|
Diamond Collection
contains more recent items I've not included
Page One
Page Two
Page Three
Bangor Civic Courier April 1966 -
North Star, Thursday, September 5, 1985 -
Sunday Pictorial, May 6, 1945
Belfast Telegraph, Tuesday, March
26, 1965 - Spectator, Thursday 31st December 1981
Bangor Civic Courier
April 1966
Published by the Entertainments Publicity Dept., Town hall, Bangor
1
2
3
4
5
6
1) [image 1 Alderman C. F.
Milligan (Mayor)] Your town and future expansion
schemes by Alderman C. F. Milligan, Mayor. Bangor has increased by
steady progress and natural growth from a town of 6,000 people at the
beginning of this century, with a Poor Law Valuation of £22,000, to its
present population of 27,000 with a Poor Law Valuation of £372,000.
The Council has always been conscious of the need to plan ahead for the
provision of services for this steadily growing town. The present
standards of services and amenities are due to the careful thought and
hard work of previous Councils since the beginning of this century. A
new era is upon us and the next decade will see growth and expansion far
beyond anything experienced previously. In the next five years the town
is expected to increase by 10,000 people, most of whom will come from
outside the town to live in Bangor and to work in factories being
established by the Ministry of Commerce in the new Factory Estate
between the Newtownards and Bloomfield Roads. The Government has
endorsed the Wilson Report on Economic Development in Northern Ireland
which envisage the growth of Bangor to 37,000 people by 1971 and 45,000
people by 1981. BOUNDARY EXTENSION A boundary extension,
adding 2,400 acres to the town's existing 2,600 acres, has been applied
for and a public inquiry has been held without any objection to the
proposal. It is expected that the boundary extension will become
effective on 1st April, 1967. The new area will include the Factory
Estate on the Newtownards Road and additional houses now being built by
the Northern Ireland Housing Trust on the Clandeboye Road. It will also
provide much-needed room for the town's expansion during the next 15
years. PUBLIC UTILITY SERVICE The Borough Council has
already authorised schemes for the provision of water and sewerage
services, new roads, and other essential items at a cost of well over
£1,000,000. Many of these services would have had to be provided for the
natural growth of the town even without the expansion now envisaged.
Finance will come from Government grants and from the Rating Fund: for
example, the Circular Road now being constructed (which will eventually
link the Crawfordsburn Road to the Groomsport Road) is paid 90% by the
Government and 10% by the Council. The Rating Fund will also receive
substantial additions from the valuations of the new factories and the
Northern Ireland Housing Trust development. During the next 10 years
many changes will be seen in addition to the increased population and
the growth of the factory area. Much will have to be done to control
traffic and provide for the use of the motor car, while still retaining
Bangor's attraction for the pedestrian. A new Swimming Pool will be
built and I trust that we will see the use in the evenings of many
facilities already available in schools in the town. I hope that school
grounds will be opened for car-parking when necessary in summer, and I
foresee the use in the evenings of School Assembly Halls and Theatres
for cultural and recreational purposes.
2) [image 2 Alderman R. V. Campbell] A Profile of the Mayor Elect by Alderman C. F.
Milligan. Robert Victor Campbell, who is Alderman for Dufferin
Ward, was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution and after
qualifying as a Pharmaceutical Chemist in 1940 held responsible posts in
hospitals and the pharmaceutical trade. He came to Bangor in 1946
and I first met him when as a young man he joined the Council in 1952 as
a Councillor representing the Dufferin Ward. To many people
entering local politics the bewildering variety of problems confronting
local government often proves to be an obstacle. This was not so in the
case of Robert Campbell. He soon showed qualities of natural leadership
and his quick grasp of local affairs won him the Chair of the Public
Health Committee which he held from 1954 to 1957. He developed a lively
appreciation of local government finance and policy. As a consequence he
was elected Chairman of the Council's Finance and Law Committee from
1958 to 1963. During this time he was responsible for bringing into
being the Capital Fund Scheme which is now well established with a
balance of £60, 965 and which will eventually provide much needed
finance at low rates of interest. In fourteen years of public life in
Bangor Alderman Campbell has shown remarkable versatility in his range
of interests. He has represented the Borough Council on the North Down
and Bangor Hospital Management Committees, the Library Advisory
Committee, the Bangor Further Education Committee and various committees
of the Municipal Authorities Association. His business commitments and
public life make many demands on his leisure time but he does not allow
these interests to conflict with his responsibilities as a family man.
And he still finds time for a regular game of golf. I am personally very
pleased that Alderman Campbell is to succeed me as Mayor of Bangor on
the 31st May. Bangor is embarking on a very big period of expansion in
which finance and planning will be most important factors and I consider
that Alderman Campbell will be the right man, in the right place, at the
right time, and I sincerely wish him a happy and successful term of
office. 3) The Rate Probe.
Councillor Brian Wimpress, Chairman of the Finance and Law Committee
explains Borough Financial Affairs. Click image 3 for full article
4) Focus on Town Planning by Councillor Alex.
Baird, Chairman of Planning & Traffic Committee. Bangor Borough
Council and its predecessor, Bangor Urban District Council, have a long
tradition of positive town planning. The first town centre
re-development scheme was carried out in 1896, when old property was
purchased on the Seafront and demolished to make way for the Esplanade
Gardens and the place where the McKee Clock now stands. In 1905 the
seafront area that is now the Marine Gardens was purchased; in 1912 the
brick-fields were turned into Ward Park; and in 1928 wasteland at
Ballyholme was turned into the Kingsland Park, and in 1941 Castle Park
was purchased. An Outline Advisory Plan for the town was prepared in
1947 and the Council commenced a revision of this in 1958, a revision
which is still going on as Government policy has considerably altered
the picture for the future of Bangor. Rapid, almost explosive, growth is
taking place and is likely to continue for 5 or 6 years. PLANNING
AUTHORITY The Borough Council is the Planning Authority, the Roads
Authority and the Bye-law Authority for the town and its permission is
required before any new buildings are erected, any advertising signs out
up, or any changes made in the use or the exterior structure of
premises. Because of the need for permission the Council can control the
way in which the town grows. Town Planning is not concerned merely with
new buildings and target populations, but with all the things that make
up the environment in which people live. Wide streets, trees, green
grass, flowers, good communications, pleasant design of buildings, good
layout of estates, provision for education and recreation, protection
from the motor car, car parks, good shopping facilities and, generally,
a pleasant human environment, are all the concern of the Town Planning
Committee. This Committee over the years has had to devote much thought
and much time to considering the future of the town in which we live.
