January 2008 Archives

The Radio Ulster interview mentioned below is a small part of the ongoing work undertaken by the association concerning the Gustavv Wolff cottages.
Press coverage includes the Daily Mirror and two articles in the community telegraph.
A number of local political representitives have become involved and a letter has been sent to the office of the First and Deputy first ministers.
Environment & Heritage Service have completed an initial site visit and assured us that

EHS:Historic Buildings Unit have considered it appropriate that further investigations be carried out and will seek to undertake a full interior survey of 2 & 4 Station Road, Sydenham.

Representitives of the association were interviewed by Radio Ulster live on air this morning. Terry,Neil,Andy P and John braved a rain sodden morning, at extremely short notice, to represent our views on the proposed demolition of part of the former home of Gustavv Wolff.
You can listen again, using the BBC iplayer and selecting Good Morning Ulster.
We have been delighted by the response to the broadcast and have received communications from a number of places with further historical information which we are currently reviewing.
Congratulations to all involved with the broadcast, a digital snippet in MP3 format will be made available soon.

An advert has been published in the Belfast Telegraph, related to tracing two people who once lived in our area. The copy follows:

We are trying to trace Edith and Helena Skillen, late of 87 Larkfield Road, Belfast, BT4 1QF who are mentioned in the will of someone who has recently died and we are dealing with that estate. If anybody knows of the whereabouts of Edith or Helena Skillen, could they please contact us:

Bennet Welch Solicitors
Bank Chambers
Westow Hill
London
SE19 1TY
Tel: 02086706141

Belfast community TV is a community TV station broadcasting in the Greater Belfast area. Full details about tuning in to the broadcast are available online.
Those with a broadband connection can watch again on demand at http://www.anewtv.com/webtv/index.php?siteid=6

There are a number of highlights for those in our area, including films about the Titanic Quarter, Victoria Park and hidden gems of East Belfast.

The Residents Association have received a copy of an article written by Bobby Cosgrove. It is reproduced below and we would like to acknowledge the source as Bobby's sole work.

The area around the Hollywood hills that we now call Sydenham was in the 1860 a very different place compared to what it is today, the railway line to Bangor had two stations one at Sydenham the other at Glenmachan

At this time there were only 5 streets on the Lough side of the Hollywood Road they were Park Ave, Palmerston Rd, Victoria Rd, Station Rd, and Inverary Ave. On this side there were only 16 houses from the Belmont Rd down to Inverary Ave and the gentry occupied most of these houses, and they read like a who's who of the employers of Belfast.

Strandtown House at were the Strand Cinema now sits was the Anderson Family residence, they owned the Lagan Felt Works.

Thomas Major of Preston, Smyth and Co owned Cambridge Villas on the site of the Hotel and this is were the Cambridge Rooms gets its name from.

Brandon Towers was the home of the Professor J.L. Porter of Queens College, now the area of Brandon Parade.

Sir Otto Jaffe of the ropeworks occupied Canadian villas in what is now Sydenham Gds he bought the property from James Combe of the Foundry

Another large house in this area was the first one to be built called Sydenham Lodge and was occupied by William Ewing linen merchant.

There was a villa that stood at the Hollywood Rd end of the Pamerson Rd called Bunker Hill, it was owned by an Ulster-Scot who took part in the battle of the same name during the American War of Independence.

Chester Cottage was the residence of the Rev Jas Speers and later the family home of G.W. Wolff of the shipyards and renamed the DEN

James Agnew owned Parmerson House, which give its name to the road he was a Timber merchant

Two other properties on the Pamerson Rd had very strange names even by Victorian standards they were Strandforeland Terrance & Sydenhamville these names were changed by the people who later bought the properties.

Alma House was in between Station Rd and Inverary Ave and the resident was a Richard Reade of the Bedford Street Weaving Co.

The last house on this side of the Hollywood road was at the corner of Inverary Ave and was called Inverary and was the home of a Mr Masterson a Tea Merchant in Belfast.

