Hi there,

I am new to the group and live in Lisburn at present. I am carrying out a project to document the historic pubs of Lisburn that still exist. I have been arranging with the landlords and landladies to photograph the pubs just before opening so that we can see all the details and character of each pub.

So far I have photographed Lavery's of Chapel Hill, Smithfield House, Hertford Arms, Linfield Bar, The Favourite Bar, Three Crowns, Alexander's (The Eastern) and Lizzie Drake's.

I would be very grateful for your memories or any interesting trivia/history of these pubs. I aim to put together a detailed blog of all of the history alongside the finished photos on my website www.hibernialandscapes.com

It would also be grateful if you could mention the pubs you remember fondly and their locations in Lisburn. I am 29 so my memory of these pubs is feint but I do know of The Tavern on Bridge Street, and I've heard of Corken's and Napiers etc. Murdocks is another one? I also remember the "Gaffe Cutter" from when I was a child.

Any information is helpful and I will ensure I let the forum know of the finished article!

Many thanks

Stephen

I faintly remember Totten´s Stores down a small entry in Bow Street, The Corner House, also in Bow St. and beside Lambeg Chapel Hamilton´s also known as "The Widow"!, now called Cahoons . My grandfather once told me when he ( born 1885 ) was a youth a man called Rabbie Cahoon ran a pony trotting event there. My gran who was born at Derryaghy often talked about a pub there called "The old house at Home " Another pub with an undertakers beneath it was supposedly on the Union Bridge, frequented by the lighter men and the horse drivers from the Lagan Canal, but that was before my time.
donald

Thanks Donald. Was the Corner House on the corner of Bow Street and Antrim street?
Does anyone know where the original Hertford Arms was based? I've heard conflicting reports that it was on Bow St/Railway Street.

Cahoon's is still there and I should probably photograph it as well!

Stephen, that´s correct,the Corner house was there, it was closed for years.
donald

Hi Stephen,

Another pub was the Co.Down Arms at the corner of the Hillhall Road and Cromwells Highway, it was owned by Peter Boyle. Another was Halls Pub at the corner of Quay St.and Bridge St.the owner was George Hall.

Beano

Beano
I didn't know you wee a drinker. I remember watching Brazil ply in the Wold Cup down in Halls. Pele was a boy.
Eddie McDowell, my drinking companion, was a supervisor in the Island Mill. Ben Cordner, father of Thomas (Ben), the boxer, was in the bar. i was playing at being grown-up by drinking Bell's Whiskey.
History? I can't even remember the barman.

Stephen
I don't know if The Robin's Nest, corner of Railway Street and Bchelor's Walk, was ever really called The Robin's Nest, but, like Neeeson's of Smithfield, it was a favourite meeting place for many.

Stephen, The Hertford Arms was in Bow Street not quite but nearly facing Antrim Street. The Corner House was owned by two Belfast men one called Andy Kelly the others name I can\\\'t remember. There was also another pub in Bow Steet where the Ulster Bank is now located and also one at the top of Market Square down a entry near the Northern Bank, but have no idea what it was called. The pub on the Longstone was owned by the Topping family for years, Harry Topping the owner died during the war from cancer then his wife Martha and one of her sons called Harry ran it until they sold and Caldwells took it over this would be sometime in the 50s or 60s. There is also a pub on the Dublin road which was owned by Tommy Mulligan for years untill he died in the 60s, I have no idea who took it over then. Hope some of this helps.
As Dabbler says the Robins Nest was a popular pub except it got a bit of a reputation as a dive especially during the war when it was frequented by American soldiers. It changed hands a few times and I did know one of the owners but his name escapes me now. Mauri

Stephen, I should have mentioned that the Totten Stores mentioned was the Topping Stores run by Herbie Topping who was also connected to the Toppings on the Longstone in fact Herbie lived on the Longstone at the corner of Warren Gardens. Him and later his wife Anne ran the Stores for a good number of years untill his wife died in the 60s and he himself finished up in Antrim sanatorium. They had one son Sammy who immigrated to Canada in the 50s and died there from cancer in 1971. Mauri

Thanks everyone, this is all helpful.

Neeson's of Smithfield? Would that be Smithfield House or is this another bar?

Robin's Nest is now known as The Cardan and has been refurbished with modern fittings. It has a great history as the Railway Hotel etc but due to the modern fittings I'm not sure about including it in the project.

Does anyone have any stories of the Linfield Bar on Bridge Street, the Favourite, Alexander's on Young Street or Lavery's on Chapel Hill?

County Down Arms has now been renamed as the Highway Inn and is currently being renovated.

Keep the info coming :-) thanks!

Stephen

Stephen, In 1950 I had transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and my ship the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney called into Belfast to load new aircraft from Short & Harlands. I took a bunch of australians and englishmen up to lisburn and we finished up in the Linfield
Bar on Bridge Street, I think there was about eight of us and we just about took over the back room for a sing song probably the first time the locals in the pub heard "Waltzing Matilda" among other not so respectable songs. Mauri

haha good story Mauri! Can just about imagine!

Does anyone know the history behind Lavery's in terms of the locked door and needing to ring the doorbell to get in etc?

Thanks

The corner house brings back memories a few pints of dutch courage then
into the Top Hat.

Facing the Nicholson Statue was another pub owned by a lady who drove an Armstrong Sidley with pre -select gearbox which she parked beside the pub. Tam Brownes and Corkins were opposite.
donald

Mrs Mercer was here name I think
donald

Yes I think I've heard of Mercers.

