Hi all
How many out there remember or even lived in the "Huts ?
For the younger generation or the older ones who don,t know the Huts were a leftover from the last war, Nissen huts which were vacated by the forces after the troops pulled out of Northern Ireland 1946. I remember them on the Lowroad, facing Victory St. also Ballinderry Rd and several other areas of Lisburn. They were buildings where the inhabitants, lived , washed and slept in one room. Hard to imagine today, but true. Ther was even a shop in one, I remember going from Hilden there to buy our fireworks for Halloween. If I remember correctly the rehousing programme began with the erection of the building of prefabs in Barleyhill which I think are fetching a very high price on today,s housing market.
Donald

Donald, I believe that the hut on the Ballynahinch Road, and also the Penny Arcade mentioned earlier where Nissen. Apart from those two, the last huts that I remember standing where the two at Blaris, across from the radio tower, between Johnny Palmers and the Long Kesh Road. I seem to recall one still having a tenant in the early 60’s, along with his chickens. He had a friend called Jimmy Cargo? ( a great walker) who used to spend time there, maybe some of the Hillsborough locals remember him? The huts where later used for pitch n toss, poker etc.
Terry

Huts, remember them well, they were divided in half so 2 families could live in a single hut, also remember Fort Hill school was an army camp, training ground for soldiers going to war, trenches were dug throughout the area , nets hung , ropes also for climbing exercises. Great orchard in there were we proged regular, after the war. Abe Crone was the caretaker of the grounds for a long while.

I remember a ruined house standing where Fort Hill now stands, it was owned by Barbours
Do you also remember a large house, two or three storeys high near where the flats in Hughenot Drive were built, a small sloped path went down to the back race over a small bridge.It was beside a small row of whitewashed houses, an ex policeman, a widower, I think his name was Chestnut lived in it, he had two children. It was demolished in the fifties. It must have been also owned by Barbours?
Donald

Donald/Fraser
I remember a house at the bottom of Grove Street. The Chestnuts ( father was a policeman in Lisburn) lived there. They went to Hilden school. One of the daughters was a real smasher, we used to sing a song about her using the words of Underneath the spreading chestnut tree. Fickle youth!!!
I could write a book about the huts at Grove Street. I used to go to Tommy Corken's who lived in one before moving to Leamington.
There was another house, I am sure,which was set back from the road, between the huts and the houses with the railings in front just before you got to Barley Hill. Do any of you remember it?
You are right about the shop selling fireworks when Morrow's shop at the bottom of Grand St. ran out that was the placeto go.

Lowroader,
I think you are referring to the house and ground occupied by Johnny Finch who had a market garden there.
Do you remember Nurse Cook, the midwife who brought most of us onto this friendly world ? I remember as a boy my Granny washing my back at the jawbox in the scullery ( no working kitchens in those days ) and jokingly saying " the last person to wash your back was Nurse Cook!" She lived facing the wee park beside the EMB Hall, Do you remember did she have a car or did she answer nature,s call on a bicycle? The house was later occupied by Tom Conway, who was employed in Hilden as Engineer after Jack Turner retired. When my Grandfather Tommy Watters was caretaker in the wee park, Tom,s son who was about two or three then, used to play in the park and "assisted" my Granda sometimes in the execution of his duties. That,s 50 years ago now, where have the years got to?
Donald

Donald,
Thank you for that clarification about the house.
I do indeed remember Nurse Cook - who could ever forget her. In my early days she had a very old fashioned ladies bicycle with the strings over the back wheel to prevent her uniform catching. she may, in later years have had a small car. It has to be remembered that in those days there were no driving tests so anyone was able to drive after applying for a license ( I have never passed a test but have held a license for over fifty years!!!. We walked through the park when I was home recently and my brother and I reminisced on the times when we played tennis and croquet or played on the swings or in the sand pit, or even, saving our blushes, wove pretty patterns round the maypole in the centre of the park. Unfortunately we had to be careful to avoid the broken glass littered all around ( why do they do it?) I often wonder what happened to all the equipment brlonging to the Boys Club that was in the EMB.

donald/ low roader
my family lived in a hut at top of longstone after the war before moving to "new houses" in spruce street low road i didn,t though i stayed in mcckeown street with my granny to go to brownlee.
but stayed in the hut quite often..
but i remember there was a large family called chestnut with very nice girls whose father was a very large policeman who used to give us all a swift kick in a sore place when he found us proging apples.
but i think they lived up longstone. they had a son called mervyn i think who was "put" into the irish guards and i remember him home on his leaves with his uniform hat with the peak straight over the eyes and him ramroad straight. he was also a big fella..
there was a large family at bottom of grove street but they were called anderson and also nice looking girls. we all used to swim and play around the locks 49 steps etc and the swimming hole bottom of spruce street pathway

good luck
tom mccabe

Lowroader / Tom
That,s the same Chestnut family, they moved to Longstone after the house was demolished. I seem to remember Mervyn in the Army .
I walked through the wee park Hilden also this year. Over 50 years ago Pansy McMaster used to supervise the park and EMB, remember her? It seems like yesterday we had to stand in a row and sing " When Johnny comes marching home again" for Cornel Smith, Milin Barbour,s son in law who came twice a year to our concerts.
Donald