The House in the Painting Mrs Nellie Girvan is seventy-six years old and has lived at her present address, 67 Ballycorr Road, for sixty years. When she visited an art display set up for the May Fair three years ago, she saw a painting by a Mrs Whitla which showed her childhood home and bought the painting because this house, 34 Market Square, is no longer there. Mrs Girvan showed me this painting and told me about her past. Her parents moved from Scotland with their two children to Ballyclare before she was born. Her father, Mr Ewing, had been a tram driver in Glasgow. They moved to be closer to their family in Northern Ireland. At first they lived in a house close to Fairview but then they moved to Mrs Girvan's childhood home at the Square. The house was owned by Nathaniel McKinstry and the rent was three and nine pence per week. The house had two bedrooms upstairs and one room downstairs. As time went by Mrs Ewing had three more children - Mrs Girvan being the second of these. As the children grew up, the house at 34 Market Square became a really busy family home. Mr Ewing went to work each day as a poacher in the paper mill. When the children went to school, Mrs Ewing was left to do the housework. Although the house was small, there was lots to do. All the jobs had to be done by hand because there were no machines and gadgets. Mrs Ewing went to the pump in the square early each morning to collect the daily water supply. This was called a wheel pump and it had a horse trough attached to it. Mrs Girvan remembers that there were two guns from World War One beside the pump. Mrs Ewing often had to make several journeys to the pump. When she returned to the house she would empty the barrel in the backyard where rainfall had collected. A pipe coming from the barrel was covered with a sock which stopped soot and dust being in the final water. Rainwater was used to wash the children's hands and faces! Monday morning was "wash day." Clothes were washed using carbolic soap, balls of Blue and Rinso. The wet clothes were squeezed through a mangle and hung out to dry or put over a drying rack above the range. Ironing was a very tiring job. Mrs Girvan can remember her mother putting metal irons into the fire to heat. Loose white starch was used. It took a very long time to finish the ironing. Mrs Girvan's mother was very proud of her kitchen range. It was made by Blair and Sons in Belfast. It was a steel range and it took a lot of hard work to keep it clean and shiny. The children often had to help clean it with emery paper. Their father made a brass toasting rack which joined on to the range. This also had to be cleaned every day. When washing was finished, Mrs Girvan's mother would begin to bake. The kitchen was very small so there was little room to store food. Her father had made a little wooden safe with a mesh door, which he attached to the outside wall near the kitchen door. Milk, cheese and eggs, bought at the market, were stored in this. It was locked with a padlock and key each night. Fresh bread and scones were baked each day. Other foods were bought at the local shops close to the Square. Mrs Ewing liked to go to Joe Howieson's grocery shop for either frying ham, bacon, cooked ham or his special cheese. Everyone thought that Mr Howieson's cheese was the best in Ballyclare. His shop was always busy. He was a very friendly man with a lovely Scottish accent. The downstairs floor had to be washed every day. It was a red tiled floor and Mrs Girvan remembers her mother washing it with hot water and paraffin oil. The black slate hearth of the range was also scrubbed each day. The bedrooms upstairs also had to be tidied. Mrs Girvan's mother made all her own patchwork quilts using spare pieces of material. She also made sheets from flour bags. These bags cost six pence each. They had to be steeped, washed and dried. Mrs Girvan remembers that they felt very, very soft. The bags were sewn together using the sewing machine.When the inside of the house was clean it was time to clean the outside toilet. It was a dry toilet and the inside walls were covered with white wash. Mrs Girvan's mother washed the floor twice a week with hot water and carbolic disinfectant. The walls also had to be washed down a lot. When the children came home from school, they were given milk and scones. After their homework was finished they often went to the shops with their mother. Mrs Girvan was the first customer at R.J. Fleming's new sweet shop. She bought twelve chocolate caramels for a penny. Mrs Girvan also remembers visiting Gregg's newspaper shop. Mr Gregg's sister Agnes had died in America. Mr Gregg had a parrot in the shop which always said "Poor Aggie Gregg" over and over again. Teachers could buy their canes in this shop. Mrs Ewing cooked lots of good plain food for dinner. All the family helped to wash and dry the dishes. After a busy day completing so much housework by hand, Mrs Ewing liked to sit down and relax after cooking the dinner. She told the children stories, did some sewing or went with the family for a walk beside the Six Mile River. Neighbours also visited for a chat and a cup of tea. The family had one of the first radios in Ballyclare so friends would call in to listen to the programmes. On Saturday evenings the local men would listen to the football results for their Pools coupons. Mrs Girvan told me that her mother had to work very, very hard each day to keep her house clean and to keep her family well fed and clothed. Her mother however was a very happy lady and never complained. She took a great pride in keeping her home spick and span,as did all the other ladies nearby. Although the ladies were busy they always found time to chat and to help each other. Mrs Girvan now has her own house to look after. Central heating keeps her house nice and cosy and she has a washing machine tumble dryer, electric iron, cooker and lots of other machines to help her with the housework. Mrs Girvan is happy to live in 1997 and not in the past. Christopher Dickey - P7 - Fairview Primary School   Another Story Competition Index Return to Main Page