100 YEARS OF JOHN SHILLIDAY COMPANY PROFILE
100 YEARS
L-R: Keith Busby, Ruth Mitchel, Maurice Mooney, Pamela Shilliday, John Shilliday, Mark Russell and Aaron Shilliday.
ESTABLISHED IN 1926 AS AN IRONMONGER, TIMBER MERCHANT AND HARDWARE STORE, THE CASTLEWELLAN BUILDERS’ MERCHANT REMAINS A THRIVING BUSINESS 100 YEARS LATER… John Shilliday celebrates a century of trading
The story of independent builders’ merchant John Shilliday Ltd, which is marking a milestone 100 years of trading in 2026, is one of perseverance. It starts out 10 years before the store opened, during the second week of April 1916, when an apprentice wasn’t prepared to let a cold snap derail his first day on the job. Instead, a young John Shilliday carried his bicycle through snow drifts from Hilltown to the Co-op in Castlewellan. Having served his time and gained a decade of experience, John would go on to open his own business in 1926 at the premises in Castlewellan where John Shilliday
Ltd remains located to this day. The shop sold general hardware and household goods, with a yard rented behind the shop to keep a horse and cart for deliveries. By the 1930s, the thriving business was manufacturing hen houses and had invested in its first lorry. During World War II, with two lorries now at its disposal, the business hired them out to the War Office for use on the airfields at Bishops Court, Cranfield and the Maze. After the war, with timber readily available again, the business went back into production of hen houses while expanding its services to include the manufacture and
erection of farm sheds and stock such as threshing mills, washing mangles and gates. Most farms in the South Down area were supplied by John Shilliday Ltd, with its signs still to be found on sheds around the area. In one year alone, 72 sheds were completed by the business.
“During World War II, with two lorries now at its disposal, the business hired them out to the War Office for use on the airfields at Bishops Court, Cranfield and the Maze.”
75-77 Main Street, Castlewellan, Co Down BT31 9DQ T: +44 (0)28 4377 8220 - E: john@johnshillidays.com - www.johnshillidays.com Want to know more?
www.nibuilder.co.uk
FOLLOW US ON:
NI BUILDER | 23
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online