Hyndford Street
Hyndford Street is a Protestant working-class street in Bloomfield, Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It lies off the Beersbridge Road.[1]
It is most well known for being the birthplace of musician Van Morrison.[2][3][4] Van lived in 125 Hyndford Street, with his father, George Morrison, and his mother, Violet Morrison. Morrison's good friend, jazz musician George Cassidy also grew up on Hyndford Street, number 49.[5][6] Cassidy taught Van Morrison tenor saxophone and music reading lessons.[7][8] Van described him as a "big inspiration"[9] and went on to say: "At 15, I was taking lessons from a guy called George Cassidy, who lived in the same street. He was a great jazz player. He had the chops."'[10][11] As Van Morrison and George Cassidy both lived on the same street, this made it extremely accessible for Morrison to continue to learn, they continued to bond, and became great friends.
Area and events
[edit]Houses on Hyndford Street are terrace housing. Nearby areas include the Comber Greenway (formerly a railway line between Comber and the city of Belfast) and Cyprus Avenue.
125 Hyndford Street displays a brass plaque, marking the family home in which Van Morrison grew up in.[12]
The previous occupant of 125 Hyndford Street before Van Morrison's family was Lee Child's father.[13]
In 1957, Van Morrison joined a skiffle group known as "The Sputniks". They would practice in an alley behind Van's home.[14]
In August 2023, a pipe bomb exploded next to a household bin on the street. Hyndford Street residents were evacuated from their homes following a discovery from police officers described as a "crude pipe bomb-type device". No major damage or injuries were reported.[15]
In May 2024, an event known as the " Hyndford Street - aWhisper Project" took place, in a Hyndford Street alley. Musicians played together to mark the beginning of Bealtaine, and a tribute to Van Morrison in the same setting as when he met The Sputniks.[16]
In August 2024, a Wild Service Exhibition took place at Hyndford Street Alley, by artist Emily Mcilwaine.[17]
Media
[edit]Van Morrison released a song named after his childhood street, with his 1991 studio album release "Hymns to the Silence" included the song "On Hyndford Street". Van portrays his life on Hyndford Street as an idyllic period free from real life matters, confusion and sorrow.[18]
Van describes the pylons, meaning the area of Hyndford Street in which he used as a reference point to meet his friends. This is featured in "You Know What They're Writing About" (on studio album Into the Music).[19]
Other songs featuring Hyndford Street include "See Me Through Part II (Just A Closer Walk With Thee)" (on Hymns To the Silence).[20]
Hyndford Street is a part of the "Van Morrison trial" which is a route that tourists and fans take to visit locations that Van Morrison experienced during his early life.[21] Celebrities have also visited Hyndford Street, including former Dr Who actor Christopher Eccleston visited Morrison's home.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ StreetCheck. "Interesting Information for Hyndford Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT5 5EN Postcode". StreetCheck. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Hyndford Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim". WartimeNI. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Blake (2021-09-02). "On Hyndford Street - The Van Morrison Belfast Walking Trail". blakespace. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Van Morrison's Belfast: From Cyprus Avenue to Hyndford Street". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Van Morrison Discover Brighton". 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Van Morrison in lockdown: 'I am trying to get back into writing songs'". The Independent. 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison: No Surrender. United Kingdom: Vintage. p. 32. ISBN 9780099431831.
- ^ Chance, David. "Van Morrison with The Monarchs / Them Chronology 1947/8-1969". www.oocities.org. Extracted from van-the-man.info. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Van Morrison Quote: "When I started studying tenor saxophone as a kid in Belfast, I did so with a guy named George Cassidy"". quotefancy.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Van Morrison on his musical memories and what he sings when he's washing his hands". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2020-04-01. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Van in Lockdown". Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Plaques, Open. "Van Morrison brass plaque". openplaques.org. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ https://www.tripfiction.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-heather-martin-lee-childs-authorised-biographer/
- ^ "Van Morrison on going back to his skiffle roots, writing for Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and how David Bowie nearly went Into the Mystic..." The Irish News. February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Pipe bomb that exploded in east Belfast alleyway 'could have killed'". August 2, 2023 – via m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Hyndford Street – a Whisper Project – 9ft in Common".
- ^ "Wild Service Exhibition at Hyndford Street Alley – August Craft Month". augustcraftmonth.org.
- ^ "Glossary: Hyndford Street". ivan.vanomatic.de. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Barton, Laura (2019-10-31). "A duel with Van Morrison: 'Is this a psychiatric examination? It sounds like one'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Van Morrison – See Me Through, Pt. II (Just a Closer Walk with Thee), retrieved 2024-11-15
- ^ "The Van Morrison Trail | Van Morrison | Official Website". Van Morrison. November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Time out for former Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston as he pays a visit to Van Morrison's home". August 31, 2020 – via m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.