For the next few years it will be facing a very difficult exercise in
town planning to control the growth of Bangor so that it will retain the
pleasant qualities that have made our town a favoured residential
centre. BOROUGH EXPANSION PROBLEMS The expansion of Bangor
is going to mean much more traffic moving into the town and your Council
has given active consideration to this problem. A plan has been
submitted to the Ministry of Development for approval for the provision
of vehicular and pedestrian-actuated signals at various points in the
town, a new Town Centre link road from the Post Office to Ruby Street,
and for the formation of a one-way gyratory system in Main Street,
Hamilton Road, Ruby Street and the new link road. This work will be
carried out in two phases in the near future and, with more use being
made of the new Circular Road, will help to ease some of the traffic
congestion in the town. Parking is also a top priority problem and quite
a number of sites are being acquired to facilitate you when shopping.
May I appeal to all concerned to make Bangor the best kept town by:- (1)
Traders making their premises attractive, well painted and tidy, and
free from too many advertisements; and (2) Traders and the public making
full use of Litter bins. Keep Bangor Clean and Tidy. Thank you. A
FRENCH GIRL IN YOUR HOME A Paris agency, the organisation Scolaire
Franco-Britannique, is hoping to place 40 Frenchgirls in homes for July
and another 40 in August. Host parents receive £6 per week from the
local Organiser, Mr. T. M. Fitzsimons who is assisted by Mr. D. Anderson
and Mr. D. Hayes, all three members of the staff of Glenlola Collegiate
School. The dates for this year are as follows:- (i) Wednesday, 29th
June to Tuesday, 26th July. (ii) Thursday, 28th July to Wednesday,
24th August. Anyone desiring further particulars should contact Mr.
Fitzsimons at 13 Cherrymount Park, Bangor. Phone Bangor 2140.
5) Electricity Board for Northern Ireland
Advertisement 6) Parks and
Aviaries. Bangor's Parklands and open spaces cover an area of 248 acres,
excluding Carnalea and Bangor Golf Course. This acreage of parkland for
recreational facilities greatly exceeds the standards set by the N.P.F.A.
which recommends 6 acres per thousand population. WARD PARK
The most frequented Park in Bangor is undoubtedly Ward Park for its
sporting amenities, yachting ponds and aviaries. At the turn of the
century, Ward Park was a brickfield, a small stream has been widened
into two large ponds which for the past 35 years have proved to be a
suitable environment for an extensive collection of wild fowl. The
collection includes Mallard, Teal, Shelduck, Widgeon, Pochard, Tufted
Duck, Pintail, Shovellers, which together with other species swim and
fly freely along with an establishment gaggle of Barnacle Geese.
CASTLE PARK Castle Park extends over 129 acres, originally the
demesne lands of Bangor Castle, was probably landscaped in the early
19th century and conforms with the conventional Manor House garden and
demesne. Where colourful flowerbeds and open terraces exist extreme
formality has been avoided. The gardens and parkland are in perfect
balance between nature and formality, the park is planted with a fine
collection of trees and shrubs, varieties include - Pines and Conifers
from the Americas, China and Tibet; Eucalyptus Gums from Australia and
varieties of the Japanese Flowering Cherry which were first imported
into Ireland about the mid-nineteenth century. For the botanist Castle
Park has a special attraction, the winding bridle paths and woody glades
are a delight in the Spring and early Summer. It is here that nature can
be truly appreciated in the variety of wild flowers which flourish in
abundance. The Park is truly a noble setting for the Town Hall and is
linked closely with Bangor's historic past. Utilitarian monastic
herbaries and orchards have given way to gay flowerbeds and spreading
lawns but Cross Hill still remains a prominent feature adjacent to the
Town Hall building. A 7th or 8th century shaft sun-dial stone may be
seen at the rockery and Capita Stones from some ancient Roman or
Carthaginian Settlement in North Africa embellish the Celtic Cross
landscaping of the formal garden. Other parks and open spaces include
Marine Gardens, Stricklands Glen, Ballyholme Park, Connor Park, and
Kingsland sports grounds. Bangor's Parks and open spaces are maintained
by a regular staff of 19 men under the supervision of the Park
Superintendent. The annual maintenance costs including wages, materials,
machinery, rent and rates is in the region of £20,000.
1
2
3
4
5
6
1) Tourism, Industry or
Residential Town, Let Us Enjoy A Balanced Community by Alderman C. A.
Valentine, J.P. Chairman of Entertainments Publicity Committee puts
forward a solution for a more balanced community. Statistics.
Population Total 1961 Census 23,865; 1966 Estimate 27,000; 1966 Estimate
1966 Men 12,015; Estimate 1966 Women 14,985. Houses 9,097. Total
Property Valuation £372,369 Area 2,663 acres. Factories 9.
