are known. In the foreground is a router machine and another one over to the left. The man standing next to it I would say is the man in charge for he is wearing a tie. Now the item they are making was used quite a lot for it is the wooden section of a whitewash brush. Back then every wall was whitewashed inside and outside the homes so they were constenly in great demand.

REA'S WHITE MILL 2872
This is inside Sam Rea's White Mill which back then was situated on the Station Road, at the moment none of the men are known. The machine that the man in the foreground is working is unknown to me. The reason he is blurred is back then you had to stay very still for the camera exposure could be a couple of minutes, even more for an indoor photograph like this one. At the moment none of the men are known.
Now who is the little girl? Did she get bored and run off or did the camera catch someone no one else could see?

REA'S WHITE MILL 2873
We are just off the Station Road in Rea's White Mill storage yard where this photograph is being taken.
At the moment only one person is known in the photograph and that is Harry McCormick 2nd from the right in the front row. I would say that the two men either side of the work force are the managers.
The men are showing some of the items that they make like small brushes to yard brushes and also holding some of the tools they use like files and chisels.
In the background on the right is Mill House which was built to Sam Rea's directions for the family.

SAM REA 2877
This is Sam Rea having his photograph taken by Abernethy the photographer by Royal Appointment to the late Queen Victoria at 29, High Street Belfast
Sam owned a sawmill business which he first started in Crumlin on Cider Court Road and called it Cider Court Mill.
He then moved to Antrim, built a family home, a row of terraced houses and his sawmill on the Station Road which he called White Mill.

INGLEREA HOUSE 2874
This is Inglerea house which Sam Rea had built for him and his family on the Station Road, standing at the doorway are relatives which are all unknown.
The building in the background is Sam's White Mill and around it are tree trunks waiting to be machined.

SAM REA 2875
The reason the picture looks posed is that they had to stay still while the photograph was being taken but at least they are all smiling. It is a very relaxed picnic for the staff are sitting with the gentry and being offered a cake from one of the male gentry.
Seated in the cane chairs is Sam Rea of the White Mill in Station Road with his wife who is getting milk poured into her cup.
The lady kneeling in the centre facing the camera and getting ready to slice the loaf of bread must be the housekeeper for she is wearing a nurses watch and also a pair of sissors in a breast pocket. At the moment the only person known is Sam Rea.

RIVERSIDE TEXTILES LIMITED 2894
Here we are in Riverside Textiles Ltd down Riverside in the late 60's and discussing the colour display problems. On the left Mr Norman Perry, Works Chemist, then Dr.Gisa Gewing, the firm's Chemist colourist from Austria and finally Mr Ken Collins the Manager.

RIVERSIDE TEXTILES LIMITED 2896
When Riverside Textiles Ltd was at its peak they were producing over 50,000 glass T towels a week.
This is Mary Rankin from Muckamore and is one of the girls employed to cut the continuous stream into individual cloths.

RIVERSIDE TEXTILES LIMITED 2897
All smiles on the left is Mr Collins and beside him is Max Weber the Swiss engineer who installed this Swiss Buster textile printing machine.
Looking on, on the other side is Matt McCullough, Sean McClaron and Samuel Craig.

RIVERSIDE TEXTILES LIMITED 2898
Here in Riverside Textiles Ltd watching the newly printed glass T towels as they now go into the automatic dryer are James McKelvey, Foreman George McMaster and Winston Young.

RIVERSIDE 145
Formerly known as Mill Row, during the 18th and 19th centuries Riverside became the industrial district of Antrim. The Sixmilewater river provided the power they needed and a paper mill was here as early as 1776. Later in 1807 a brewery and then a corn mill in
the 1800's. There used to be here a House of Correction and stocks and this is where the brewery was built. By 1850 it had become the centre of the linen industry when Boals of Ballymena built a linen mill on the site of the paper mill. Taken over by the Lamonts also of Ballymena who operated it into the late 20th century. Now the mills are no more, but you can see them in this picture. On the left of the picture is a boy of about 10 years of age with no shoes. Beside him the man is in a uniform carrying a large bag, could be a soldier or the local postman. On the right of the picture we have a boy on a bike and beside him two boys carring a round basket between them. Peeping from behind the boys are a couple of small children. Date is Unknown.

