The Journey of a Faithful Raleigh:
- Jim Stevenson
- Jun 27
- 4 min read
How One Bicycle Threads Midtown Makers to Ballymena’s Textile Past.
Written by Jim Stevenson
Stop by Midtown Makers on any given day and you’ll spot a weather‑worn Raleigh Sports bicycle propped proudly in the window or as part of one of the many displays. Far from being a quirky prop, it is a silent storyteller—connecting today’s crafters, shoppers and visitors to nearly a century of local industry, road‑grime and family history.
A Great‑Grandfather, Two Sisters and a Well‑Travelled Bike
The bicycle belonged to Daniel McAfee, great‑grandfather of Midtown Makers artisans Jennifer and Andrea McNeill. After the Second World War Daniel lived in Cullybackey, a village just three miles north of Ballymena. Work, however, pulled him down the road each morning to the bustling Hicking Pentecost Textiles mill, and his newly minted Raleigh Sports was the perfect steed for the journey.
For the McNeill sisters, who have been with Midtown Makers since its doors first opened, that battered frame is both heirloom and inspiration: a daily reminder that craft, dedication and community roots run deep in County Antrim.
Pedalling the Post‑War Road
In the late 1940s a Raleigh Sports was considered cutting‑edge—lightweight, nimble and equipped with balloon‑like pneumatic tyres (a technology first pioneered by Belfast’s own John Boyd Dunlop in 1888). Those tyres mattered: the 3 mile single‑lane road from Cullybackey to Ballymena was newly tarmacked but still rough in spots, its verges hemming in muddy hedgerows and stone walls and with the twice a day, five days a week journey to work, any comfort was needed. On his journey, he would meet mostly bicycles, a scattering of horses‑and‑carts, the odd farm lorry, and only an occasional motor‑car, in the distance the sound of the Steam train working its way to Belfast, blowing smoke and steam into the air as it travels onwards with a mixture of passengers and freight. As, Street lighting outside Ballymena was minimum, Daniel relied on his bike lamp and clear skies of the early morning and the winter evenings, throughout the different seasons of each year. Weekends sometimes brought bigger adventures. In summer Daniel would strike out for Carnlough, 19 miles away on the Antrim Coast Road, reward himself with a seawater dip, then pedal the 19 miles home again before dusk.
Inside the Walls of Hicking Pentecost Textile Factory
Founded around 1946, Hicking Pentecost quickly became a cornerstone of Northern Ireland’s booming post‑war textile trade. Operating sites in Ballymena and Ballymoney, the company specialised in lace stretch materials and vibrant fabric dyeing—feeding fashion houses and furnishing manufacturers as far away as North America.
Over the decades Hicking Pentecost changed hands several times:
British Textile Manufacturing Company Ltd. – original parent, part of a nationwide drive to revive UK textiles after the war.
Coats Viyella – global conglomerate that absorbed many regional mills; a management buy‑out by local staff was attempted but fell short.
Arogan (Ballymena) – in a triumphant twist, local businessman Robert Francey bought the company (and its sister firm, Elastic Olympian) in the 1990s, returning ownership to Northern Irish hands.
Through each shift Daniel witnessed new looms, new dyes, and the gradual mechanisation of an industry that once ran almost entirely on skilled hands and manual labour.
From Workshop to Window Display:
Daniel’s Raleigh, still with its original Brooks seat, endured every season of that transformation—splattering through puddles in winter, shimmering with mid‑summer dust, leaning against the mill wall while he clocked in for the early shift. Four generations have passed since this bicycle first took to the roads, and yet, it remains a symbol of resilience and history. With its original paint still intact and the elegant gold Raleigh lettering gleaming softly under the shop lights, the bicycle tells a story without saying a word. Its frame bears the gentle wear of age — the scuffs and scratches that others might polish away are worn like campaign medals, marks of a life well-lived. Each imperfection is a reminder of the journeys it has taken, the man who it’s served, and the family history it represents.
Now proudly as part of displays in Midtown Makers, this bicycle is more than just a piece of transport history. It’s a quiet testament to heritage, craftsmanship, and the enduring spirit of making — values that echo through the work of every maker in the shop.
For visitors, the bike is:
A slice of local social history – illustrating how rural workers commuted before widespread car ownership.
A textile time‑capsule – linking modern crafts to Ballymena’s once‑mighty fabric mills.
A family emblem – reminding the McNeill sisters (and all of us) that creativity is often sparked by stories passed down around hearths and kitchen tables.
Why the Bicycle Matters Today:
Midtown Makers was founded to give regional artists, designers and makers a place to flourish—much as Hicking Pentecost once gave breadwinning dignity to thousands of mill workers. Daniel McAfee’s bicycle brings that mission full circle:
Craftsmanship: The Raleigh Sports is itself a feat of British engineering, celebrating the value of well‑made things.
Sustainability: Long before “green transport” was a buzz‑phrase, Daniel pedalled instead of petrol‑powered.
Community: His daily route stitched together village and town; Midtown Makers now stitches together creators and customers.
A Living Memorial
Next time you wander into the shop, take a moment with that faded two‑wheeler:
Picture Daniel setting off before dawn, lamp flickering, breath clouding the crisp Co. Antrim air.
Hear the hiss of those Dunlop tyres on tarmac and the rhythmic tick of the Sturmey‑Archer gears.
Imagine the mill’s steam‑powered dye vats, the whirr of lace frames, and the lively chatter at the factory gate when whistles blew.
That bicycle has earned its retirement—yet in its quiet corner of Church Street it keeps working, spinning tales of industry, endurance and family pride. For Midtown Makers, it is more than ornament; it is a tangible thread binding past to present, inviting every passer‑by to pedal back through time and discover the rich fabric of Ballymena’s heritage.
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