Industrial Workers Employed in Bangor March 1966 1,092. Schools
12. School Children Boys 2,605; Girls 2,445. £Rate for Year
1966-67:- Poor Rate 16/1d Borough Rate 16/2d Total 32/3d in
the £
Bangor has enjoyed the dual role of a Tourist Centre
and a residential area since the town began to expand at the turn of the
century. Past councils were undoubtedly influenced by the value of the
Tourist Industry when they decided to provide such amenities and
attractions as Marine Gardens, Ballyholme Esplanade, Pickie Pool,
Esplanade Gardens and the beautiful open spaces which are now Ward and
Castle Parks. Increased amenities plus numerous facilities for sport
attracted large numbers of permanent residents to the town between the
wars. This trend and the economic problems of the late twenties and
early thirties created a rigid residential outlook which prevailed for
nearly two decades. Recent industrial development in the town and a
national awakening as to the importance of the tourist trade have
changed the community's attitude towards industry and tourism generally.
With new industries many residents are not confronted with the problem
of seeking a livelihood outside the town. The value of industry can be
quickly assessed by the employment it creates and by the wage packets
taken home each week. To assess the value of tourism is more difficult
and we must ask the question "What does tourist spending mean to the
locality?" To reduce this to simple terms it would be easy to see that
if the town attracted one visitor every night it would earn a gross
annual sum of £700. The gross value of Northern Ireland's Tourist
Industry for 1965 was estimated at £22,000,000. Bangor's share of this
revenue, based on the amount of approved accommodation in the town,
amounts to nearly £3½ million. To this must be added something for the
very great number of day visitors and the number of tourists in private
accommodation. The effect of all this revenue is far reaching as by
creating a demand for all kinds of goods and services the tourist is
bringing extra business, extra profit, and extra buying power to many
people. It is difficult to estimate the volume of employment in the
tourist industry locally but it would be reasonable to assume that the
catering section alone must employ some hundreds of people un the
season, in addition to those who are self employed. The extra turnover
from visitors for all businesses must be substantial and must make all
the difference between a successful year and a poor one. The amenities
provided by the Council would cost the residents very much more if they
were not used by visitors. Swimming, putting, golf, bowling, tennis, and
pitch and putt are all helped, and some make a considerable profit for
the relief of rates. We enjoy better shops, better parks, better
recreational facilities because of our visitors so let us welcome them,
and support the efforts of the Entertainments-Publicity Committee to
make Bangor more attractive still. We can all help in this by being
aware of the need in our own properties for more flowers, more paint,
and more use of litter baskets.
2) [Image 2 The Physics Laboratory, Glenlola
Collegiate School] Educational Provision in the Bangor Area. 1947 to
1967 progress through two decades by Councillor David Ewart, O.B.E.,
J.P. Bangor Borough Council Representative, Down County Education
Committee. In the period 1947-65 five new schools were built in
Bangor by the Down County Education Committee at a total cost of
£470,000. Three of these schools were primary, Ballyholme, Bangor
Central and Clandeboye Road and the other two were the Nursery School
and Glenlola Collegiate Grammar School. In the same period work on major
alterations and extensions was carried out at existing schools to bring
them up to present day requirements and the cost of these projects was
£35,600. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. At present, a new primary
school is being constructed at Bloomfield Road at a cost of £60,000 and
it will be ready for occupation in the latter part of 1966. It will have
places for 225 pupils, but has been planned to allow for substantial
extension later if housing development in the area should warrant it. A
contract will be placed within the next few months for another new
Primary School at Bangor West where accommodation will be provided for
265 pupils at an estimated cost of £70,000. Here again the school has
been planned to allow for future extension. Work has started on the New
Further Education College and it is expected that part of it will be
occupied by the beginning of 1967. This is the largest single project
undertaken by the Education Committee in the Bangor area and the
construction costs alone will be in the region of £400,000. The demand
for school places and for playing fields will continue to rise with the
expansion of housing and industry in Bangor. To help in meeting the
immediate future needs a site has been acquired at Ballywoolley. This
will be used for playing fields but it may be necessary to utilise part
of it for the erection of a primary school. Two other sites are being
acquired on the west and south west sides of the Borough where new
housing will be provided within the next few years. SECONDARY
EDUCATION. The Education Committee have constantly under review
the need for additional school places in areas such as Bangor where
rapid growth is a feature but these are other factors which have to be
considered, particularly in relation to secondary education - (a) the
raising of the school leaving age will mean increased numbers of pupils
in secondary schools and further education courses; (b) the possibility,
as suggested in the White Paper on Educational Development in Northern
Ireland 1964, that secondary schools could be reorganised in certain
areas in such a way as to make selection at 11+ unnecessary. (c)
development which may be undertaken by the Managers of voluntary schools
and (d) changes which may come about in the educational provision in
areas adjacent to Bangor. Educational developments must not be judged
solely by the numbers of new schools and the costs of building them.
Education is really concerned with people, pupils, teachers and parents.
The aim of the Education Committee is to provide a system which does
justice to the emerging abilities of pupils, enables parents to have
confidence in what is being done for their children and permits teachers
to be devoted to, and enthusiastic about their work. PLANNING
APPROVAL. Bangor Borough Council is the Planning Authority, Roads
Authority and Building Bye-law Authority for the town of Bangor. One
application only is required to cover all permissions necessary for the
construction of a new building. Two copies of plans for small buildings
i.e. garages, car ports, greenhouses, garden sheds and minor alterations
to dwelling houses to be lodged with the Surveyor's Office by the second
Tuesday of the month. Three copies of plans for new houses, major
alterations or alterations to Business Premises to be lodged with the
Surveyor's Office by the first Tuesday of the month.
