AND Nowadays we take for granted that we can jump into our car and get to our destination. Years ago, travel was not so easy and took a lot longer! For thousands of years man had depended on draft animals such as horses, oxen, etc for the wagons and carts used to move people, goods and raw materials. The early years of the 19th century saw the development of steam engines and in the latter years of the 19th century the development of the internal combustion engine. In Portrush we have the options of road, rail and boat available, with a few VIP’s even travelling by helicopter during the Open in 2019! Have you ever wondered how all of these things arrived in Portrush in the first place? The boats need a safe harbour, cars need roads and trains need tracks, all of which need planning and money! Let’s take a look…

Railway opened on 18th July 1853, 1 Trains however, Portrush still had no railway connection. The Growth of Portrush This was resolved by the construction In the early years of the 19th Century, of the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Portrush was little more than a small Coleraine and Portrush Junction Above: This view from the approach fishing village with a natural harbour Railway which fully opened to traffic to the station shows two trains. One is for small boats. There were very few on 4th December 1855. The opening waiting for passengers at the single large properties and most of the ceremony was on 7th November platform and the other is shunted into population lived in small houses and when a train left York Road station in a siding. The branch line to the harbour cabins around the harbour. Belfast and ran non-stop to Coleraine can be seen falling away to the left. and then onwards to Portrush. On By 1834 the town had grown somewhat, board, we are told was the wealth, and we can see the evidence of this intelligence and beauty of the north! on the ordnance survey map of that period. You can see the beginnings of Main Street - although most of the are still close to the harbour. The harbour itself was made bigger in 1826-35 with the construction of new piers and the original, natural harbour Above: 1869 Timber and iron railway became known as the old dock. bridge across River Bann in Coleraine Above: The station yard is clearly seen together with two coaches and horses In 1837 Doctor Boyd built the first hotel The line from Londonderry to Portrush from the Antrim Arms Hotel. Behind in Portrush. The hotel was called The was opened on 19th November 1860 these is the goods platform and the Antrim Arms and still stands on the thanks to a new timber and iron branch line can be seen curving down same spot today although it has railway swing-bridge crossing the River towards the harbour. changed its name and appearance Bann. This swing bridge was replaced over the years. Some people may in 1924 by an iron and concrete At the end of the goods platform remember it as The Northern Counties, structure which could be lifted in the line a turntable was installed so that or today as Portrush Atlantic Hotel. middle to allow passage for ships. locomotives could be turned around During this time there was also an in order that they would be travelling increase in the number of large villas Portrush was now fully connected by forwards for their return journeys. This being built. The villas were located rail. turntable appears to have some form in prime locations to provide holiday of winding mechanism by which it was homes for the wealthier members of What did it look like? turned but the power was probably society. human. The earliest representation of the This growth of the town provided railway in Portrush appears on an more work opportunities and as Ordnance Survey map made about a result, increased the population 1855. and the need for more services and accommodation in the town. It shows a single track approaching from Coleraine, which branched out The Introduction of the into five separate tracks; one forming Railway to Portrush a line to Portrush Harbour; another the line to the passenger platform; a The Belfast and Ballymena Railway third to the goods platform; and the opened for business on 12th April 1848 remaining two finished at the end of and the Londonderry and Coleraine the passenger platform.

