The Maine Works in Cullybackey, Co. Antrim was a major employer in the area in the years before the Second World War. Situated in the village on the banks of the River Maine, it specialised in cotton processing and was famous for its crease-resistant resin finishes.
During the Second World War, business changed in the Co. Antrim village. The Maine Works became a munitions factory where workers assembled 6lb shells.
National Museums N.I. Photo: HOYFM.BT.1123. (Part of the Belfast Telegraph Collection). Robert Carleton, the highest production worker at the shell manufacturing plant at Maine Works, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim. Photo taken on 8th February 1944. Copyright National Museums N.I. / Belfast Telegraph.
The Maine Works closed in the early 1960s. The demolition of many of the old buildings and chimneys took place in September 1994. Part of the site remains in use as a Eurospar grocery outlet.
National Museums N.I. Photo: HOYFM.BT.1118. (Part of the Belfast Telegraph Collection). Female workers posing with 6lb shells at the shell manufacturing plant at Maine Works, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim. Photo taken on 8th February 1944. Copyright National Museums N.I. / Belfast Telegraph.