3) Spotlight on Works and Services by Councillor
J. B. Stark, D.F.C. Chairman of Works Committee. The basic purpose
of any Borough Council is to provide works and services needed by the
townspeople which they can not conveniently provide for themselves
individually. Maintenance of roads and footways, street sweeping,
up-keep of sewers and pumping stations, water supply and distribution,
domestic refuse collection, provision of public lighting, parks and open
spaces may not be very glamorous occupations but they are essential to
everyone in the community. While the Works Committee is the largest
spending committee of the Council, the amount available for each
individual service is limited. These are all local services and with
wages rising efforts have constantly to be made to ensure high
efficiency. This has partly been achieved by the use of modern plant and
machinery. Mechanical road sweepers up to date refuse collection
vehicles, specialist public lighting lorries and smaller machines of all
types. Great strides have been made in recent years on the flagging
programme for footways and on the provision of Fluorescent Electric
Lighting. The present programme should ensure that all streets are
electrically lighted within the next four years. The first two sections
of the Ring Road are complete and the final major contract will be let
this year. The County Council Contract at the Belfast Road end will also
start this year and the whole of the works will be completed within two
years. When the Holywood Bye-Pass is eventually completed Bangor will be
closer in time to the Business Centre and Docks of Belfast than are many
outlying districts of Belfast itself. Other road schemes in the
pipe-line are the widening of Crawfordsburn Road, Newtownards Road,
Castle Street and Ballymaconnell Road. Many more schemes are
contemplated. Unfortunately acquisition of land is most difficult and
negotiations are lengthy and protracted. On occasion the difficulties
over land have set schemes far back in the programme of priorities.
Bangor is served by an able but underrated band of workmen who keep the
whole operation running smoothly with a minimum of fuss and ceremony.
They are guided, directed, instructed and led by the Borough Surveyor,
Martin Gray and his band of engineers, surveyors and superintendents,
who are responsible for planning the work and seeing that it is carried
out. The townspeople's grateful thanks are due to them all. Few of the
public see, or even hear, about the works section employee on a pouring
wet night, up to his knees in muck and dirt, clearing a sewer or storm
culvert, or at work on a burst water main. Such work goes on constantly
and the fact that so little is known of the work is a sign of the
efficiency of the service provided. A silent, but very active, service.
The Works Committee would like to see every street electrically lighted,
every footway flagged and all roads surfaced to an acceptable modern
standard. The last few years have seen great changes and I trust that
efforts will not falter until all is completed. EVERYONE IS
PRESUMED TO KNOW THE LAW. How many times have we heard this and
how often have we either passed it by or asked the next lawyer we meet
if it is really true. It is indeed true. But are there not innumerable
legal situations in the present Welfare State about which one would not
dream of consulting the professional lawyer. One has got to rely on the
advice given by the Civil Servant in the Post Office, Labour Exchange or
Income Tax Office. No one would suggest that the replies are wrong but
one has always the feeling that in the hurry of modern life the problem
may not have been sufficiently ventilated. It is here that the Citizens'
Advice Bureau operates. The Bureau is staffed by ladies and gentlemen
who have gone through a course of study in Common Law and Statutory
Regulations which the average citizen has neither the time nor
inclination to read. They have gone to the trouble to be of service to
the community and the greatest compliment to them is to use the Bureau.
The answer may or may not be immediately forthcoming but in the latter
event it will be run to earth and the citizen informed. The service is
completely free. If you have any problems, please call at 36 Castle
Square. HEALTH MATTERS. by Alderman R. Proctor Chairman of
Public Health Committee. Two authorities carry responsibility for the
public health aspects of local government in Bangor. The Down County
Health Committee has a very wide range of duties and the Borough Council
is responsible for many matters under the Planning and Housing Acts; the
Public Health Acts; the Little Act; and the Caravans Act, and other
legislation to provide environmental services for the health of the
people. HEALTH SERVICE. The County Health Committee operates
two Child Health Clinics, one in Central Avenue, open Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays, from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and the other in
Brooklyn Avenue open on Thursdays from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. District
Nurses and Midwives are also employed by the County Health Committee,
and are available for domiciliary treatment when requested by the family
doctors. SCHOOLS. Bangor schools are visited regularly for
routine medical inspection of pupils and the Divisional Medical Officer
of Health would be very pleased if any parents wished to be present
during these inspections. The Medical Officer of Health and the Public
Health Inspectors in the town are responsible to both the County Health
Committee and to the Borough Council. The County Health Committee, in
addition to the personal aspects of health dealt with at the clinics and
schools, is also responsible for food inspection, infectious disease
control, river pollution, meat inspection, and other matters. The
Divisional Offices of the County Health Committee are at 44 Hamilton
Road, Bangor, and are open from 9.15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5.30
p.m. HOUSING. The Borough Council is also the housing
authority for the area, and both constructs and manages a substantial
programme of public authority house building. In addition to housing
estates at Churchill and at Clandeboye Road, the Council owns some
houses in Railwayview Street, and has just completed a new estate on the
Bloomfield Road. The Northern Ireland Housing Trust also provides houses
and is at the moment engaged in a very extensive programme of house
building on the Clandeboye Road. Bangor has always been noted for its
strict attention to detail in matters of public health, and I am
confident that the Council and my colleagues on the Public Health
Committee will ensure that this high standard is maintained in the
future. VOTERS' REGISTER. To be entitled to vote at
elections, either for Members of Parliament or Members of Local
Councils, a voter's name must appear on the Register of Electors. This
register is revised each year to take into account changes of address
and deaths. During the month of August a door-to-door canvass is carried
out, and as a result of this a draft register of electors is prepared
and printed. When this has been done the register is published usually
during the month of November and copies are placed for inspection in
Post Offices and Police Stations. At the same time notices are displayed
in public places notifying the publication of the register and
indicating how claims may be made for inclusion in it. Claims are
received in Bangor at the Town Hall until the date stated in the notice
(usually about the middle of December), and after the closing date
claims are investigated. In the month of January a Revision Court is
held in each district and notice of this is given. At this Court any
elector who has submitted a claim may attend in support of it, and the
Revising Officer, having considered the claims, decides whether or not
they should be allowed. The register in its revised form is then printed
and is published in February. After the revision and publication of the
register there is no way that a person whose name is excluded from it
can obtain a vote. It is therefore important to check the register each
year so that you may make a claim if your name has been excluded. The
register for Parliamentary elections is revised every year and that for
Local Government elections is revised every third year. The Local
Government register will next be revised in February, 1967.
