630 Antrim Rd, Newtownabbey BT36 4RH
[Photo: The Chimney Corner Inn, Newtownabbey.]
This inn takes its name from a book ‘My Lady of the Chimney Corner’ by Alexander Irvine D.D. (1863-1941), a touching and classic story of Irish peasent life in Antrim in the 19th century, the author records. “In the face of direst poverty, when food was poor and scanty and our clothes in rags, my mother, in every respect but the material one, was a lady and that is why I wrote her spiritual biography and called it, with a touch of irony ‘My Lady of the Chimney Corner’”. The book was first published in New York in 1913, where Dr. Irvine first served as a missionary in the tough Bowery area and later was elected Pastor of the Church of Ascension on 5th Avenue. He was a personal friend of the Greats of his time – Presidents, Kings, World personalities but he never forgot those barefoot urchin days in Antrim town, nor his dear old mother, the poor peasant woman he immortalised.
The original Chimney Corner building of 1820 is still standing. It was then the home of the Johnston family followed by the McMillan’s who inherited it. For many years this was the main road to Antrim and this old inn was considered to be the halfway point so for a while it was called ‘The Halfway House’. In its day it provided refreshment for both man and beast. It has changed dramatically since the first time I visited it over 25 years ago when Sherlock and Magill were the joint owners. The latter Davy Magill, a friend of long standing is now the Managing Director of Croft’s Hotel, the present owners. The huge complex now consists of 3 Suites (Kells, Antrim and Rafters), Public Bar, Restaurant and Motel Accommodation and even boasts a tiny gym, sauna and solarium.
There is a separate entrance to the old Public Bar and I was delighted they had still retained the traditional half door leading into a welcoming old Bar with its oak beamed ceiling, cartwheel lights, stone floor and large open fire. Around the walls are old prints, a portion of a saddle bag that was worn at the Battle of Waterloo and a framed Publican’s licence dating back to 1871. The Tudor theme is continued into the restaurant and I liked the nice touch of separating the small bar area with a row of 9 old guns standing upright. Plush red upholstery throughout (even a small cushion on the chairs in the Public Bar) ensures a comfortable seat unlike many of our old Inns where you have to put up with hard seats.
Its nice to see this old Inn still preserves traditional values with an air of quiet old fashioned charm.