Welcome to Beechmount Falls Road
Beechmount House from which the area got its name due to it being built on elevated ground surrounded by ancient Beech trees. Originally the house belonged to Bishop Bruce, a friend of the McCracken family, then later it came into the ownership of Samuel Riddle, a jeweller and warehouse owner. Written into the deeds of the house and land was a clause that said " This property must never fall into Papish hands", oddly it later became a convent, can't get more papish than that. The same gentleman, once gave a considerable amount to a childrens hospital with the understanding that "no papish should benefit from it". a sad little man, but then again if he was around today he could be 1st Minister at Stormont, for after all who is more bigoted than Paisley?..oh, you say he has changed ? ..excuse me while I puke !!!
Willowbank Huts were basically a British Military camp, set up in readiness of an expected Belfast Fenian Uprising in 1867, the rising never materialised but serious sectarian riots did occour. It also housed RIC men and their families, plus some calvary men under the Command of no less than Baden Powell, who stayed at what is now the O'Donovan Rossa Club premises, the Military Horses were stabled in what later became the site for first, the tram depot and later the bus depot at the corner of Divis Drive and Falls Road. At rhe top of Divis Drive, adjacent to the Falls Park (former Bleaching Green) there was a field in which the horses were trained , this field later became allotments for ex-soldiers until eventually the field became part of the bus depot. The hirsesb when needing shoeing were brought across the road to Andersons Blacksmith shop opposite the Orange Hall, (Felon's Club). Willowbank Huts took their name from a beautiful little cottage , called "Willowbank Cottage" which was close to what later became the site of "Willowbank Park". Belfast City Fathers, God help their wee British fervour, were so delighted with Baden Baden's link to Belfast that they named Baden Powell Street after him.
At some time the "Iveagh Trust", took over the land on which the Huts sat, hence the new streets being called Iveagh this or that.
Beechmount Street Boys , L to R, Kevin McCabe, Brendan (Yukkie) Burns, Jim McDonnell and Gabe McCabe . They were the only team in Belfast that had three goalkeepers, ? ok, the hint is in the polo neck jumpers.
The McAreavy Family at the old Brickworks.
The Milkman calling at Beechmount Bungalows
A St. Pauls Wedding about 1957, the little girl, right in back ground, was Ann Mullan , from Beechmount Bungalows, now my wife.
Old J.B. Kennedy, owner of Kennedy's Bakery, Beechmoiunt Avenue, he started his Bakery business in Baden Powell Street in the Oldpark Road but was forced out in the 1930 troubles and build his model bakery at Beechmount on the old Crowley G.A.A pitch. J.B. a devout Catholic and very charitable man, after morning mass he would make his way down from St. Pauls to his office and once there he would go along a line of people who were having hard times who would be waiting on him and J.B would give them each a half crown. Families throughout the Falls would come along with pillow cases and J.B would have his bakers fill the cases with bread and only charge 2 shillings. And not let us forget that beautiful solid gold chalice he and his wife presented to St. Paul's away back in the 1930's, every Bride and Groom who have married in St. Pau'ls since then have drank their communion wine from the beautiful chalice.
Kennedy's was a big source of local employment.
The Hesketh's, one of the many great famlies that lived in the Bungalows , others were , Bradley, Mullan, Forsythe, Smith, Russell, Murphy, Quinn, Forsythe, Baker, Morgan, Fitt, Mackins, Barnes, Kerr, McKerr, McMullan, McCabe,Smart, McCann, Cooley, McKnight, Reagans, Gamble, Uprichard, Malone, Robinson, Marshall, McDonnell, Boyle, Page, Barr, Mooney, Begley, Lismore, Cunningham, Gault, McKinley, Donnelly, Canning, McLaughlin, McCorry, Kearney, McWilliams, Stanley, Gormley, Parks, Thompson, Townsley, Flynn, Butler, McNulty, ...McGinley, ..Scott, .. if your name is missing e-mail me it .
McGladdery's Brickworks with the dumps in the background
SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION