They may have been small, cramped and lacking in basic amenities, but the labourers’ houses of Tea Lane were prized, precious homes to the hard-working local families of the time.

Built around the 1820s, primarily for workers in the nearby textile mills and brickworks, Tea Lane (pronounced Tay Lane) ran from Sandy Row to Linfield Road. By 1852 it is recorded that the street had 66 houses, rising to 70 by 1858. 

Records show that many of the tenants had occupations linked to local industries, including ‘flaxdresser’, ‘tenter’, ‘cardingmaster’, as well as porter, grocer, ‘sawyer’ (carpenter), blacksmith and shoemaker.

The whitewashed houses were small and low-ceilinged, comprising a single main downstairs room that served both as living room and kitchen, with all meals cooked over an open fire. 

There was also a small scullery which provided access to the back yard and toilet. The upstairs usually consisted of two bedrooms, with the second accessed through the first. 

All household rubbish (including waste from the outside dry toilet) was carried through the house for disposal. Adding to this questionable level of hygiene was the lack of running water, which was not installing in the houses until 1880. Then between 1905 and 1912, Belfast Corporation provided free gas fittings.

Tea Lane itself was renamed Rowland Street in 1884. In 1976 some of the houses were dismantled and rebuilt at the Ulster Folk Museum at Cultra, where they can now be visited and experienced as living history.

Cé go raibh siad beag cúng agus gann ó thaobh saoráidí bunúsacha de, ba bhailte tábhachtacha luachmhara iad tithe na n-oibrithe ar Lána an Tae do theaghlaigh áitiúla díograiseacha na linne.

Tógadh iad thart fá na 1820í do na hoibrithe sna muilte teicstíle agus sna monarchana brící go príomha, chuaigh Lána an Tae (“Tay Lane” mar a dúradh sa Bhéarla) ó Rae na Gainmhe go Bóthar Linfield. Taifeadtar go raibh 66 teach ar an tsráid fá 1852, agus gur ardaigh sin go 70 fá 1858. 

Léirítear sna taifid go raibh poist ag cuid mhaithe de na tionóntaí sna tionscail áitiúla - mar shampla, leasaitheoir lín, feighlí crainn triomaithe, feighlí cardála, póirtéir, grósaeir, sábhadóir (cearpantóir), gabha agus gréasaí.

Bhí na tithe aoldaite beag agus bhí na síleálacha íseal iontu. Bhí príomhsheomra amháin thíos staighre a bhí mar sheomra suí agus mar chistin, agus rinneadh achan bhéile a chócaráil os cionn tine oscailte. 

Bhí cúlchistin beag iontu fosta le rochtain ar an chlós cúil agus ar an leithreas. Bhí dhá sheomra leapa thuas staighre de ghnáth, chuathas fríd an chéad cheann le dul isteach sa dara ceann. 

Iompraíodh an bruscar tí ar fad (dramhaíl ón leithreas tirim taobh amuigh san áireamh) fríd an teach le fáil réitithe de. Chomh maith leis an leibhéal amhrasach seo ó thaobh sláinteachais de, bhí easpa uisce reatha, rud nár cuireadh isteach sna tithe go dtí 1880. Chuir Bardas Bhéal Feirste feistithe gáis saor in aisce ar fáil idir 1905 agus 1912. 

Ansin athainmníodh Lána an Tae go Sráid Rowland in 1884. Sa bhliain 1976, baineadh cuid de na tithe anuas agus tógadh arís iad ag Músaem Daonchultúir Uladh i gCúl Trá, agus is féidir cuairt a thabhairt orthu anois agus iad a fheiceáil mar stair bheo.