ROSE COTTAGE 435
This is Sarah Beresford standing with the Rev. William Mitchell who was the minister of High Street Presbyterain, High Street and had conducted the wedding of her daughter Lily Beresford to Bob Murdock that day.The photograph was taken in 1941 at Rose Cottage just off the Steeple road.

REA STUDIO PHOTOGRAPH 2763
All smiles in the studio for the photographer, at the back Crawford Rea on the left and Sam Rea on the right of Rea's sawmill in Castle Street.
Seated are David and Marta Rea and standing in between them is the charming Meta Rea.

RENTON'S SHOP 879
Standing outside their shop in High Street 1925 we have Belle affectionately known to locals as 'Bella' with her sister Nan Renton. The shop was a confectioners, a cafe and they also sold postcards and some were on a stand for sale to their right. A sign in the window tells us that you could buy a Shilling's worth of Nippy tobacco also Wills tobacco and cigarettes. For ladies there was Fry's and Cadbury chocolate on sale inside.

ROBINS 2447
These smiling boys faces belong to the Antrim Robins which is a section of the Boys Brigade back in 1971. At the moment the five boys at the back are all unknown. In the next row from the left Colin McVeigh, Gary Brown, Darrel Steele, John Grey & Paul Nelson.
Finally the two lads at the front are Trevor Taylor and Master McVeigh. Their leader is a well known lady around the town called Betty Steele.

ROBINS 2518
Having their photograph taken is the Antrim Robins in 1971.
At the back is their leader Betty Steele and in front of Betty is David Moore, Paul Peoples, Raymond Elliott, and Adrian Mitchell.
In the front are Master McVeigh, David Steele, Trevor Taylor and John Gray.

RENTON'S SHOP 871
This vintage shot shows you Renton's shop with the window filled with all types of Ladies and Gents boots in 1912 with Robert Renton the owner in the shop doorway. In front of him are his two daughters Nan and Belle Renton, the boy to the right is unknown but how ironic that he is in his bare feet!
The doorway next to him not only led to Renton's back yard and the river but also a side door into Quinn's pub! On the left with the sign above the doorway saying 'Upstairs' this was the 'Central Hairdressing Salon' and upstairs there were Hair cutting rooms and Shaving rooms.The part of a building to the extreme left is of Orr School - so that lets you know where Renton's shop was in High Street.

RENTON'S SHOP 872
This Renton's shop in 1925 which was in High street with the daughters Nan and Belle Renton standing outside.
It is now a Confectionary shop and cafe - in the window are lots of different shaped jars filled sweets that would make your mouth water, also two signs saying Teas and Minerals.

RENTON'S SHOP 875
Posing outside Renton's shop in 1930 which seemed to sell everything from McVities biscuits, boxes of cigars to funny postcards that you can see hanging up. We have from the left Belle and May Renton,Eddie Brown and his wife Nan and in the shop doorway Grannie Renton.

REA WEDDING 2574
Pictured outside the Crawford house on the farm we have the wedding party, the year is unknown.
Now they may all look very solemn it is because they had to stand very still back then.
Standing: from the left are Sam Rea, John Rea, --?--, --?--, Hannah Crawford and William Crawford.
Seated: are the Groom David Rea and his lovely bride Martha Rea nee Crawford and flower girl Annie Nelson.

RAILWAY STATION 26
Waiting for passengers in 1935 is a fine coach and a horse and Jaunting Car from Bairds.
In the background you can see two porters either side of a lady with her bicycle.
The Belfast and Ballymena Railway Company started running trains to Antrim in 1848.

DAVID REA & Co 4244
That must have been some height of a tree when you think it is nearly the same diameter from one end to the other. The photograph was taken in 1944 as you can see the lorry
has it's blackout lights fitted. The only person known at the moment is George Hill at the far left, now if you recognize any of the others please let me know and I will send
you roughly an 8x6 photograph without the watermark on it.