Marks of Time
Historic Buildings as  illustrations of the past.
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Derry to Strabane
    • Derry to Limavady
    • Kilkenny to Derry
    • Dublin Visit
    • Inishowen Tour
    • Co Down Visit
    • Carrickfergus Tour
    • Stirling
    • Belfast to Derry
  • About
    • Links
    • Further Reading
  • Contact
  • Map Viewer
  • Counties

March 30th, 2017

30/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
24. Georgian Church- Upper Badoney Parish  Church.
Badoney Church of  Ireland in the Glenelly Valley is typical of new Anglican churches funded by the  church’s ‘Board of First Fruits’. Known as the ‘tower and hall type’, they  followed the Georgian norms of simplicity and proportion and, as with this  one, tend to be located on or near to the site of the preceding medieval  building. Churches such as these invariably had a small extension at the end  to house a chancel added later. A medieval feature, these became popular again  in the Church of Ireland in the Nineteenth Century. The chancel to this  building was added in the 1860’s.

0 Comments

466.

29/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
23.  Georgian houses- Bowling Green, Strabane
The houses lining  the Bowling Green are also Georgian in style and date from near the end of  the period – the 1830’s.  They also  have carefully proportioned sash windows with small panes with decorated  doors. They are similar to buildings constructed right across Ireland and  Britain at that time.

0 Comments

465

27/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
22.   Georgian Shop- Gray’s Printer’s.
Strabane was  thriving during the Eighteenth century and Gray’s printers is a very good  example of the sort of elegant shops that could be found in the town. Also in  the Georgian style it has a bow fronted window of high quality and a date of  1760 inscribed over the door. It has been preserved because of its link to  John Dunlap, printer of the American Declaration of Independence who reputedly  served his time in the shop, one of 10 printers in the town, before  emigrating to America. It is now in the ownership of the National Trust and houses a good tea shop on the ground floor.

0 Comments

March 26th, 2017

26/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
21. Georgian Courthouse – Lifford  Courthouse.
Also of the style,  but a little more assertive, is Lifford Courthouse. Designed by the architect  Michael Priestly and completed in 1754 (he also designed Port Hall House near  Lifford and Prehen House near Derry), this public building makes much of its  oversized windows. Their alternating stepped surround is of a form  popularised during the period by the London architect James Gibbs and  reflects a developing professional class of architects and designers.  At the same time Priestly was drawing up  plans for the Earl of Abercorn to reorganise Strabane and build 300 houses.
0 Comments

464.

21/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
20.   Georgian house - Holyhill House
Holyhill House is a  large house in the Georgian Style (this relates to the four Kings of the name  who ruled from the death of Queen Anne in 1714 until 1830) located near  Leckpatrick. The building is symmetrical and deliberately designed to command  its surroundings. Influenced by classical ideals of beauty and proportion,  great care has been taken in regard to the size and layout of windows and  decoration is confined to the entrance door. The house was built on land  granted to the Earl of Abercorn in the Plantation. It was sold to Rev George  Sinclair in 1668.  However this building  was expanded and significantly altered in the prosperous 1760’s to the  elegant building of today.

0 Comments

March 16th, 2017

16/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

19. Rural Houses – The Wilson House.
The Wilson House in  the outskirts of  Strabane, is a good  example of a typical rural house of this area.  Any differences in  custom between the houses of locals and  settlers had been amalgamated by the Eighteenth Century in a use of common  materials and a reaction to a common climate. Known as the ‘direct entry’  type, its entrance opens onto a living space with a fire on the furthest  cross wall.  A thatch roof covers lime  washed stone walls. The raised portion with slate roof dates from the  nineteenth century. This building has been preserved because it is reputedly  the ancestral home of President Woodrow Wilson. His ancestors left this area  in 1807 and emigrated to America. Other houses in the area had corrugated metal put over their roofs in the early twentieth century to ease maintenance. This example is near Plumbridge.
0 Comments

March 15th, 2017

15/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

18. Rural Industry
During the Seventeenth Century  the dominant economy of the Strabane area was agricultural with two fairs per week  being held in the town and merchants exporting via the port of Derry. In the  early Eighteenth Century this was supplemented by the Linen Industry.  Taking advantage of climate, ready power  supply for watermills and demand, the industry thrived. By 1824 the area’s  linen business, focused on Strabane, was ranked as the third most important  in all Ireland. Most of the rivers in the area have remnants of mills. Siverbrook Mills c.1830 near Donemanagh gives a good impression of the type. Miller’s Mill in Artigarvan had one of the largest water wheels on the island.