1 Popular Portrush base. A fabulous clock tower rose to was wound from the face. The maker’s a height of fifty feet with four faces name, inscribed on the clock face, is Over the next 25 years Portrush grew in each five feet in diameter. Decorative ‘Sharman D. Neill’ of Belfast and the popularity and blossomed as a sea- glazing provided shafts and washes clock was dated 1892 on the centre side resort. Hotels and guesthouses of coloured light within the wheel. The pendulum was some 111cm appeared and catered to all classes and some of this remains today as a long and weighed 6kgs and the striking of Victorian society. Many of these reminder of that time. gong was 18kgs in weight. holidaymakers travelled to Portrush by train and the increasing volume of The new platforms could easily The clock was removed from the traffic soon meant that the railway accommodate the longer trains now station in 1971 when the station closed station opened in 1855 was no longer arriving in Portrush both as scheduled for business and was rescued from able to cope. A new, larger terminus services and day excursions bringing scrap in 1984. It has now been restored was required! “trippers” for a day on the beach or to and is temporarily displayed in the special events. entrance hall of Causeway Coast In October 1888 the Belfast & Northern & Glens Borough Council office in Counties Railway, who had by now The General Hall, separated from the Coleraine awaiting a move back to acquired the major North Eastern platforms by elegant wrought iron Portrush. This clock lives on in many railways, appointed Berkeley Deane railings and platform gates, was 30 memories of meetings, leavings, and Wise as their Resident Engineer. Wise metres long by 18 metres wide and romances which started or finished was a talented civil engineer who splendidly furnished. With its high open “under the station clock”. carried out major improvements ceiling it formed an impressive space across the network and introduced to welcome visitors to Portrush. important safety measures. He was also a very talented architect.

A New Railway Station for Portrush

Wise planned a completely new railway layout and station for Portrush to cope with the massive increase in Above: Station café laid out for meal traffic, especially during holiday times. service Three platforms were to be provided, Above: The General Hall or Concourse each of 182 metres in length, double with the Long Case Clock and a sales that of the original single platform from kiosk 1855. A train shed providing weather protection was provided over all three Of special note were the two charming platforms for 60 metres and a Grand kiosks for the sale of refreshments, Concourse or General Hall was to be sweets, tobacco and newspapers. constructed to provide all the offices These were designed in a Tudor and space required for the handling of Cottage style with pitched, tiled large numbers of passengers. roofs and leaded glazing. Only one of these survives today in the Transport Museum at Cultra. Above: Station café laid out as theatre with stage Sharman Neill’s Station Clock Station Café

Time was of the essence with railway The Station also had a licensed café Above: The new station with the station travel. Strict timetables had to be and restaurant with seating for 250 to square in the foreground adhered to and it was essential that 300 people. It had an open balcony both railway staff and travellers were overlooking the Pleasure Gardens and The new station opened in the spring aware of the correct time. To this end West Bay which were also owned by of 1893, having been constructed by a spectacular long case clock was the railway company. McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd. of Belfast. provided within the General Hall in a Together with the new signalling position where it could be seen from Underneath this were large cellars and trackwork it had cost more than both the Hall and the platforms. which were the central stores for liquor £10,000. for all the BNCR railway hotels, dining The clock was five metres tall and cars and refreshment rooms. Some 27 The new building was truly impressive had two faces, front and back, each by 9 metres in size, it could hold up to and certainly one of the most almost a metre in diameter. Reputed to 300 diners. handsome railway buildings in Ireland. be the tallest grandfather clock in the The style was “Mock Tudor” and world, it had an eight-day mechanical Throughout its life it performed many painted black and white on a red brick movement with a single weight that functions as a café and restaurant

2 and a venue for meetings. By 1924 it name was commonly mispronounced was being used as a concert hall with Roadways “sharra-bang”. Around the same time a stage at one end and during the Motor Omnibuses made their first Charabancs and Omnibuses Second World War, American soldiers appearance. These were similar in that used it as a canteen and recreation they had rows of forward facing seats Privately owned cars driven by petrol space. In later years it saw duty as a but were fully enclosed, on the lower or diesel powered engines were a school meals canteen amongst other decks at least, and were arranged rarity and generally were a source things. By the 1970s it had become with a single entry/exit point and of amazement or amusement at the unusable and was knocked down. central passageways to allow access start of the 20th century with steam and egress. In their early forms they powered vehicles being the norm. In Station Square tended to have a smaller passenger small towns like Portrush even these carrying capacity than charabancs vehicles would have been very unusual Berkeley Deane Wise’s fine building but as they were developed they soon and the horse was still relied upon. was the gateway to Portrush for vast overtook and displaced charabancs numbers of visitors. Arriving through as the preferred mode of public road the monumental General Hall travellers transport. filed out into the large, open station square where they were met by many Early photographs of Portrush include forms of onward transport. private motor cars, charabancs and motor omnibuses. Public omnibus Guests of the railway’s own hotel, or as the name was commonly The Northern Counties, were met shortened to, services between by the hotel’s stylish carriage at the towns soon became available with main entrance to the station and firms such as Henry’s of Portstewart Above: Motor car parked at front of transported in comfort to their hotel. and Catherwood’s of Belfast Northern Counties Hotel – c.1911 This carriage always had priority within operating routes, sometimes in direct the station square and was the only competition with each other. Bus War is always a time of great vehicle permitted to park immediately companies also operated short tours development and innovation as outside the station entrance. based in Portrush. Tours to Donegal, each side tries to outdo the other in the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-rede terms of technology and weapons. As time marched on, train travel was rope bridge, the Glens of Antrim and The First World War saw a very rapid overtaken by motor vehicles and the many other places were popular. need for a large station in Portrush development of cars and lorries decreased. By the end of the 1960s with internal combustion engines the writing was on the wall – Portrush and when it ended the military was railway station would close. left with hundreds of thousands of surplus lorries which they sold off Then the arrival outside Coleraine of cheaply. Many of these would be the New University of Ulster adjacent converted into charabancs - early to the railway line provided a lifeline. motor coaches, usually open-topped A commuter service from Portrush to with benched seats arranged in rows, Coleraine was established with new looking forward, commonly used for large parties, whether as public stops at Dhu Varren and the University Above: Private motor cars, motor taxis, conveyances or for excursions. for students and a seasonal station at charabanc & omnibus - 1927 Portrush. The old station was sold off to make a new life as a nightclub and Text & Images ©John Moore 2020 amusement arcade.

Thankfully, the major part of the building was maintained in its original state. It stands today as a landmark in the town with its tall clock tower still one of the first things seen by visitors to Portrush. Above: Early char-a-banc

It was especially popular for sight- seeing or “works outings” to the country or the seaside, organised by businesses once a year. The name derives from the French char à bancs (“carriage with wooden benches”), the horse-drawn version having originated in in the early 19th century. The

3 Initially a two-rail system was tried with Portrush to Giant’s the current being sent out along one Causeway Hydro- rail and returned through the other 2 using the wheels as conductors but the Electric Tramway current leakage was so excessive that World First Hydro-Electric this was abandoned. A third rail system was then tried with The Giant’s Causeway, Portrush & current being sent out along a third Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Co. metal rail raised some 18 inches (450 Ltd., which commenced operation in mm) above and to one side of the 1883 with a service from Portrush to tracks and returned through both Bushmills, was the first hydro-electric rails of the track. This was found to powered tramway in the world and the be satisfactory but only after a new longest electric tramway in the world insulating material, Insulite, was used at that time. between the top of the post and the third rail. The Traill Brothers

It was the brainchild of William Above: Sir William Thompson Acheson Traill, a geologist and engineer whose family lived at Ballyclough House near Bushmills.

William Traill and his brother Anthony, a fellow of Trinity College Dublin, put forward sound arguments for their scheme which include, not only the Above: Tramway Station at Bushmills tramway from Portrush to the Giant’s showing the third-rail system mounted Causeway but also a series of narrow on wooden posts gauge railway lines which, would in time, provide a through service For the experiments a stationary from the of Larne to the Giant’s Siemens dynamo was installed in the Causeway. Tramway Depot on Causeway Street whilst the hydro-electric power station William Traill identified iron ore, which was being planned at Walkmills on the was then being discovered and mined River Bush to the south of Bushmills. in large quantities in North Antrim, limestone, seaweed for manure and How Did it Work? iodine extraction, basalt and sand A hydro-electric turbine works on the together with passenger and tourist principle of a fast-flowing stream of traffic as potential sources of revenue. Above: Dr Charles William Siemens – water passing over angled blades Much of the money required for Later to become Lord Kelvin fixed to a central shaft thus rotating construction was raised privately by that shaft at high speed. The shaft in the Traill brothers from friends and Two notable shareholders were Sir this case connected to a stationary family. William Thompson, a noted Belfast- dynamo and the rotation produced born mathematician and physicist, an electric current known as “direct later to become Lord Kelvin, and Dr current” as the positive and negative Charles William Siemens, a German poles always remain the same (as engineer. opposed to “alternating current” where positive and negative poles alternate Work Began in 1881 at a very fast rate).

