My hometown of Lisburn has a proud history and character. It was founded in the early 17th century and has thrived over the years as a market town with a world famous linen trade. However, in recent years the town has struggled more than most with the global recession. There have been rises in unemployment and a town once well-respected as a shopping destination has one of the lowest shop occupancy rates in the country. Town centre living has become largely a thing of the past (though there are attempts to reintroduce this, most noticeably on Bridge Street). In addition, drinking at home with cheaper off-licence alcohol has become much more popular and the lure of Belfast ever stronger.

Together and admittedly over decades, factors such as these have had a hugely damaging impact on the pub business in Lisburn. At one point there were 13 pubs on Bow Street/Market Square, 11 on Bridge Street and 7 on Chapel Hill. The oldest independent brewery in Ireland is based in Hilden, in the northeast of Lisburn.

I have lived just outside Lisburn for most of my life, but previously other than the annual visit to Lavery’s or Hague’s on Christmas Eve, I hadn’t really visited any of the pubs until a couple of years ago. Myself, and most of my friends attended Queen’s University in Belfast and like many, our night life revolved around the capital city in haunts like The Limelight and the Duke of York. Recently we all moved back to Lisburn and decided we should give the pubs a go. We visited each of the pubs in turn and found every single pub to be a welcoming place with interesting and friendly characters in each. I began wondering why I hadn’t visited the pubs sooner.



As those of you who follow my Facebook and Twitter pages will know, the photography I am interested in is largely centred on landscapes, but I’ve always had an interest in traditional pub interiors ever since I bought the book “The Irish Pub” by James Fennell and Turtle Bunbury, which captures some of the most interesting and traditional pubs in Ireland. An idea sparked in my head. I could photograph the interior of Lisburn’s pubs!

I started in Lavery’s on Chapel Hill during an evening visit on a quiet Monday evening and liked how the photos turned out. Soon, I was phoning all of the pub landlords and landladies in Lisburn asking if I could come in before pub opening time and catch the pubs in a rare state….when they are completely empty!

Each pub owner I spoke to provided me with more history and I soon realised that old pubs are something many people feel passionately about. It is an important part of our culture and it is something no-one I have ever spoken to wants to lose…yet bit by bit we are losing this part of our heritage.

In this blog I’ll cover each of the present town-centre pubs in turn as well as a closing chapter on the pubs we have already lost.



Disclaimer: I have never claimed to be a historian and my sources are varied (and thanked below) so the information is to the best of my knowledge and there may be some inaccuracies and if so I apologise. I would love this blog to be interactive so please leave stories and comments below.

LAVERY'S BAR