Watch Your Step

This is the view out of the door that leads through the shade house to our garage.  It's the main door that we use to come and go from the house.But the other day when I went to go out I got quite a surprise as I went to step out the door.  This 1.2 m Red Belly Black Snake was having a nice little sun bake right in front of the door on the door mat. He/She did not stick around and headed off into the garden.However when hubby...

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Antrim Lieutenancy

County of AntrimLORD-LIEUTENANT            CHRISTIE, Mrs Joan, OBEVICE LORD-LIEUTENANT  READE, Mr Richard George, DLDEPUTY LIEUTENANTS                                      RATHCAVAN, The Rt Hon the Lord, DLCUNNINGHAM,...

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Viscount Dungannon (2nd Creation)

This is a branch of the noble house of Downshire.ARTHUR HILL was grandson of William Hill Esq, by Mary, eldest daughter of Sir Marcus Trevor, created Viscount Dungannon in 1662.Having succeeded to the estates of his maternal great-grandfather, Sir John Trevor, of Brynakilt, Speaker of the House of Commons in England, and first lord commissioner of the Great Seal, Mr Hill assumed the name and arms of TREVOR.This Arthur Hill-Trevor was raised to the...

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Coffee Morning

I motored the six or seven miles to Holywood, County Down, this morning for coffee and a chin-wag with my aunt and Pat.I managed to get a private parking space close to the café, the Coffee Yard.It was rather busy this morning. The topics of discussion included a luncheon my aunt gave for friends yesterday; Pat's imminent trip to Bristol; my week and a tiresome character at the National Trust volunteers, who persistently airs his left-wing, nationalist views on the aristocracy ~ viz. the Londonderrys ~ and everything contrary to the Conservative...

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Grey Abbey House

The Montgomery family has been of great antiquity and historical importance in Ulster and the Ards Peninsula. I have written an article about the house of MONTGOMERY.William Montgomery is one of the foremost brokers of country estate management, sales, fine arts and property consultancy in Northern Ireland and, indeed, further afield; and he also represents Sotheby's interests in the Province from Grey Abbey House.Flora Montgomery, his daughter,...

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Blackberry Sponge

County Down blackberry sponge pudding, made this afternoon at Belmont GHQ. The flavour is sublime.The blackberries were picked in September at Portavo reservoir, near Donaghad...

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NY Daily News Reports Classic Car Market At All-Time High

by Andrea L. AlgarMotorheads PerformanceWe're asked constantly about the values of classic cars, and whether the current trend in popularity will be on-going or whether we're in for a bubble-burst. As much as I'd love to provide a definitive answer, there is really no way to accurately predict. The previous gas war we were in in the 1970's proved fatal to a thriving muscle car era.Even following the downturn following the 1970's highs, there...

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3rd Viscount Palmerston

One of the topics chosen on the BBC's Mastermind programme this evening is the life and career of the Right Honourable Henry John [Temple], 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC.I have written about the Temple family and their association with Classiebawn Castle. The TEMPLES, and the ducal house of Buckingham & Chandos, maternally descended, are said to have been of Saxon origin, and to have sprung immediately from the son and heir of Ælfgar,...

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Castle Durrow

THE VISCOUNTS ASHBROOK WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTIES KILKENNY AND OFFALY, WITH 16,768 ACRESSIR WILLIAM FLOWER, knight, was a military man in service under Michael Jones, governor of Dublin, during the Irish rebellion in 1641, and was subsequently one of the Privy Council of CHARLES II.Sir William was born at Whitwell, Rutland, in 1600. During the Irish rebellion, he was seized, in 1648, with other officers, on suspicion of affection to the Marquess...

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Theft Alert: 1932 Ford Coupe Stolen While Florida Man On Vacation

by Andrea L. AlgarMotorheads PerformanceNews broke today of a DeLeon Springs, Florida man who returned home from vacation to find that his 1932 Ford Coupe had been stolen from his garage. As our regular readers are aware, we've been running a weekly series, Keep Our Rides Safe, on classic car and muscle car theft prevention and protection. We had just written about the need to take active steps to protect your rides even in your own garage, and this...

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Phoenix Lodge

CHARLEY OF SEYMOUR HILLThe family of Charley, or Chorley, passing over from the north of England, settled in Ulster in the I7th century, at first at Belfast, where they were owners of house property for two hundred years; and afterwards at Finaghy, County Antrim, where  RALPH CHARLEY (1664-1746), of Finaghy House, was seated. His son,  JOHN CHARLEY (1712-93), of Finaghy, died aged 81, leaving a son and successor,JOHN CHARLEY (1744-1812),...

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1st Earl of Strafford

THE EARLS OF STRAFFORD WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, WITH 7,647 ACRESTHE HON ROBERT BYNG (1703-40), 3rd son of 1st Viscount Torrington, MP for Plymouth, one of the commissioners of the Navy and afterwards governor of Barbados, married and had issue,GEORGE BYNG, MP for Middlesex, of Wrotham Park, who married, in 1761, Anne, daughter of the Rt Hon William Conolly, of Castletown, in Ireland, by Lady Anne, his wife, eldest daughter of...

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On-The-Road Theft Protection - How to Keep Your Classic Car or Muscle Car Safe While Traveling

by Andrea L. AlgarMotorheads PerformanceLast week, we looked at security when we're at home. It's our sanctuary and a place we keep our most cherished items (classic car, muscle car, antique, street rod, vintage truck, or our project car of course). Even though more than one third of all car thefts occur from a home or residence, we're very vulnerable when we travel, especially when far from home on a road trip. But, bad things can happen...

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Gibb's Island Day

I have been on the go all day. This is the first opportunity I've had to update the blog.I arrived at Gibb's Island at about nine-thirty this morning, despite a major diversion between Killyleagh and Delamont, County Down.There were eight of us today, the task being to cut down a large patch of gorse. Two bonfires were lit.For lunch I had home-made egg salad sandwiches, which were delicious: hard-boiled egg; cream cheese, onion; mustard; a little sugar; seasoning; and fresh wholemeal bread.There were plenty of logs, so we all had a share of the...

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Culloden House

ROBINSON OF CULLODEN HOUSE William Auchinleck Robinson JP (ca 1830-84), originally from Scotland, married, in 1847, at St Anne's Shankill, Belfast, Elizabeth Jane (1819-89), daughter of Patrick Culloden (1768-1843), of Stranmillis, Belfast.Mr Robinson was a stockbroker, and initially settled on the Antrim Road, Belfast. He conducted his business at 67 High Street. This gentleman's commercial prowess and acumen was such, that he purchased land at...

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A Home Made Christmas

Each Wednesday from now until Christmas I will be blogging about a gift idea that can be made at home and I would love it if you would join in each week with your own contribution to "A Home Made Christmas".I am sure that there are great projects to make, goodies to make, bake and bottle and ideas that you all have to share. I look forward to reading all about the things you make and being inspired by your ideas.If you are worried about ruining the...

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Warren House

CHARLEY OF SEYMOUR HILLThe family of Charley, or Chorley, passing over from the north of England, settled in Ulster in the I7th century, at first at Belfast, where they were owners of house property for two hundred years; and afterwards at Finaghy, County Antrim, where  RALPH CHARLEY (1664-1746), of Finaghy House, was seated. His son,  JOHN CHARLEY (1712-93), of Finaghy, died aged 81, leaving a son and successor,JOHN CHARLEY (1744-1812),...

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