4) The Bangor Borough Council 1966 Aldermen and
Councillors.
Ballyholme Ward ~ Alderman C. F. Milligan; Councillor David Ewart,
O.B.E., J.P.; Councillor Ernest Graham
Castle Ward ~ Alderman C. A. Valentine, J.P.; Councillor J. Halley,
J.P.; Councillor D. Morrison; Councillor Brian A. Wimpress
Clifton Ward ~ Alderman J. F. R. Hamilton; Councillor R. D. McConnell;
Councillor S. E. Uprichard; Councillor R. Topping
Dufferin Ward ~ Alderman R. V. Campbell; Councillor A. B. C. Baird;
Councillor John Preston; Councillor A. W. Templeton
Princetown Ward ~ Alderman R. Proctor; Councillor W. P. O'Hara;
Councillor J. B. Stark; Councillor G. Storey
Your M.P.'s ~ Imperial Parliament, George B. Currie, M.B.E.; Northern
Ireland Parliament, Dr. Robert Nixon
The Bangor Public Library Service by Alderman J. F. R. Hamilton,
Chairman, Library and Museum Committee. More than half a century
ago the Carnegie Trust agreed to make a grant towards the provision of a
public library service for the town of Bangor. They made available the
sum of £1,500 for the erection of a suitable building and a further £250
for books and furniture, on condition that the Urban District Council
agreed to adopt the Public Libraries Act of 1901, thus making the
ratepayers of Bangor liable for an annual rate contribution of one penny
towards the maintenance of the service. A further condition was that the
library so provided should for all time be known as The Carnegie
Library. In 1910 the present library building in Hamilton Road was
opened and since then has been maintained as a public service financed
by the ratepayers, without any government grant. The original rate has
risen over the years to 3.7d. The Carnegie Library to-day contains some
50,000 books and with an annual book circulation of almost a quarter of
a million it is not surprising to find space is at a premium. This
problem in engaging the minds of, not only the local Library Committee
and the Borough Council, but the Government at Stormont whose Minister
of Education is now in charge of the development of library facilities
throughout the province. The present day library service consists of
three departments:- The Lending Library which is the open access type,
contains some 40,000 volumes, two thirds of which are fiction catalogued
under authors, and one third non-fiction recorded under author and
subject in a card-index general catalogue. The Reference Library
contains some 1,000 volumes of up-to-date information on general
subjects. The Juvenile Library has a stock of five thousand books
specially selected for the use of young people between the ages of 5 and
15. Members of the library are not limited to books in the catalogue.
Any work of non-fiction can be obtained within a few days from the
National Central Library. Except for a small charge of 3d to cover the
cost of stationery and printing, all the services are free and available
to all residents in the Borough.
5) Swimming Pool News. Approval has been received
from the Ministry of Education for the construction of an Indoor heated
swimming pool at an estimated cost of £227,000. The Ministry will pay 65
per cent of the cost, and the detailed work is at present being done by
the Council's Architect to get the plans and Bills of Quantity ready for
the invitation of tenders. The Pool will be situate in Castle Park
immediately beside the police station. It will be heated by oil fire
boilers and the main hall will contain three pools, a swimming pool
83ft. 6in. x 42ft. 0in., a diving pool with two spring boards, a 1-metre
and a 3-metre. Thirdly, will be a learners pool, 24ft. x 56ft. It is
expected that work on the pool will start during the present year.
Entertainments-Publicity Department. Charges at Sports Grounds and
Bathing Places. 1966 (see image 5 for all charges)
6) Advertisements
North Star,
Thursday, September 5, 1985
Bangor Rugby Clubs 100th Birthday, it's Centenary Year: 1885-1985
No birthday present for Bangor here as the Wolfhounds whip the ball at a
line-out. And who says Jimmy McCoy never jumps at a line-out?
Happy Birthday Bangor!
Names mentioned in the article ~ Billy McCombe, Dick Milliken, Roger Clegg,
Ronnie Elliott, Willie John McBride, Terry McMaster, Michael Rea, Sandy
Todd, Harry Williamson, John Rodgers, Cliff Beck, Martin and Kenny Strutt.
Roy Loughead, Joe Uprichard, Roden Ward. Roy Morrow, Sam Hamilton,
Norman Goult, Conn McCall. Marie Robinson. Jim McDowell, Cyril Cain.
Mick Fitzpatrick and son Rory.
Sunday Pictorial, May 6, 1945
These Pages Are a Warning to the Future, Keep Them For
Your Children
They Wrote Their Own Epitaph In Human Misery
Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 Benito Mussolini 1883-1945
Belfast Telegraph, Tuesday,
March 26, 1965
1
2
3
4
1) Prospect By The Sea, The Pulse
of Ulster. It came as no surprise to Bangor when it was included in the
area of North Down designated as a growth centre, for the town has been
planning its expansion since the beginning of the century. At the
moment it is the province's fourth largest town with a population of
around 30,000 but by 1971 this will have reached 37,000 and will be up
to 45,000 by 1981. And already the town is well ahead with the vital
services that will be needed. Work on new roads, water, sewerage and
power, factory and housing sites and other public amenities are obvious
everywhere. There is no let-up, either, in the effort being put into one
of the town's most vital industries - tourism - which is reckoned to
bring in something like £3m every year. This figure does not even
include the thousands of day and week-end trippers. As in all well run
businesses, flexibility has played its part. The ability to change and
adapt to holiday makers' requirements has brought success to tourism
over many years. Bangor has become a cosmopolitan town for, as a
dormitory of Belfast and with its pleasant sea setting, it has become a
magnet for new citizens from all over the province. A high proportion of
the working population is employed outside the town, but despite the big
increases in population, the overall number of commuters has really not
increased. Mr. Richard Wolsey, the town clerk, says that a survey he
undertook for the council showed that while in 1957 some 4,809 people
travelled out of the town in the 7 am to 10 am period, it had reached
only a little over 5,000 by 1965. But by this time the railways were
carrying only 900 compared with 2,400 in the late 'fifties, while
private cars were carrying some 3,750 compared to 1,805 in the earlier
years. Photos - TOP - The
Mayor of Bangor, Alderman Robert V. Campbell (right), and Councillor
Andrew Templeton, chairman of the entertainments and publicity
committee, pictured at the flyover on the town's new ring road where it
passes over the Belfast-Bangor dual carriageway.