Construction commenced on the In the event work on the Power Station tramway section from Portrush could not commence until March 1883 to Bushmills in 1881 and electrical having been delayed due to legal experiments were undertaken to find disputes over water rights and land out the most suitable ways to carry the acquisition. Work on the line and its electric current to the tram cars and to buildings progressed rapidly under the develop the most efficient insulating supervision of William Traill. materials to minimize current leakage Above: William Acheson Traill along the line. An article in the “Northern Whig” dated 1st June, 1882, describing the “large and

4 handsome carriage-sheds and offices goods wagons for the planned mineral During a visit by the guests to the of which any tramway company might trade, goods carriage trade and for Walkmills Power Station Sir William be proud”, mention was also made of the carrying of passengers’ luggage. Thompson entertained some of them the fact that “tramcars and wagons by shaking hands with them whilst he are being built from special designs The Tram company also made held one of the electrical terminals by the Midland Carriage and Wagon an arrangement with the railway of the dynamo thus giving them an Company, and these will be fitted company to share their goods platform electric shock which they would have also with separate ‘dynamos’ and and, with the addition of a new rail thought to be highly therapeutic! secondary batteries ... As each car to accommodate their narrow gauge will carry its own locomotive power vehicles, the railway track down to the The tramway then settled down to the expense of providing drivers and north pier of the harbour. a lengthy period of steady business stokers is avoided, and no heavy providing transport for many engines are required to increase wear The line was approved by the Board of thousands of visitors from Portrush to and friction for haulage purposes. The Trade early in January 1883 and service Bushmills (and onwards to the Giant’s passengers or goods in each vehicle began on the 29th of that month. Causeway by horse drawn sidecar or will supply the weight necessary to ). increase the friction to the haulage power required” provided both an The original Parliamentary approval update and good publicity. granted to the company included for a railway from the Giant’s Causeway to Using a third-rail system for the Dervock via Bushmills and the decision electricity was not without risk as was made to push ahead with this, anyone touching both this rail and initially at least from the Causeway to either of the track rails at the same Bushmills. time would receive an electric shock. At the time this was probably viewed as Above: Walkmills Hydro-Electric Power A substantial new Station building and a minor risk given the Victorians’ belief station on River Bush showing the engine sheds were constructed at in the therapeutic power of electricity two turbines and their shafts leading the junction of Ballaghmore Road (to and Mr Traill himself demonstrated the up into the power house where they Portballintrae) and the A2 (to Portrush) low risk by, during the Board of Trade connected to and turned the dynamo and the line from there crossed inspection in 1883, seating an exposed to produce electricity the Ballaghmore Road heading for part of his anatomy on the third-rail the Giant’s Causeway. This line was whilst placing his feet of the tracks. He Hydro-Electric Power Station constructed as a railway with some assured the Inspector that he suffered cuttings and embankments to give a no discomfort or pain, although he Work on the Hydro-Electric Power mainly level track running across the later admitted privately that “it had Station at Walkmills was quickly sandhills behind Blackrock Strand. hurt like hell, but he wasn’t going to tell completed with two American the Inspector that!”. Because of this manufactured water turbines driving risk the tramway company was not shafts linked to a Siemens dynamo. permitted to use the third-rail in either A weir was built across the River Bush Portrush or Bushmills so two standard upstream from the Power Station to Wilkinson Steam Tramway Locomotives create a “head” of water pressure to were purchased for operation within drive the turbines. the towns. The Grand Opening Above: Crossing the River Bush on the Jubilee bridge The official opening was set for September 1883 and the Company The River Bush was crossed by issued invitations to all the crowned a fine steel lattice girder bridge heads of Europe, including Queen manufactured by Messrs P & W Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm, MacLennan in Glasgow and carried on Above: Wilkinson Steam Tram the Emperor of Germany but no masonry piers across a span of 70 feet Locomotive with rake of five trailers acceptances were received other (21.3 metres) some 25 feet (7.6 metres) passing the depot in Portrush than from the Lord Lieutenant, Queen above the river. Victoria’s representative in Ireland. These were also used to haul larger As the bridge came into use in 1877, rakes of coaches and during periods On 28th September 1883 the Lord the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden when water levels in the river were low Lieutenant and other invited guests Jubilee, Mr Traill named it “The Victoria and the power station was unable to were present for the Grand Opening Jubilee Bridge”. The line terminated provide sufficient electricity to operate during which the Lord Lieutenant drove near the entrance to the Giant’s several electric cars. In addition to one of the electric cars for a short Causeway at a most unusual station the Tramway cars and trailers the distance, assisted no doubt by Mr Traill, building which served as Ticket Office company also bought a number of and made a short speech declaring and Waiting Room. ore-carrying hopper wagons and the tramway open.