So as I see it there was

paddy hague's on chapel hill (still there)
Lavery's on chapel hill (still there)
caldwells (was this chapel hill or longstone? it is now gone)
there seems to have been another pub where bow st meets chapel hill

On the dublin road (now market place) there was marleys, which became mulligans. Is this what became the gaffe cutter before it closed down around time of Lisburn Square redevelopment?

On Smithfield Street there is currently Hertford Arms which moved from the Hertford Arms hotel and Smithfield House which has been there since 1856. Any stories re Smithfield?

In Market Square there was Corkens, which is now closed. I think this is where Daltons sandwich shop now is. I am told by a taxi driver it was an army bar and there were plenty of fights?! Unfair?

I know there were numerous bars on Bow Street and Market Square but can't name them all. 11 on Bow Street I'm told!

Napiers as I understand it was Market Square East and called the Central Bar. It seems like this then became Admiral Benbow which was owned by John McMichael.

Recently it became Bar Burgundy and is now Bar 15.

On Bridge Street there used to be 13 pubs apparently. There are now 3.

There is the Linfield Bar (was this previously Dougans?)
There is the Three Crowns which opened in 1983.
The Favourite Bar. It is named due to the owner's interest in horse racing. However are there any stories about this bar. It is now refurbished with modern fittings but I can't find any info on how old it is.

The Tavern is now closed but apparently the facade is listed and still stands.

I think some other pubs on bridge street where cunninghams(?) and then Halls at the joint of Bridge Street and Quay Street, near the Union Bridge (also a funeral parlour?)

Alexander's is just across the bridge. It has been Alexander's since the 1930s but was The Eastern beforehand. I can't find how long it has been in existence. Any info for Alexanders?

There is then the Highway Inn on Hillhall Rd which used to be the County Down Arms.


Any confirmation/contradiction and extra info on the above would be extremely useful! Many thanks

DAN MOONEYS WAS ALSO ON CHAPEL HILL A FEW DOORS UP FROM LAVERYS HE WAS THE FATHER OF THE PRESENT OWNER OF LAVERYS IN MY OPINION MOONEYS THE PRIMROSE LOUN WAS THE BEST WAERINGHOLE IN LISBURN BY A LONG WAY AND REASON WHY YOU HAVE TO RING THE BELL AT LAVERYS IS TO KEEP THE RIFF RAFF OUT

Re The Robins Nest
Mauri I am almost sure a family called Robinson's owned the Nest as I faintly remember delivering fish there many years ago Regards Ted

This stuff about the pubs and streets keeps my old brain ticking over. I think both Smithfield pubs were Neesons. Market Place, if memory serve me right, ran from Smithfield/Linenhall Street to Bow Street/Market Square. The whole Road from Bow Street/ Chapel Hill to and past the Lagan Valley Hospital was Dublin Road.

never seen as much activity on any subject as pubs lately on the forum. has given a new lease of life. slightly worrying though. is everyone extremely knowledgeable on the subject through vast experience? now you know how to revive it anytime it gets a bit jaded. eamon

There was never a pub in the Low Road until the 60's, when my Grannie's house & gardens were sold by the Mill & a Belfast pub owner bought it.

The name given then was "The Hilden Inn" which became a family pub for the Low Road & was a meeting place for neighbours & friends.

Unfortunately in the 70's the owners had to sell & it became "The "Tipsy Toad " but was sold again & I think was called "Mc Crums" (could be wrong there,(Brendan will know)

I hear it is closed & up for sale again now.

Where our happy childhood days were spent lost & gone forever.

Pat

Thanks guys, all very helpful.

I may if i get enough information together be able to run an exhibition on my photography and the history and this forum will certainly be thanked :-)

Keep it coming!

Particularly information on the pubs still open (Alexanders, The Favourite, Three Crowns, linfield, hertford arms, smithfield house, laverys, hagues, lizzie drakes and robbie cahoons) will be extremely useful.

Stephen

Sstephen, Just a little tale about Jakie Corkens, sometime back in the early 60s on a visit home I called in there and much to my surprise met up with an old school chum who I hadn't seen for years. Now Jakie had a reputation for being tight with a buck so as my old friend and myself chatted we noticed how cold the bar was in fact it was downright freezing so we asked Jakie to turn the heat up, "No its quite warm enough says Jakie" so my friend said to me watch this and left supposdly to go to the washroom instead he went into the boiler room down the yard and shovelled lots of coke into the boiler, within a few minutes the bar was like an oven and Jakie was swearing like a trooper and was going to call the people who serviced his boiler. We left before he figured out what had happened. Mauri

McKINNEYS beside Woolworths, Mickey Pogues Chapel Hill, Andersons corner of Bow St and Antrim Street,there is another one i remembered it when i started to answer this but its out of my head now

I think that was Brennans opposite Nicholsons statue

Laverys closed door is a throwback to the bad days of the troubles.During the day it is open,and is locked at evening time.Just ring the bell and if you haven't been barred you will be admitted and welcomed.I had the pleasure of a few pints last Friday in Laverys on the roof terrace in glorious sunshine.Aidan.

Eamon, I was thinking the same as you about the great interest in pubs when sometimes we don't even get a reply.

All good, though. Anything that keeps up an interest in more than welcome. By the way, mostly men replying about the pubs. I suppose the women were all at home making the dinner!!!!!!!!!

Aidan, "roof terrace" indeed. Sounds very swanky.

Oh I know too well Aidan, Lavery's would be my favourite pub in the town! I always assumed that was the reason, but wasn't 100% sure.

Ann,it was built three or four years ago with steps and handrails.It catches the sunlight in the afternoon if there is any! Aidan.

I read somewhere on the net that - it may have been 'knowhere'- you need a black belt in judo or something to feel safe in the pubs.