Hallo all you Piper Hillers.

Quote from the above named book, page 104

"In the older part of Lisburn, there is a lane known as Piper,s Hill, which runs from the town centre down to the site of the Brown Linen Hall. Nowadays the lane is home to the town,s health centre, but until recent times it contained an extraordinary row of two- storied weavers cottages, each of which had a large cellar beneath the living rooms which once contained a loom"

Anyone remember these houses being occupied?
I only remember them boarded up, pity that at least one of these wasn,t preserved and used as some type of historical memorial or museum.
Donald

Hi Donald, I remember Piper's Hill very well, as I played around that area as a child. I don't remember the houses being lived in exactly, but they were intact without being boarded up, so they could have been. I remember half doors along there. And that they were so small, I am surprised a loom could fit in the basement, although I am amazed to learn there were basements. My mother used to tell me one was haunted with a woman crying, her husband had been so cruel to her. I remember the children that came from Linenhall Street, from the small houses there, that they were very poor indeed, ragged in fact. Did anyone know any of them? I suppose they would have gone to the Central School.

My mother used to tell me that she 'wrote with the left hand' at school. However they cured her of it, trying her left hand down with rope, so she had to write with her right hand. That was at the Central.

Liz

I know that momentous things have happened in the old town over the past forty years, but, in search of memories, I am more intrigued by the simple stories quoted here in the past few days, mostly relating to what I now suppose would be regarded as The Historic Quarter. Does Church Street, which, I think, led in a crescent from Hill Street to Smithfield, still exist? Some of the young, and not-so-young, used to play marbles in Linenhall Street, right turn at the bottom of Pipers Hill. Probably when they had no money for the ‘toss’, down ‘The Hollow’, (Barnsleys Row).
I am surprised to hear of cellars in Pipers Hill. Elizabeth’s description of the area rings true. I knew many of the people of that district. I wonder where they were rehoused when the houses were demolished. Some names from the area: Mc Curry,(Church Street), Coulter, Stafford, Kerr, Whitby, MacDonald, Hamilton, Lundy, English, Hearn, (Herron?), Bushe, Taggart, Moore, MacAllister, McVeigh, Phillips, (one of those wee houses in Pipers Hill). Any of you out there?
That was a good yarn about the trips in the old car. I hope, unlike me, you guys and girls don’t get writers’ block.

You were asking about some of the familys that you used to know that lived in Church St ,well Joe MC Curry is my brother -in -law he lives here in canada his sister Theresa also lives here Brendan still lives in Lisburn he lives in the new houses as you go up the Back Lane RENEE

Renee
Thanks for that wee bit of info. Those you name would know many of the inhabitants to within half a mile of Hill Street and Bradburys Buildings in the post war years. Cyril once had a row with my Da, patched up over a drink, and later, a fry, sitting at our tiny table in our tiny house.
Dabbler

Dabbler, you mentioned the Hollow (Barlsley Row) which was just at the bottom of Piper's Hill. My cousin Gloria Porter and I used to go down there and venture into the land at the back of the houses and businesses in Bridge Street. You could access them from the bottom of the Hollow. It was scary and quite an adventure because we loved to go unto the land at the back of the Butcher Shop. Was it Billy McConnell's. The other man there was called Bobby. Does any body know what his surname was? But the excitement was finding the skeletons of the animals there lying around. there was many a horses head, and we used to knock the teeth out with stones. Maybe they were cows heads, but the skeletons sure looked like horses heads.

Dabbler did you have that experience or did you miss it?

Liz

Hallo all,
with regard to Bobby the butcher, the name Dennison seems to ring a bell, he lived on the Low Rd.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Oktoberfest, it runs a day longer this year as tomorrow is a national holiday in Germany. Normally it runs for 16 days and the first Sunday in October is the last day of the fest. As from today I,m on a strict diet until Christmas, no fat, sweets and above all no good Bavarian beer or other alcholic beverages
Donald

Thanks Donald. I think you are right, Bobby Dennison the butcher, my mother was a customer there, and I sometimes was sent for a ham bone, or a few sausages, or even some vegetable roll. I remember when I was very little disappearing behind the counter, and seeing the money there in a cardboard box. This must have been before they had a till! I soon got chased by Bobby.

Glad you survived the Oktoberfest. The Germans certainly know how to enjoy themselves. I should think half the country is on a similar diet until things go mad again at Christmas.

Liz

Hi Liz
No time is ideal for a diat, but it has to be now and again. I remember reading once, fasting is the oldest form of medicine.
Going to miss a lot of events though, works pensioners party in the Löwenbräu Keller, to mention but one. Lots of hot flirting takes place there between the 60 and 70 year old boys and girls . Well alcohol makes young they say.
But hopefully in time for all the Xmas parties I,ll be back on the circuit, fit, slim and rejuvinated, thirsting for some good Bavarian beer
Donald

Liz
I saw a few teeth knocked out down at the toss in The Hollow, but never from horses or cows. I graduated from marbles via card school and the toss to the bookies down there. I think Ronnie Porter was a childhood friend of my brother. But it’s a bit hard to remember. The decades, let alone the years, get in a muddle.
Donald has ALL the fun, doesn’t he?
Dabbler

Hi , I recall my Dad sending me down Pipers Hill to have his boots and shoes repaired , the bootmenders was on the right hand side going down about half way.