Front page of property section Irish Indenpendent today: €200Million Lisburn Scheme. Lisburns re-development of Hilden Mill into apartments.
I used to work in the "balling room" during my summer holidays. Could I become an "investor"?? Top floor apartments would deliver one hell of a view. You have your choice of 600 apartments, small business units and a 40 bedroom hotel, all subject to planning. quote: "once the largest linen thread mill in the world and established over two centuries ago"

Looks like Lisburn gets it first hotel, currently its the only city in Europe without one.

I still remember how people used to queue at the top of "the room" and wait for the mill horn to blow, then they would literally RUN out through the mill yard. It was the wierdest thing .... I still think it strange. The was a wee woman who went around taking your order for tea break, scones etc. The treacle scones were amazing, they were only on offer once a week. She would return with all these little white paper bags and she never got an order wrong. Then there were the other 2 sisters in spooling who licked the labels for spools of thread; they did it so fast you really would have thought those labels were coming up their throat!!!!! I swear!!!! It was kinda scary!!!
The women in particular spent real effort persuading me to stay at school and "not end up" like them working in the mill. It was a real community of people working in those hot dusty NOISY places; when you were working there, and accepted, a kind of tribal loyalty was extended toward you. Wonder where they all are now? A man called Denis was the manager/supervisor, remember him being constantly demented and harassed. The woman who worked the machine opposite my packing table was Lily and she lived up around Tonagh somewhere. Actually she was waiting outside a phonebox in Tonagh one night while I talked to a boyfriend for about an hour, she gave me hell the next day!!!!

I wonder if the supervisor was called Denis Moreland. He had a sort of sandy coloured hair. Yes, the people worked hard in those days for a pittance. As you say, they all stuck together. Imagine being in one of those rooms from 8 am until 6 pm on lovely sunny summer days. They had a hard oul life right enough, including my mother who was a reeler. PS We DID have a hotel once - The Woodlands - and it was a great wee hotel. I'm sure it could have told a few tales. My husband and I were in the Woodlands Hotel one night for a drink or two. A well built girl came in unaccompanied, had a look around, and then sat down beside us, which I thought a wee bit strange, as there were other tables free, butI never really dwelt on it. She never bothered us and we chattered away. I am slow on the uptake but it eventually occurred to me that she was approaching unattached men at the bar. I watched in amazement as she went through her routine. After some time, she left with a client First time I had seen a prostitute in my life, never mind in action.

No info. on IE web edition that I can see, but there is a piece on the Lisburn Today website.
It could transform the whole area, maybe even do something for the canal side area.
Great news methinks.
Thanks for the news.

R.L.R.

Was'nt there to b a scenic area from Union Bridge to Belfast talked about a few years ago, some work was done as far as Roseville with trees planted. There was to b a park area with seats for resting,etc maybe when the apartments r built we will not know the area,it is in a sorry state at the moment. Hate to see the Mill a vacant, lonely shell of what it used to be, a vibrant, companionable hub of activity. Be interesting to see what the price of an apartment, will watch the developments. Pat

The woman who licked the thread labels was Nellie Stewart who lived in Bridge St Hilden, visitors used to stop and watch fascinated. Dennis Moreland came from Dromore and worked in the No3 Winding 1959 along with Frankie McPolin, myself and a chap whose brother was I think killed in an accident in the Island mill. If my memory serves me right he had an elder brother and a very good looking sister who also worked there.
Donald

Lobby
Thanks for the news of the new development. I think a high flying young career girl like you would be well suited to one of those high rise flats overlooking the whole countryside. You wouldn't need to watch tele, mind you, that would suit you too, as you haven't time to watch tele since you found Lisburn Exiles.

Keep up the correspondence and maybe one day you'll tell us your name, so I don't think of you as Lobby.

Liz

Hi Liz,

Don't think I will end up in a high rise apt. in Lisburn, I live too far away these days and have built my adult life in a few different places. On the rare occasions that I return to Lisburn I find it very difficult to connect to it as the place where I grew up. I rarely if ever meet anyone that I know; perhaps they too have left. There is a sense of displacement. I returned last year for a funeral, and found that experience was one of profound sadness. A person of my own age group, dead long before their time.

I do hope The Mill is re developed and regains a culture of community and fun. I was a young when I worked there but I have some great memories, most of them of humour and kindness.

You see so many re-developments hitting front page "property news" ; amusing to see Hilden Mill as one!

Thanks Lobby

I didn't know if you lived in Lisburn as Ann does. Yes, visiting Lisburn isn't just like going on holiday somewhere, there is all the things of the past, present and future intermingled. An exile from the old place has all these things to live through. And do we feel displaced, exiles, when we go back, or do we feel more like a realisation that we are displaced where we now are? Certainly we can never be the same!

Liz

I feel displaced when I am in Lisburn. I cannot truly say I feel as if "I am coming home" when I am there. You often hear exiles say that, particularly the Irish Americans when they are in Ireland. Do I feel displaced where I am??? No, I feel I belong here but I know I don't have the claim on this place that those who were born here do.

The up side is that I have a great freedom of movement. I can go anywhere and settle in; I don't feel out of place or lonely. There are no ties that bind!!! My brother is travellling to Australia to spend time with his best friend from Lisburn Childhood this summer; so you see this exile lark really does have an upside!!!

lobby
as mentioned before. don,t forget to tell your brother if he,s having a shower he may have to take a bucket in with him for the garden? tom

Hi Tom, I am answerng from Hebpickerento's laptop !!! If you only knew my brother, he would laugh himself sick if anyone suggested he would do that!!!! His wife would be on the first plane home!!! I will let you know all his exploits when he gets back.

i,ll look forward to that gtood luck tom