There were 4 streets on the countryside of the road and they were Sydenham Ave, Circular Ave "now road" Cairnburn Rd, and Glenmachan Rd. and from the junction of the Belmont Rd up to Tillysburn there were only 14 properties. The main ones of interest were

The Lord Mayor lived in Aspen Cottage later called Dehra Lodge.

Edgecumbe House was the home of the wee shipyard owner Workman.

Clonaver House was the residence of a James Girdwood this is were the name of the Army camp came from this man, owned a carpet empire.

The Henderson Family owned Norwood Tower.

The Moat was the family home of the Valentines who owned the Northern Spinning Mill. This is the most interesting of all the property as it was on the site of an ancient church and graveyard and finds at the site included Roman pottery.

Tillys farm was the home of the Tilly family and give it name to the area now called Tillysburn the burn in the name is the Scottish name for a river or stream and there was a river called the Avon Water than ran down from the Hollywood Hills.

Victoria park was just opened to replace the Victorian pleasure park on Queens Island now given over to shipbuilding it was from Sydenham that you took a 1 penny ferry ride onto the island and it is also recorded in the papers that you could hire a summer retreat in the area to get away from the grime and foul air of Belfast to the fresh sea air of Sydenham.

As you would have passed over the railway line towards the Lough you would have been on the beach as the sea came up to the line of the railway and Victorians had bathing boxes build on the Strand at Sydenham. St Marks Church was built on the ground belonging to Edgecumbe House and at one time the area was the terminus for the old bus service, this was of course the old horse trams and it ran every one and a half hours from Belfast at a cost of 4d. There were Railway Stops at Sydenham Halt the entrance to the Victoria Park the next one was at Sydenham Station still in use the next stop was at Glenmachan Station and the last one was at William Tillys Farm or Tillysburn. This would also have served Gardner's Farm called Garnerville and also an estate called Glen Ebor and Richmond House the home of the Dunvilles the Whiskey Barons.

Finally the name Sydenham is not the original name of the area the old Town land name for the area is Ballyminster on the Lough side of the Road to Hollywood and on the Countryside the town land name was Ballymachan.

Inverary
The area where the bungalows were built was up to the end of the 2nd world war was a plot for gardeners the area under took a massive change when the need to house those who lost their homes during the blitz led to the building of the bungalows. This type of housing was meant to be temporary as there was a shortage of building materials like timber, and to many who moved into it was the first time they had lived in a three bedroom house with a bathroom and a garden front and back. The short term lasted over 30 years with the first ones in the upper part of the estate being pulled down in the mid 1970s to make way for new housing, the last of the bungalows came down in 1983 to make way for the Inverary Fold in Invernook Park.

The Resident's Association campaign has been covered in the latest edition of the Community telegraph
The Environment & Herirtage Service made a site visit to the cottages on Wednesday 23rd, and the association is awaiting a report.