5 The Ticket Office was a corrugated common as tens of thousands had iron clad building with a very steep been produced for military use during roof, which, when viewed on the gable, the war and then became surplus to curved up to a sharp point. It had been requirements thereafter. purchased in Switzerland and brought to North Antrim for a total cost of some These vehicles were purchased £400.00. This extension of the line was cheaply by entrepreneurs who set brought into service on 1st July 1887. up haulage businesses or converted them into charabancs and omnibuses Above: Overhead power system carrying large numbers of passengers. and trolley pole on tramcar roof at They provided a more flexible service Bushmills Station for customers and passengers and, with an element of the novelty that The new entire system was installed had helped drive passenger numbers by William Traill and a local workforce. on the tramway in its early years, they The new system came into operation began to compete with the and on 26 July 1899 without any interruption take away much of their business. of service. Early open cars and trailers Above: Electric Tram Car and trailer were roofed over and, in some cases, Tramway services began to be at Giant’s Causeway terminus. Ornate provided with side windows or roll reduced, especially during the winter terminus building behind tram. down canvas screens and glazed front months, to keep costs as low as and rear screens to protect the drivers possible so that the company could The planned mineral and goods traffic from the inclement weather. remain financially viable. had not materialised and so on 1st June 1887, the use of the line down to A number of the goods wagons were Following the Second World War the harbour ceased. Nevertheless, converted into passenger trailers by the tramway was in a poor state of the tramway continued to be popular the addition of new sides and toast- repair and only the special efforts by probably as much due to its novelty rack type seating which allowed the its staff kept it operational. On 30th as to its convenience as a means of seat backs to be reversed so that September 1949 the Tramway service transport. passengers could always face in the was suspended. direction of travel. Some new electric On 26th August 1895 a cyclist, Thomas cars were purchased or constructed With the passing of time nature has Walne, came off his bicycle whilst from bodies and motors bought reclaimed and hidden much of the crossing the tram-lines. He struck the separately and put together in the evidence of the tramway but the kerb and was thrown across the tracks Tramway workshops in Portrush Depot. walkmills hydro-electric power station and onto the live third-rail. When found building remains, although as a bare he was still breathing but, sadly died Throughout two world wars the shadow of its former self. shortly after. Tramway provided an essential service for both locals and service personnel All the internal workings have long The Board of Trade investigation based in and around Portrush. Several gone. The turbines, their shafts and all condemned the third rail system Army camps were established around that wonderful Victorian engineering and made some strongly adverse the Causeway area and troops were has been removed or covered by comments about the operation of the transported to and fro on the trams. As nature. system in general. petrol was in short supply and heavily rationed the tramway allowed the Boats 3 The company was told that a safer movement of large numbers of people Passenger Ships system would have to be introduced. and luggage without the use of this A system of overhead poles and wires precious fuel. From the 1830’s steam ships had been was proposed with a trolley arm from bringing tourists from Scotland to the each electric car making contact with north coast of Ireland with cruises the overhead live wire and current to Londonderry and the Giant’s being returned via the track as before. Causeway being particularly popular. This new system would make the A regular weekly steamer service was electric cars much more powerful and established in 1822 from Glasgow to efficient. Londonderry with wooden paddle- wheel steamers calling at five on its journey, including Portrush.