LOWER - Mr. Francis Press (right), chairman of
Donaghadee Urban Council, and Mr. William Crail, town clerk, with the
lighthouse and the lifeboat in the background.
BOTTOM - New houses off the "old" Belfast Road
near Bangor. Donaghadee
Urban District Council - Despite the ambitious plans for the North Down
area, Donaghadee may be one town to retain the quiet atmosphere which
has always been one of its most attractive characteristics. Mrs. G. M.
Stone, chairman of the committee made up of representatives of local
councils in the area which is preparing a preliminary report for the
Ministry of Development, says that Donaghadee will probably wish to
remain much as it is despite the rapid growth envisaged for Bangor and
the surrounding areas. Entertainment facilities for young people, other
than youth clubs and organisations, were not extensive, but she felt
that the facilities of Bangor and other areas were within easy reach. On
modern developments, Mrs. Stone says there just might be the possibility
of Donaghadee being a potential hovercraft centre. Research by Ray
Kennedy. 2) Tourism: Bangor
is thinking big. Click 2nd image for all articles. A Huge Marina;
Leisure Unlimited and a Look at the Future; Providing for the Elderly;
The population boom ... and the plan to meet the growth.
PHOTO - Queen's Parade in Bangor, a popular spot for young and old to
relax in the summer. 3)
Industrial Bangor is on a Firm Footing. Click 3rd image for all
articles. When All Europe Looked to a Bangor School; A Success in
Silver; Many Advances in Education; Leisure Unlimited (continued from
image 2)
PHOTOS - TOP Miss Margaret McGaurin and Miss May Hill at the end of the
"Bangor Maid" dairy ice-cream production line.
BOTTOM - The new £500,000 technical college which is under construction
at Castle Park, Bangor. The college is being built for Down County
Education Committee and will come into use in September this year.
4) Garden City By The Sea Bangor (click image 4)
Spectator,
Thursday 31st December 1981
Bangor at
the Beginning of the Century, Some Early Reminiscences by Jack
McFeeters. - I remember quite vividly my first view of my future home in
Bangor. It was towards the end of August, 1905. My father was about to
take up his appointment as Headmaster of Bangor Grammar School (formerly
Bangor Endowed School), and we had travelled from Magherafelt - a
tedious journey for a boy of seven, who did not agree with Robert Louis
Stevenson's dictum that "to travel hopefully is a better thing than to
arrive." We travelled from our old home to the station by jaunting-car,
then by train to York Street Station in Belfast, by jaunting-car again
to the County Down Station, and so to Bangor. As our third jaunting-car
that day turned the corner from Ballyholme Road into Seacliffe Road, my
father raised his arm and pointed ahead, saying, "There is your new
home," I saw a road with fields to the left and sandhills to the right,
and away in front a block of tall houses, the further end of which was
to be part house, part Grammar School, for some time to come - till the
new School was built on College Avenue. Apart from a pair of
semi-detached houses just after turning the Ballyholme Road corner there
were then no other houses to be seen on Seacliffe Road, Shandon Drive
was in process of construction, and in any case it ended at Ward Avenue.
Our access to Ward Avenue was through a turnstile and along a narrow
path - slippery with mud in wet weather and slippery with ice in winter.
The land between Seacliffe Road and the houses on Ballyholme Esplanade -
later to become Ballyholme Park - was simply rough grass and sand-hills
in which children loved to dig out "houses" for themselves. I was told
by my parents that some children had their "house" collapse on them and
had been suffocated. It was all very "hush-hush" information, and I was
warned that I must never, never dig into the sand hills. Bangor
was a comparatively small town in those early days of the century - its
population about 7,000, I believe - but there was certainly no doubt of
its popularity as a tourist resort. In the summer months the
"Bangor boat," which sailed between the Queen's Quay in Belfast and
Bangor pier, used to be well patronised. So far as I remember
there were two paddle steamers in regular service, the Slieve Bearnagh
and the Slieve Donard. As for the railway, with its slogan (Bangor and
Back for a Bob," thousands of day trippers swarmed into the town all
summer, a large proportion of them heading for Ballyholme Bay, where
they changed into their swimming costumes under the shelter of the
sea-wall. The costumes in those days left very little of the body
exposed to the sun and air - very different from the bikinis and bras of
to-day. The older members of the parties and the children spent much of
the time building sandcastles or playing games. Older people did
not go in for bathing so much, though mum and dad might occasionally
roll up their skirts and trousers and paddle. Ballyholme Esplanade
was a continuous tow of houses right to the end of the high ground,
where the road turned inland for Groomsport and Ballymaconnell, with the
windmill a prominent feature on the hilltop. The only break in the array
of houses was half way along, where a whitewashed cottage stood for many
years. The Seacliffe Road area, however, was vastly different.