Two of the members of our association have written a wonderful article about a family connection between our area and the first world war. They have also very kindly offered help to anyone needing advice or guidance about tracing a family war connection in France. The story begins at Laxey Villa, a home on Larkfield Road that will be familiar to many of our readers. Our Family has always believed this to be our great-grand mother Sarah Johnston, between this young married couple outside Laxey House which still stands in Larkfield road to this day. We don't know what the connection is with the Armstrong family maybe a house keeper or just a friend Sarah had a hard life, like most families at the turn of the century. She threw out her drunkard of a husband and did her best to rear all her eight children. She lived at number 2 Carew Street, Ballymacarrett. When the political situation in Ireland came about, some of her boys joined the Ulster Volunteer Force to fight against the home rule bill being enforced on Ulster Protestants. My grandfather John Johnston was already a soldier in the Royal Inniskillen Fusiliers. When war was declared three more of her boys signed up. What Sarah thought about this we don't know, but she must have been devastated. Of the four boys that went to war her youngest son Hugh was killed on June 1915 aged 19 and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing, Ypres Belgium. John was wounded 1st July 1916 the other two sons came home safely. This is a photo of Hugh & John taken 1914 before going to France. This is what started our search. I was always told that Hugh had died at the Somme and 18 years ago while travelling through that part of France I decided to look for his grave .After a long very hot day of pushing my daughter in her wheelchair up stoney lanes to little war graves cemeteries and taking lots of photos with no film in the camera [ stupid me ] our search was unsuccessful. So after a lot more research I found Hugh had died on 6th June 1915 at a place called Bellwarde near Ypres Belgium. This is Bellwarde today, a nice peaceful place Since then Carol and myself have joined the Somme Association and read books walked the fields of France and Belgium loved it so much that we spend a fair part of each year in France learning more all the time meeting people from all over the World and sometimes helping out at the Ulster tower. If anyone would like help in researching their relatives who fought and died in the Wars. If they have a grave or their name is on a memorial. I may be able to help them in their research and supply them with a Memorial scroll. Please contact the association, or leave a comment if you would like to be put in touch with John & Carol.

A planning application has been submitted for 2-4 Station Road. These buildings date back to the time of Gustav Wolff's home, know as The Den. They are believed to have formed part of the estate and local information tells us they were once the gate lodges on the approach to Wolff's home.
The Resident's Association has been actively pursuing their listing via the Environment and Heritage Service in recent months.
Regular updates will be posted online, so please visit regularly for further information.

Our chairman was recently interviewed by the Belfast Community Telegraph for the East Belfast edition.
The digital copy is available online at http://editions.pagesuite.co.uk//Detector.aspx?publicationid=1464&pubname=East%20Belfast

We have received a number of requests from ex pats keen to be kept up to date with the latest sports news in the area, we have implemented a new sports section to our blog. A key part of our aims and objectives is to represent all members of our community, so if you have an interest in a specific sport and would like to publish articles or results, please get in touch with us.

The new Ikea store based at Holywood Exchange, is within walking distance of our catchment area. Ikea currently has a number of vacancies for both part & full-time workers. Fo further details please visit the Ikea recruitment site at: https://ikeabelfast.erecruit.co.uk/erecruit/company/jobs.do

Z/2006/2479/F       Approval               5&7 Inverary Drive                 Demolition of Existing Dewelling to Number 5 Erection of No1  Block of 2.5 storey Apartments

Z/2007/1227/F       Refusal                 121 Park Avenue                  Development of 9 Appartments

Z/2007/1756/O       Refusal                 72 Connsbrooke ave             Demolition of existing Property And Erection  of 6 Appartments 

You may talk of your Edinburgh and the beauties of Perth,

And all the large cities famed on the earth,

But give me my house,though it be in garret,

In the pleasant surroundings of Ballymacarrett,

For 18 years Mr Wolff represented in the house of commons the east divison of Belfast in Conservative and Unionst interest

Mr Wolff was a generous contributor to the funds of many of the charitable institutions of Belfast notably The Ulster Hospital for women and children while the Orange and other bodies benefited

Out of respect to his memory the Flag was flown at half mast at a special meeting of the Belfast Corporation Committee a resolution was passed expressing deep sympathy

Gustav Wilhem Wolff was born in Hamburg on the 10th October 1843 The son of Moritz Wolff and Fanny Maria Schwabe. Gustav Wolff Died on the 17th April 1913 at 42 Park Street, London and is buried at Brompton Cemetery. He founded Shipbulding Company Harland And Wolff when he retired 30th June 1906 He received The Freedom of Belfast on the 18th February 1911 Clara Mays ,diary notes that he died 2.00am on the 17th April one day and one year after the sinking of the Titanic.Gustav Wihelm Wolff 1834-1913 was a true son of Belfast. The Palmerston Residents Association are working to have a Commemorative stone near his former residence at The Den Station Road Belfast Northern Ireland

The cobble stones in an around TitanicQuater have been lifted with a veiw to recycling them. This has created an immediate employment opportunity for three people

The Job

To clean (Hammer&Chisel),grade and pack cobble stones.Manual handling training and construction Health&Safety training Provided

Duration

12 Months approximately with potential for progression.

Intrested?