In 1845 the Port Rush Steam Navigation Above: Portrush Station Square with Company started a service between Trams, motor cars and omnibuses Portrush and Liverpool and through time regular communication was After the end of the First World War established with such places as Oban, motor vehicles became much more Troon, Morecambe and the Clyde.

6 of the town. Sadly, with Great Britain best known of these was a man called having declared war on Germany in James Kelly and his boatyard was response to Germany’s invasion of located just off Causeway Street, Belgium on 4th August 1914, Hazel made overlooking the East Strand. her last visit to Portrush on 6 August. Attempts to revive the service after the The photograph you can see is taken war came to nothing. at the launch of a very sleek looking racing yacht “Garavogue” built by James Kelly in 1903 – it was successfully launched at the harbour and attracted Above: “Scotch” Steamer Azalea a large crowd of onlookers.

This service rapidly elevated Portrush Mr Kelly was a well known figure in the from being a small unimportant life of the town and was chairman of fishing village to a popular resort. The the council for a number of years. An increasing popularity of sea bathing, old advertisement from 1900 under with even Queen Victoria enjoying the the heading “J. Kelly, Yacht and Boat healthy practice, and the proximity to Builder” states – “Specifications and the Giant’s Causeway lead to Portrush estimates furnished for the building of becoming a major tourist resort with gentlemen’s cruising and racing yachts promotional headlines such as “The Above: Cruise Ship “Wind Surf” in West and for the very best finish of rowing Queen of Ulster Watering Places” and bay, Portrush - 2013 and sailing pleasure craft.” It all came “The Brighton of the North”. with the assurance that “successive In more recent years several cruise years of contests and regattas have ships of various sizes have visited proved Kelly’s boats for rowing and Portrush. Anchoring in the West Bay sailing the smartest in the North of they transfer their passengers to Ireland.” and from the new low-level floating pontoons using their own Tenders. The standing which James Kelly enjoyed as a boat-builder was Boat Building in Portrush impressive as can be judged from the fact that on one occasion he received James Kelly Boat Builder orders for two of five 21-foot class by Maurice McAleese boats commissioned by the Dublin Above: Arrival of the Scotch Boat Bay Sailing Club. A spokesman for the Club was quoted as saying that he Commonly referred to locally as the was confident that the Portrush boats, “Scotch Boats” a number of steamers competing against three Dublin built plied the route between Glasgow, boats, would “worthily uphold their Ardrossan and the Clyde Estuary reputation.” generally and Portrush for nearly eighty years. Perhaps the best known In many of the fishing harbours along ships were those of the Laird Line, in the north Antrim coast the Drontheim particular the SS Hazel which was was also known as the “Skerries Yawl” built especially for the route and with Above: Garavogue, a Dublin Bay-21 after the small group of islands just off a speed of 19 knots could do a round class yacht built by James Kelly. It is the coast of Portrush. trip every day between Ardrossan and believed that James is standing beside Portrush. the rudder.

Portrush has a small but proud boat- building history – in the early part of the last century it was a leading centre for the building of Drontheims which were wooden boats (also known as yawls), the origins of which stretch back to Viking times. For many years they were the standard fishing craft on Robin Ruddock in the Foyle Punt the north coast from County Antrim to “Britta” Donegal. Above: SS Hazel Further tales of Portrush in the early In the early part of the last century 20th Century can be found in Maurice’s SS Hazel could carry 1,250 passengers there were several boat-builders excellent book “Golden Strands”. and with daily crossings she operating in Portrush producing Special thanks to Maurice for this contributed greatly to the prosperity mainly yachts and fishing craft. The contribution.

