The village of Aghalee, like so many others, has seen unimaginable changes during the past century. New houses have transformed the village and the surrounding area and businesses have developed to cater for the needs of the occupants.
In 1939, a number of houses were built along the Soldierstown Road. Among the first to move in were Mr & Mrs Carson Dickson, with their baby daughter, Enid. Other early residents along the row included Mr Fred & Mrs Lily McCorry, Mr Cosslet & Mrs Meta Banks and Mr Bob & Mrs Eleanor Ruddock, with daughter Ellen.
Coronation Gardens followed in 1953. Some of the early residents included Mr & Mrs Thomas & Elizabeth Hendron and some of their family still live in the Gardens: sons Jim, Don and Ivan and daughter, Beatrice Brown. Also there in the 1950’s were Tommy and Maureen Hendron. Rev Roy Jackson was curate at Soldierstown Parish and his wife, Mrs Pearl Jackson, taught in Aghagallon Victoria Primary School. While living in Aghalee, their son, Michael was born. He followed his father into church ministry and since 2011 has held the role of Archbishop of Dublin.
RUC Constables were usually housed in Coronation Gardens, from 1953. Isaac Gurding and Ronnie Macauley were among the early occupants of these houses.
Later, houses were provided in The Plane (the area enclosed by the Lurgan, Ballycairn and Brankinstown Roads), where the Macauley family lived, as well as the Wiltons and Donnells. When the new RUC station was built (approximately 1968) there was living accommodation provided within it. Sergeant Mills and his young family lived there for several years. This now former RUC station is currently divided into flats.
The first housing development built in the 1970s was The Willows. The Parade Field (as it was known) was bought by Isaac Lyons Holdings from Mr Stanley Reid and the first family to move in were the Maxwells – Herbie and Enid, with their toddler son, Steven, in 1975. Helen’s Park and Helen’s Drive were named after the builder’s daughter-in-law, who sadly died. Later Broadwater Park and Willow Walk were named by pupils at the local primary school, Aghagallon Victoria. Some of the original families who moved into The Willows (and are currently still there) include Mr & Mrs Ernie Taylor, Mr & Mrs Billy Alister, Mr David Twigg, Mr & Mrs Walter Robertson and members of the Redpath family.
Some years later, land on the Ballycairn Road was purchased from Mr Alvin Reid by J H Price and Sons, which resulted in the building of Beechfield Lodge then Beechfield Manor. Houses there became occupied from around 1995.
A small development of four houses, Grovelea, was built by Mr David McFarland on the Soldierstown Road and the first residents moved in during 1993. This field had previously been owned by Mr Jack Mayes and was known locally as the Quay Field.
In the early years of the 21st century a further development was built on the Soldierstown Road. Hollybrook was built partly on the site where Mr John Green and his family had previously lived. In earlier years, the Northern Bank served the local public once a week, from premises attached to the Green residence.
Other developments in the village over recent years include: Meadow View, Lockvale Manor, Ballycairn Court, Broadwater Mews, Broadwater Cottages, Lockkeeper’s Lodge and, more recently, Willow Mews.
As the number of people living in and around the village grew, so facilities in the area increased.
In May 1982 Mr John Mairs (together with his wife, Mrs Alice Mairs) opened a Spar supermarket at Lurgan Road. The site had previously been owned by Mr Sammy Greer, who operated petrol pumps there. The shop has proved to be a hub of local activity, providing groceries, Post Office facilities and a place to meet our neighbours and pass the time of day. Early in the 21st century, John’s daughter and son-in-law, Elaine and Alan Collingwood, took over the running of the shop for a number of years. During this time Aghalee Mace (as it became) won numerous awards for its great customer service.
In March 2020 the shop was taken over by Mr David Cinnamond under the Centra brand. It continues to be a focal point for many in the village.
Close to the supermarket, several new businesses opened including Aghalee Pharmacy by Mrs Zita Graham (formerly McHenry), China Kitchen and Lagan Locks.
Graham’s Chippy (also of Moira) opened in the village in 2016, although there had been a chippy on the same site before.
Aghalee Building Supplies is situated on the Ballinderry Road. This was previously a grocery shop owned by Mr John Green, whose family lived in the house next door. John’s father, Mr Jack Green, had owned the shop for many years before. Later, Mr Ronnie Moore ran a hardware business here for a number of years.
We are blessed to have an excellent health centre in the village. Aghalee Surgery moved to the present purpose-built site on the Lurgan Road in 1986. It was previously situated opposite in a building (now a private residence) that had formerly been the RUC station. The current doctors are: Dr Sean McDermott, Dr Sarah Byrne and Dr Neil Anderson, ably supported by a team of nursing, healthcare and office staff. Previous doctors include: Dr John Best, Dr Alan Bell, Dr June Wilson, Dr Henry O’Friel.
In 1988 Mr & Mrs Jim and Frances Wilson purchased a dwelling in the centre of the village then known as The Villa. They adapted this house and built a residential home in the grounds providing a home for adults with severe learning disabilities. The home opened in 1990 and became The Beeches Nursing Home; it is now a source of employment for many local people. The Beeches Resource Centre gives local adults with a learning disability the opportunity to take part in daytime activities.
In 1999 The Beeches Day Nursery opened on another part of the site, providing day care facilities for children of the area.
For many years the Aghalee Bar had stood at the ‘corner’ of Soldierstown Road and Ballinderry Road. This had been renamed Lockkeeper’s Inn during the 1990’s but in 2001 the building was demolished to make way for further new housing. Prior to the building commencing, this area became known as Baghdad Corner for a few years!
Nearby, Aghalee Free Presbyterian Church opened on 27 February 1999. Rev Cairin Salt is currently their full-time minister.
Aghalee Village Hall was originally opened in 1934. In the early 2000s an extension was built and named the Paul Green Room, after a local man. In 2005 the Village Hall was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Today members of the committee work very hard, obtaining grants and holding fundraising events, to enable residents in the area to take part in a large variety of sporting, creative and educational opportunities.
In the late 20th century, Lisburn Council provided a playing field and children’s playground on the Lurgan Road. Under the 2019 Village Improvement Scheme – Phase 1, facilities at the playing field and playpark (including the addition of an outdoor gym) were enhanced providing a popular area for families to relax and for sports teams to use.
Phase 2 of this Scheme, completed in 2022, included drainage work, resurfacing of the Village Hall car park and hedging planted in the grounds.