There were very few houses until you reached Clifton Road. After Ward
Avenue's houses petered out before Shandon Drive, there were no more
till you went beyond Seaforth Road, where several large houses stood in
their own grounds on the high ground looking over Ballyholme Bay and the
Yacht Club. When my father accepted the post of Headmaster, he was
assured by the Governors that a commodious new school was shortly to be
built, but a great deal apparently depended on the ability of the
Governors to raise a large sum of money locally, a former resident of
Bangor, Mr. W. K. Crosby, then living in America, having promised to
supplement this with an equally large sum. Indeed, he was to be mainly
responsible for the cost of erecting the Headmaster's house at the
School, to be called Crosby House - but that was not till 1912. So my
father, the boarders and later I myself had to wend our way up the
turnstile path and then cross two fields to reach College Avenue, which
then came to an end at the School gate. There was a high hedge in front
of the School, with crab apple trees growing in it. I remember putting
an apple to my mouth, but one bite was enough. I had never tasted
anything so bitter! RESCUE AT THE LONG HOLE. One of my early
memories was of walking with my father one dark, stormy night as far as
the Long Hole, where a ship called the "J.M.K." had been swept right
over the reef which acted as a protection for the boats moored there,
and had landed up against the sea wall, so that her crew were able to be
brought ashore without difficulty. I gathered that the skipper's wife
had been aboard, but whether this was so or not I cannot say. As
one of the money-raising efforts to swell the building fund for the new
school a fete was held in the grounds of Bangor Castle, and I had my own
share in this by carrying round a bird-cage with a mechanical bird in
it, asking people to put a penny in a slot at the side, which made the
bird burst into song. This gave me a great feeling of importance.
Bangor Drama Club put on a production of "She Stoops to Conquer" in the
Dufferin Hall, and I was delighted to be allowed to go to this with my
parents. The part of Tony Lumpkin was played by Mr. Victor Salter; and
the scene where he had taken his mother by coach (according to himself
through one dreadful hazard after another) to land her at the end of her
own garden, where he begged her to hide from "a highwayman with pistols
as long as my arm" (her own husband and his step-father) was to me
funnier than any pantomime. AMUSEMENTS. One thing we boys
looked forward to with keen anticipation each summer was the arrival of
the "hobbies." Toft and Turnbull had beautiful hobby-horses which went
up and down in a most realistic fashion; and besides them there were
numerous side-shows, including, at a later date, the Aerial Flight
(nowadays featured in higher and longer form in the Amry (Army) Assault
Course shown in the television series, the Krypton Factor). It was
a wonderful sensation to hang from that handle and swoop through the air
to land with your feet against a board protected by a sack of straw.
Even more interesting in a way was a smaller amusement park that opened
in the field next to our house a few years later. It was run by a Mrs.
Copley and her sons and daughters or daughter-in-law. On their arrival
one of them would come to our kitchen to have a kettle boiled; for how
could the heavy job of erecting marquees, various side-shows and a
theatre (!) be carried out without cups of tea? Mrs. Copley used to come
in and have a cup with our two maids (middle-aged at this time and very
happy to have "a bit of a crack" with someone from the world outside).
In return for these favours the boarders and I, and later my brother,
were given a number of free "goes" on the hobbies, the Cake-Walk, or on
a circular revolving disc, about twelve feet in diameter, on which you
sat, only to be shot off by centrifugal force as the speed was
increased. Your aim was to prevent this happening, but sooner or
later it always did. This somewhat terrifying "amusement" was called the
Joy wheel! But the theatre - that was the high spot. I saw "Maria
Martin, or the Murder in the Red Barn" (I naturally understood none of
the sordid background to this); "East Lynne" (Dead ... dead ... dead ...
and never called me mother!); "The Silver King"; and, amazingly, "Romeo
and Juliet." Mrs. Copley, after taking the admission fees, dashed round
back stage and became Juliet - a stout and very mature Juliet, who at
the end was laid out in what looked to me like a baker's oven. Mr.
Mahaffey, a leading solicitor at the time, used to attend frequently,
saying that he considered it the funniest show he knew.
CHARACTERS. There were quite a considerable number of "characters"
in Bangor in those days - a period when such people were much more
numerous everywhere then they are to-day. One of the best known was
Billy Tosh, a rather dreary-looking man who drifted round the roads,
always wheeling a barrow, usually just a flat base without sides. His
only occupation as far as one could see was collecting contributions for
a new barrow. He had a notebook in which people put names and the sum
contributed. One of his many new barrows was most elaborately painted by
a local humorist with the words, "William Tosh, Furniture Remover"
though I never remember seeing any signs of his acting in that capacity.
Then there was Mary Limpet, or Groomsport Mary. She always was dressed
in black, with a black droopy hat. She carried a shabby bag for scraps
of left-over food and a small can with a wire handle in which people
gave her tea or soup. It was said that she had had a good post in
domestic service at Glenganagh, the large house in wooded grounds which
faced us across Ballyholme Bay, not far from Groomsport. Apparently a
man, learning that she had a nice bit of money saved, proposed marriage,
and somehow got hold of the money - possible on the pretext of investing
it - and then decamped. It was even rumoured that she had actually gone
to the church to be married, only to find herself in the position of the
woman in the music-hall song - "left in the lurch." This was supposed to
have been the cause of her mental deterioration. In the summer
months Jack Scott used to appear, usually at the Main Street end of
Queen's Parade. he would march up and down, shouting orders to himself,
sloping arms and presenting arms with a stick. Every now and again he
would break off his drilling and make a sudden charge at the children
assembled round him, who fled, shrieking - all part of the fun. he was
supposed to have been in the Indian Army and to have become deranged
following sunstroke. On a different plane was "Skipper" Lindsey, who
looked after the boats of the Ballyholme Sailing Club, and was usually
to be found at his little hut at the jetty. He was supposed by us boys
to be an infallible guide to the weather. And if we were planning a
picnic or outing of some sort we always went along to ask the "skipper"
what the weather would be like. I remember him fishing me out of the
water with a boathook when another boy and I had gone to fish for crabs
from the jetty and I had lost my footing on the slippery green slime on
the planking. I was in deep disgrace when I came home with my clothes
covered in a slimy mess. SIR THOMAS LIPTON. But on a higher
scale altogether was Sir Thomas Lipton an outstanding "character" if
ever there was one. Born in Glasgow in 1850, he started as an errand
boy, but by shrewd business sense and a driving ambition he rose to
become a baronet, a business tycoon, a tea-planter and an international
yachtsman. One of his greatest ambitions was to win the America's Cup
for Britain - an ambition which unfortunately he was never able to
accomplish. Never daunted, he built one yacht after another - all called
"Shamrock" and he raced them at the Royal Ulster Yacht Club regatta. It
was from the R.U.Y.C. that he issued his challenges, and as we boys
passed the Clubhouse we used frequently to see him on the lawn, arrayed
in his smart yachting clothes. We always headed for the Battery, near
the foot of Victoria Road, where we sat on the rocks underneath and
picked up the brass cartridge cases from the signal gun that fired to
start the races and to mark the winner's crossing of the finishing line.