Contact Buddy Kiwan at Steping Stone on 90738211 for further details or email your CV to e.kirwan@steppingstoneni.org

 

 

 

 

Planning Application has been Advertised in the Belfast Telegraph Friday January 11th 2008 at No 25 Palmerston Road Ref 3031/F Demolition of existing dwelling and the erection of eight apartments

We have recived our appointment that Palmerston Residents Association is part of a network of centres Supported by Dissabilty Action and AbilityNet. For genral help and advice on making a computer accessible,please contact AbilityNet on:

                                                              Tel 0800 2695545

                                                  Web:  www.abilitynet.org.uk/soc

                                                  email: enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk

 

The Planning(northern Ireland) order1991 (as amended by Planning (amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

The Planning (Trees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Tree Preservation Order

A tree Preservation order has been confirmed by the Department with Modifications  The Association has now got a copy of the Order and its Modifications for Trees on the Palmerston Road/ Dennorton Park If you wish to view this copy Please Contact The Association By email The layout and orders will be displayed at our next Executive Meeting 

The Residents Association is delighted to be associated with the Northern Ireland Residents Association, a coalition of residents groups who are working for a better planning service for all.
The Coalition met with the Minister Arlene Foster to discuss planning concerns last night. The attached document outlines the nature of the meeting.
The outcome of the meeting was positive and the minister is said to have listened contently to concerns - many of which she was already aware of.
If anyone in the association has any other specific issues it has been suggested that we write to the Ministers office or local MLA and ask them to convey them to the Minister in their capacity in the Assembly.

We would like to publicly thank those involved, for representing our concerns.
Presentation.pdf

The Residents association would like to thank Translink  for the recent upgrade work completed at Sydenham station.
The new ramp that has been installed on the Belfast platform will greatly assist disabled and young mothers with prams wishing to tavel to Belfast.
Sydenham station has also become a safer place since the ligthing has been upgraded.

The association is actively pursuing an upgrade to the footbridge to enable our eldery,disabled and young mothers to be able to travel to Bangor.
Our photographs of the current facility clearly show the problems that elderly,disabled, or those travelling with luggage would face in negotiating the footbridge.
We would also ask Translink to look at signage to warn the deaf commuters that a train is arriving and also for the need for storage containers for luggage and bicycles

Many Thanks

Chairman Palmerston Residents Association

Why not ressurect some historical house names from Sydenham's past by naming your home after one of them. The group has produced this list from a series of maps and documents in the Linenhall library.

Palmerston Road 1907-1910
West Bank , Yarrow Villa , Dunesk   Addisbrane , St Flians , Palmerston Terrace , Natal Terrace , Larkfield Cottages , Yarrow Cottages , Sea View Cottages ,  (1915) Metherton Alverstone .

 
Victoria Road 1907-1914   York Villas , Alexandra Villas , Albert Villas , Rosebank Villas , Ambrose Villas,
Sunbeam Villas , Cavendish Villas , Denveny Villas , Laurel Lodge,  Parkveiw Villas,  Parkside Villas,
Rose Bank,  Ambrose Villa , Rosnenalea Villas ,  Tarbot Villas , Albert Terrace ,  Ulster Terrace.

Victoria Ave 1907-1920 Bethel Cottages

 

The Planning Service is inviting people to take part in a consultation about the system and service and has provided a questionnaire. It is an online survey available  at: http://www.palnningni.gov.uk/reform-survey.htm
You may contact your local planning office for a hard copy of the questionnaire if you wish. A full office listing is available at http://www.planningni.gov.uk/key_contacts.htm

The chairman and vice chairman of the residents association would like to wish all our residents and members a Very Happy New Year