Bainesmore Drive
Location: Off Springfield Road, West Belfast, Woodvale Ward
Date Named: 17 December 1935
Council Minute: "Resolved - That the undernoted names for new streets be app roved - ...Bainesmore Drive for a new street off Springfield Road, on the property of Mr. J. McKibbin....".
Overview:
Bainesmore Drive is a small residential cul-de-sac off Springfield Road in the Woodvale area of West Belfast. Officially named in December 1935 by Belfast City Council, it was created on land owned by Mr. J. McKibben and developed as part of mid-20th-century housing expansion. The street retains its original character and remains part of a cluster of similarly dated roads in the area.
Historical Context and Naming:
The name Bainesmore Drive was formally adopted on 17 December 1935, as recorded in Belfast Corporation minutes. The resolution approved the name for a new street laid out on the Springfield Road estate of Mr. J. McKibben. This naming followed a longstanding local tradition where landowners or developers proposed names when opening new roads for residential housing.
The McKibben (or McKibbin) family had ties to the Springfield area spanning multiple generations. In 1898, a Mr. James McKibben of Cupar Street successfully proposed the name "ForthRiver Gardens" for nearby housing he was developing. Earlier still, in the 1830s, a James McKibbin was active in Belfast’s wine and spirits trade, advertising whiskey and holding property in the area. These details suggest the J. McKibben named in 1935 was likely a descendant in a family with ongoing property and business involvement in West Belfast.
The origin of the name "Bainesmore" is uncertain. It may be a variation of Barnesmore (Donegal), a scenic mountain gap whose name means "big gap" (Bearnas Mór) in Irish. Alternatively, it may have been coined for its pleasant or romantic sound, in line with a broader 1930s trend of inventing euphonic or picturesque street names.
Neighbouring Streets:
Bainesmore Drive lies within a grid of mid-century residential streets including Dunmoyle Street, March Street, Belair Street, and Forthriver Drive. The latter was also developed by James McKibben and named in 1898. These streets form part of the residential expansion off Springfield Road in what is now the Woodvale ward. The naming pattern in this area includes both Irish- and Scottish-derived place names, as well as invented or exotic terms reflecting the diversity of influences in Belfast’s toponymy.
Sources:
Belfast Corporation Minutes, 17 Dec 1935
StreetCheck UK – BT13 3FF Census Data
Discover Ulster-Scots – Forthriver Gardens entry
BayBottles.com – Historical Liquor Advertisements (James McKibbin, 1831)
Wikipedia – Springfield Road (Belfast)