Three yachts which raced against Shamrock, whose names I remember, were
the White Heather, the Nyria and the Brynhild. It was always a wonderful
occasion - the Regatta. There are, however, two events that stand out
most clearly in my memory. One was the sailing of the Titanic on that
maiden voyage from which she never returned. My father gave the school
half an hour off so that we could go across to Clifton Road to see the
great ship sail majestically down the Lough. He said, "This is an event
that you will remember all your lives, and you will tell your children
and grandchildren how you saw the largest ship in the world start out
for America on her maiden voyage." Alas, the tale to be told was not of
glory but of tragedy. The other event was the visit of the "Daily
Mail" aeroplane to Ballyholme sands. It was not long after Bleriot flew
the English Channel that the "Daily Mail" sent this plane round various
seaside resorts in the British Isles. The pilot, I believe, was Farman,
who later established his own aeroplane factory. He took various people
up for a "ride" or a "sail," as we variously called it. The word "flip"
had not yet been coined. I took two photographs of the plane taking off,
but, sad to say, the album in which these were inserted has vanished in
some of the changes of home that have occurred during my life. One of
the passengers whom I photographed was Mrs. Sharman-Crawford, of
Crawfordsburn House, and the other was a medical student at Queen's,
Billy Tyrrell, later to become Air Vice-Marshall Sir William Tyrell,
Chief Medical Officer of the R.A.F. Later still there was the
establishment of the Original U.V.F. We used to parade at Mr. Savage's
builder's yard at the corner of Clifton Road and Ballymagee Street (now,
I understand, High Street). As we marched off, groups of small boys
would run alongside, chanting the following wonderful song:- My
da's a volunteer, He wears a bandolier, Marchin' up an' down the town,
Shootin' all the Germans down, My da's a volunteer, My ma's a
suffragette, She wears a collarette, Marchin' up an' down the town,
Burnin' all the houses down, My ma's a suffragette. I was no
longer a child then, my next move being into the Royal Artillery. But I
felt that such a gem of what might be classified as folk-song was worth
recording as a postscript to these memories of the early days of the
century. Editor's Note - Dr. J. W. McFeeters, who is now an
octogenarian, lives at Branston, Lincoln. He is remembered with
affection by older Bangorians. We join with them in sending him the
compliments of the season.
PHOTO - This photograph, which we reproduce by courtesy of Miss Kirker,
Farnham Park, Bangor, is an impressive record of the original Ulster
Volunteer Force parading in Bangor's Main Street.
PHOTO - The "Erin's Isle" arriving at the North Pier just before World
War One. The bandstand disappeared from the end of the wooden pier many
years ago; more recently the wooden section itself was demolished and is
at present being replaced by a longer more permanent structure as part
of Bangor's extensive seafront scheme.
So You Want To Stop Smoking by Paul Flowers -
Smoking can lead to ill-health and premature death, yet 42% of men and
37% of women still smoke. This could all change with the launch of a new
BBC television series, "So You Want To Stop Smoking." The first of the
six ten-minute programmes goes out on BBC1 on Sunday, but hopefully it
will by then have stopped one person smoking - me. Click on the above
image to read the full article.
Pinehill Appeal Dismissed - Fraser Developments
Ltd. have been unsuccessful in their appeal for planning permission for
the erection of five dwellings in Pinehill Road, Pinehill Gardens and
Pinehill Crescent, Bangor. The sites are surrounded by private dwellings
and are zoned in the North Down Area Plan for use as open space where
they are part of the Ballycrochan Linear Park. The Planning Appeals
Commission considered that the erection of dwellings on these sites of
awkward shape and limited size would result in a cramped and
unsatisfactory form of development and accepted that the District
Council had a firm commitment to the implementation of the linear park
scheme. Sub-Committee
Appointed - A SUB-committee of North Down Borough Council has been
appointed to make arrangements for the official opening next month of
Bangor Castle Leisure Centre. It consists of the Mayor (Alderman Albert
Magee), Alderman Bruce Mulligan, Councillors Alan Graham, Mrs. Hazel
Bradford, Donald Hayes and Mrs. Mary O'Fee.
The sub-committee to make arrangements for the
Civic Ball will consist of Alderman Mulligan, Councillors Mrs. Susan
O'Brien, Hayes, Raymond Trousdale and Mrs. O'Fee. Councillors Trousdale
and Campbell McCormick were forwarded as new representatives of the
Council on the Eastern Health & Social Services District Committee.
Keep Alive The Poinsettia by D. T. McAlister, BSc,
Dip Agr Comm, Horticultural Education and Training Adviser (Click on
above image for full article)
Reappointed to HE Board - (Click on above image
for full article)
Drinking Sensibly - as above
IYDP Award for Fisheries - Division as above
Odds and Ends by George Roberts - Subjects
covered:- Are Green-keepers Professionals? Portugal. Royal
Visit. Politics. Bangor. The Old Year.
back to Page One
- Back to
Page Two |