7 Naval ships Local fishermen did a roaring trade in taking sightseers out around the Hood During the first half of the 20th century and many were able to go aboard in warships of the Royal Navy regularly organised visits: in total, 10,000 people made courtesy calls to Portrush with are reported to have boarded the ship the first recorded visit being in 1907. on guided tours during its five-day Amongst the earliest naval visitors visit. The crew were able to take part was HMS Drake, now a wreck on the in tours to the Giant’s Causeway and seabed off Rathlin Island. She was various tournaments held in Portrush, accompanied by HMS Black Prince as well as dances and shows. A special Above: HMS Rodney at anchor in the and HMS Antrim. clubroom was opened in the Town Hall, West Bay Portrush with free writing paper for the men to send a precious letter to their loved The light cruisers HMS Durban and ones at home. HMS Wessex were among annual visitors during the thirties and HMS Commissioned in 1920 HMS Hood was Nelson made a return visit in 1938, the largest warship in the world and just one year before the outbreak of remained so for the next twenty years. the Second World War. Many ships In May 1941, during the hunt for the of various sizes and nations would German battleship Bismarck Hood was visit Portrush throughout the war torn apart and sunk by a single salvo and on clear days lines of vessels from that ship. But for three survivors could be seen on the horizon as Above: HMS Drake 1,500 British sailors perished in the north Atlantic convoys entered the North Atlantic Ocean including one Western Approaches on the final leg Following the First World War, whole Portrush man, George Shearer, who of their hazardous journeys from North fleets of Destroyers were regularly seen had perhaps seen her or even walked America to the Clyde or the Mersey. at anchor off Portrush. Such visits were her decks in an organised visit in 1925. an occasion for celebration. Portrush Urban District Council would organise sporting events, bus tours and other entertainments for the ships’ crews and laid on dinners and receptions for the officers. Local shops, cafes, hostelries and dance halls benefited from the tidal wave of hundreds of Above: HMS Hood Above: HMS Nelson at anchor in the sailors on shore leave, perhaps with West Bay viewed from Ramore Head several weeks unspent pay in their In 1930 the battleship HMS Rodney pockets. one of the most powerful battleships Post war visits included the battleship in the world at that time, visited HMS Duke of York plus a cruiser, aircraft Portrush. As part of a round of social carrier and destroyer in 1947 during events during this courtesy visit her Navy Week. The following year two Captain, later Admiral of the Fleet, 1st Battle Class destroyers anchored in Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, the West bay. The last of the “big guns” KT, GCB, OM, DSO & Two Bars, Andrew was HMS Vanguard in 1953. During the Browne Cunningham, he was invited to 1960s and early 1970s several Canadian, officially open and name a new street American and British warships, mostly in Portrush – Rodney Street. destroyers and frigates made courtesy calls to Portrush but they became Above: HMS Hood at anchor in the In the Second World War, as less frequent as time passed. In 1977 West Bay Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean the Royal Yacht Britannia brought Her Fleet, Cunningham led British naval Majesty the Queen to the town as part In the summer of 1925 the largest vessel forces to victory in several critical of her Silver Jubilee celebrations. in the Royal Navy, the battlecruiser Mediterranean naval battles. In 1943, HMS Hood, spent a memorable five Cunningham was promoted to First days at Portrush. She proved a huge Sea Lord, the professional head of attraction with people from all over the Royal Navy, a position he held the province coming to see her: until his retirement in 1946. Incidentally, special excursion trains arrived from when HMS Rodney sailed at the close Belfast with sightseers and hundreds of its visit it had acquired a gift from of people gathered daily on Ramore the people of Portrush. It was a black Head to watch the huge vessel. Persian cat named, appropriately, Rodney.

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