0 Comments

March 12th, 2017

12/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
17. Timeless churches – Leckpatrick Church  of Ireland

St Patrick’s Church  at Leckpatrick was completed in 1815 but it has the simple form of the rural  Presbyterian and Catholic Churches of the previous century and highlights common  influences across the community. Such buildings enclosed a simple meeting  space with an altar or pulpit at the centre of long side wall.  This building is a common development of  the type with a T shaped plan focused on the central space.  A double decker pulpit reputedly graces its  interior. It replaced the medieval church nearby (another church founded by  Patrick) and reflects a society settling into an established order.
0 Comments

March 12th, 2017

12/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

16. Seventeenth Century Bridges – Clady  Bridge
The Strabane area is  particularly rich in bridges which may have been constructed in the  Seventeenth Century. There are two at Newtonstewart, one at Ardstraw and a  very fine example at Clady. This is marked by the very large pedestrian  refuges to either side and is located at the highest fordable point of  the Foyle river system. It was the location of a skirmish during the Siege of  Derry in 1689. Some sources indicate that the last arch on the newly  constructed bridge was demolished on Tyrone side to slow down King James’  forces. The ford was also the location of a battle between the O'Neill’s  (Cenel Owen) and the O'Donnell’s (Cenel Conaill) in 784.

0 Comments

March 07th, 2017

7/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
15. Strabane’s oldest churchyard- Patrick Street Graveyard.
The ‘principal undertaker’ in the Strabane area in the Ulster Plantation was James Hamilton, 1st Earl Abercorn. A privy councillor in the Scottish court he was encouraged by the King to take part in the plantation of this area.  He was instrumental in Strabane receiving a Royal Charter in 1613 and had built a ‘strong and fair’ castle there (in Castle Street) by 1618 but the town was not fortified. The town corporation had 13 members.  The Earl also began construction of a church but this was not completed until later in the century. This building was cruciform in plan and demolished in the 1870’s. Its surviving entrance gates are very Georgian in character and probably date from the Eighteenth Century.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Marks of Time

    Sketches of buildings in the North West of Ireland and further afield with a little information about their history.

    Search the Categories below for specific places .

    Go to the archives to follow the exploration from 2015

    Go to the  drop down to follow some of the routes explored.

    Categories

    All
    Co Antrim
    Co Armagh
    Co Carlow
    Co Cavan
    Co Clare
    Co Cork
    Co Derry / Co Londonderry
    Co Donegal
    Co Down
    Co Dublin
    Co Fermanagh
    Co Galway
    Co Kilkenny
    Co Limerick
    Co Longford
    Co Louth
    Co Mayo
    Co Meath
    Co Monaghan
    Co Offaly
    Co Roscommon
    Co Tipperary
    Co Tyrone
    Co Waterford
    Co Westmeath
    Co Wexford
    Co Wicklow
    Derry~Londonderry
    England - Bristol
    England - Carlisle
    England - Chester
    England - Liverpool
    England - London
    England - Nottingham
    England - Swindon
    England - Wirral
    France - Brittany
    France - Dordogne
    France - Picardy
    I Belgium - Louven
    I Belgium - Ypres
    I Netherlands - Amsterdam
    I Scotland - Argyllshire
    I Scotland - Drumfries
    I Scotland - Dunblane
    I Scotland - Glasgow
    I Scotland - Perthshire
    I Scotland - Stirling
    I Scotland - Stranraer
    I Scotland - Trossachs
    I Ukraine
    I US - New York
    I Us - San Francisco
    I Us - San Francisco
    I US - Seattle
    I Wales - Caernarvonshire
    I Wales Denbighshire
    I Wales Flintshire
    Local - Ardstraw
    Local - Armagh City
    Local - Ballycastle
    Local - Ballykelly
    Local - Baronscourt
    Local - Belfast
    Local - Buncrana
    Local - Burt
    Local - Carndonagh
    Local - Carrickfergus
    Local - Castlebar
    Local - Clady
    Local - Clonmacnoise
    Local Clonmany
    Local - Clonmany
    Local - Coleraine
    Local - Culdaff
    Local - Donegal Town
    Local - Donemana
    Local - Drumsurn
    Local - Dublin
    Local Dungiven
    Local - Dungiven
    Local - Eglinton
    Local - Galway City
    Local - Glenelly Valley
    Local - Gortin
    Local - Greysteel
    Local - Kilkenny
    Local - Kilmore
    Local - Leckpatrick
    Local - Lifford
    Local - Limavady
    Local - Maghera
    Local - Magilligan
    Local - Moville
    Local - Newtonstewart
    Local - Sion Mills
    Local - Strabane
    Local - Tramore
    Local - Waterford City
    Local - Westport
    World Heritage Sites

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.