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the dark facade of the linen mills
© 大象传媒 2004
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Millies and Doffers |
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Bedford Street, in Belfast, a few hundred yards from where this article is being written, was the centre of the Linen trade in the late 1800’s. Today, the architecture on both sides of the street, bears witness to the days of Linenopolis.
What remains of the Ewarts building ,the Ulster Hall and the Linenhall library point to an opulent time for the linen merchants of Belfast, when most of the buying and selling of linen happened here. Many of the mills sited in the countryside also had offices and warehouses in Belfast.
By 1912, the population of Belfast was nearly 400,000 compared with 174,000 in 1871. The city had a thriving industrial economy, with flourishing textile and shipbuilding trades. Electric trams had been introduced and the motor car had made its first appearance. Belfast city centre was no longer residential; the Georgian townhouses in Donegall Place became shops and business premises for accountants, solicitors and city merchants.
The influx of rural people into the city brought a high demand for housing. There were no tenement houses in Belfast but even though most houses were only occupied by one family, the small houses were often overcrowded with large families. Houses that had been built before 1878 were not improved, and remained occupied by families until 1914.
The hardships at work and the difficult social conditions did not stop the millies and doffers from enjoying their time in the mills. With simple but mischievous ways they made sure the long hours were as bearable as possible – matchbox aerobics and drinking vinegar in the ‘wee house’, in a vain attempt to loose weight!
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