Holywood - one L of a station?

Рет қаралды 2,280

Trains, Cranes and Trivial Tales

Күн бұрын

170 years old and still going strong, Holywood has gone through many changes in its lifetime, not all of them positive

Пікірлер: 16

@jimcrawford5039 Жыл бұрын

Ah, the memories of trips to Helen’s Bay & Bangor. Again, many thanks for your videos.

@reggriffiths5769 3 жыл бұрын

My home town from many years ago. A dozen of my memories are of the undergound tunnel from the shore side into the station. As young 7-9-year-old's, we often stood directly under the steel ceiling inside as the trains rolled over, and we'd try and jump up to touch the ceiling to "feel" the rumble, though never quite making it. Redburn square and the old sidings were part of our extended playground (by extended, I mean the whole of Holywood)! During the summers of the mid-fifties, we would often sit on the shore wall hoping to see the tinder-like grass burst into flame from a passing train - I personally only ever saw that once from the archway at the foot of Shore St - (steam trains, of course).Around the age of 8-9, I would ask my parents if I could go to Bangor, whereupon I'd be given half-a-crown, jump on a train and spend sixpence for an hour on a rowing boat from Pickie , and row out to within a couple of hundred yards of the shipping lane - frightening! Eventually I'd head back and visit the slot machines, pop into one of the local chippies and buy some chips before catching the next train home. No self-respecting parent would allow that these days, and quite rightly; but having said that, kids today do miss out on that freedom and learning about life on one's own. As I recall, the fare for me was sevenpence return, sixpence for the chips, and about sixpence-worth of pennies for the slot machince. Four or five hours of sheer bliss on a Saturday! Looking at the photograph of Redburn Square, the house on the top right corner of the square had a back garden which housed an old Belfast tram full of flowers and greenery; it must have acted as a form of greenhouse. I didn't know it at the time, but one of the names on the war memorial was my granfather's brother, killed on the Somme. Holywood was a grey and miserable place in the winter times, but it wa also a magical place for a young lad, with so many places to explore and create our own fun. A lot of those places don't exist any more - rather side, but today, Holywood is a bright, vibrant little town. I wish I was there now! Years later, I lived in Sydenham - right alongside the station, so your short videos on the history have been a very informative and pleasurable look back at my old haunts. Great work Richard.

@troglodytesrus Жыл бұрын

Love this comment, know the areas you talk about well and can almost picture it :)

@reggriffiths5769 Жыл бұрын

@@troglodytesrus Hah, you must be a Holywood man! So you'll know the Twistle Bridge, Marmion tunnels, The "Moat" (I lived dead opposite) and Murphy's Field, the haunted house on Victoria Road, Johnny the Jig....I could go on...! Thanks for commenting.

@joeryan1153 10 ай бұрын

My Godmother lived on Spencer Street in Hollywood. As a child in the mid 60's I remember visiting her by taking the Enterprise on Sunday ( services morning and evening each way) to Great Victoria Street, seeing trolly buses and then walking to Queens Quay for the train to Hollywood. I remember there was a tunnel for pedestrians under the railiway to get to the beach. Is it still there?

@trainscranesandtrivialtale7262 10 ай бұрын

Hi Joe, yes there are still several walkways under the tracks. Don't think much has changed at Holywood since they built the dual carriageway

@susancraig3966 3 жыл бұрын

For a station that would, in normal times, serve greater numbers than some, it really is featureless and utilitarian. As ever, an interesting glance back - Michael Portillo's Bradshaw's notwithstanding!

@reggriffiths5769 Жыл бұрын

Yes, it might be featureless now, but it was far ftom that in the 50's and 60's when everything other than the railway itself was underground! But everything nowadays is quite featureless and plastic. Redburn Square was a quite large area in itself, but today is just a shadow of its former self. Changes rarely bring improvements!

@noelgains8433 3 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed this vid thanks

@likklej8 Жыл бұрын

Ive just googled Hollywood USA they have over three hundred working steam locomotives in their ownership for movies including U.K. ones. Nice videos thanks

@thomasburke2683 Жыл бұрын

At 4.50, we can see the original embankment on the line towards Bangor. Many people will be unaware that the railway was moved towards the coast in the 1970s, to make space for the Holywood bypass road. The alternative would have been building the road on the cemetery, or having a narrow bypass.