The people and places of Castle Street - and the wider history of Antrim - are brought to book as Brendan completes his final love letter to the town

HE’S brought the stories of St Comgall’s Church and the townland of Milltown to life, and now a local author and historian has completed his last book, packed with memories of a long-gone Antrim thoroughfare, plus much more information about the town as it once was.

Brendan Smith’s latest tome concerns the old Castle Street, formerly known as Bow Lane, as well as delving into the wider history of the town itself.

‘Antrim Town via Castle Street’ also contains newspaper clippings and adverts from long gone shops and businesses.

As its older name would suggest, the street began where ‘chapel corner’ roundabout now stands, curved past ‘The Stables’ - Rococo bar and restaurant as it is now known - through what is now Antrim police station and terminating at Market Square.

Over the years it was slowly torn down to make way for new developments, but at one time it was home to the ‘Frenchman's House’, the old Royal Irish Constabulary barracks, McKeown’s shop, Patrick Magill’s pub, Smyth’s pub and Samuel Rea’s Antrim Saw Mills.

Some of the buildings were removed and rebuilt brick by brick at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra.

One steadfast fixture of Castle Street over the years has been the presence of a fire station.

Despite historic buildings having a penchant for bursting into flames in Antrim, it wasn’t until World War Two that organised fire fighting came to the town.

The first equipment was a small Bedford lorry and light-trailer pump, stationed in a yard behind John McKendry's Pub, 35 Castle Street and then moved to a garage in Baird’s Yard in Church Street.

Their equipment was enhanced shortly afterwards with the addition of the Austin Tender, Beresford major pump and a low pressure pump.

This equipment formed the basis of a Retained Section in 1948 with Pat Bradley as Section Leader.

They continued to operate out of Baird’s yard before moving to the present station in Castle Street in 1952.

Other businesses which people may remember are the ‘Do it yourself Centre’, McCormick’s taxi and funeral undertakers premises, Freddie McClung’s shoe shop, The Antrim Arms, Miss Crawford’s drapery shop and McCabe’s butchers shop.

An entry on Castle Street was said to lead to Antrim Castle grounds, however a lady who lived adjacent to the alley would look out and interrogate anyone she saw trying to venture past!

There were also some well known families living in the residential properties on the street, many of whom still reside in Antrim to this day.

Brendan has been working with Dr William Roulston, who is the research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation, burrowed into the archives at the Public Records Office Northern Ireland, and also conducted interviews with the folk of Antrim.

Born in Antrim in the late 40s on the Admiralty Estate, Brendan was always fascinated with the old town and the entrance from Castle Street.

As a young boy he walked to the shops with his mother.

He lived in Scotland for a time with wife Pauline, raising daughters, Lorna and Siobhan there, only to return in 1988 to see a town he did not recognise.

The small streets and entries had given way to housing estates and factories and he was appalled to see that Castle Street was no more.

Brendan hopes that his book will ensure that the street and its inhabitants will never be forgotten.

He told the Antrim Guardian: “The book on Castle Street started out purely about Castle Street and its destruction.

“I suppose holding on to the memory of something that was part of your youth and that it was erased forever drove an interest that wouldn’t rest.

“So I took the only avenue open to me and that was to write a book about it and honour the people who lived there.

“During research, the town slowly opened up to me and I asked ‘Why only Castle Street’?

“We all have a story to tell in the town that’s not being told. Someone needs to tell it. Thus the town’s trades people and where they lived in Antrim and how Antrim grew from the 1800s began to emerge and a book of reference rather than a storyline began to materialize.

“Alastair Smyth’s book of 1984 ‘The Story of Antrim’ looked at some aspects of the town but I felt that I wanted to expand his great book to look in detail at who lived in Antrim town and where they lived, when did the roads arrive?

“When did gas lighting and electric come to town? The railways, hotels, the way the population paid their taxes and the way previous historians described the town.

“The idea of a third book in my life lost its appeal for a long time, as the journey of research, backed up by the Public Record Of Northern Ireland Office, took over my thoughts as this was vital and very important to me, for dealing with names and addresses has to be of paramount importance in its correctness. This journey took four years which I thoroughly enjoyed but the destination was the complete opposite.

“My Publisher Malcolm McNicholl, who published my previous two books, was very concerned about the size of the book and the cost to print.

“The book came in at 800 plus pages but thanks to Malcolm’s skill and forbearance the book was reduced to 600 plus with no loss of content.

“I started the onerous task of seeking funding from Council, Enkalon Foundation, Lottery Heritage Fund etc but was turned down at every turn because I didn’t belong to any organisation. All I was guilty of was being an Antrim man wanting to tell the story of the town he grew up in, left for some years to better himself, to return to a town bereft of character and style.

“There are still embers glowing and amazing ‘Old Antrim’ people wandering the streets looking for the ‘Old Antrim’.

“I wanted to salute them, so the book had to be printed at my own cost, with nil profits.

“The book will cost £40, as 300 books at £12,000, the cost of publishing and printing, equals £40 per book.”

The book when printed, will be available from Brendan directly.

He can be contacted at 07875044586.