Marks of Time
Historic Buildings as  illustrations of the past.
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481.

28/4/2017

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38.   Tudor Revival Stables of Sion House-  1884
The style was  employed for other villages developed by enlightened industrialists such as  Bourneville near Brimingham by Cadburys (1890’s) and Port Sunlight by Lever  Brothers near Liverpool (1880’s). Cadbury apparently visited Sion Mills in  advance of his development. Also in the style and by the same architect are the  stables. These have been recently conserved to a high standard they house a  museum and café.  
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480.

27/4/2017

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37. Tudor Revival Gate Lodge to Sion House- 1884
Sion Gate Lodge is based upon a careful examination of Sixteenth Century English precedents and heralds Sion House beyond. Its architect, F.W. Unsworth, was influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement which had grown out of a concern for the effects of industrialisation on design, and interest in traditional skills, and in the lives of ordinary people. The Tudor Revival style, in his view, reflected an earlier, simpler, age.

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479.

25/4/2017

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36. Late Nineteenth Century Merchants  House, Sion House -1884

  Sion House just off the main street was the home of the Herdman family,- owners of the mill and builders of the village. This illustration is based upon a 1950’s photograph. Today, it has lost its chimneys and glazed conservatory. The half-timbered nature of the building is a result of a remodelling of a previous Italianate villa by leading London architect W. F. Unsworth in 1884.

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478.

24/4/2017

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35. Expanding Industry – Herman’s Mill,  Sion Mills 1853.
One of the most  successful linen companies in the Strabane area was Herdman’s. Two brothers from  Belfast, wishing to expand took a lease on an existing corn mill on the site  in 1835 and by the 1850’s things were going so well that the prominent  Belfast architect William Henry Lynn was employed to build a new mill nearby  with a fashionable ‘Italianate’ tower. The tall brick chimney was built in  1877. In a 1919 hydroelectric power station was installed on site. The name  ‘Sion’ derives from the Gaelic word ‘Sidhean’, meaning a fairy hill.

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April 23rd, 2017

23/4/2017

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34. Gothic churches Christchurch Urney  1868
  Unlike the Georgian’s, the Victorian’s didn’t seek a unified architectural style, but tended to think that styles should be used as required to create an atmosphere or serve a particular function. Thus, classicism was appropriate for banks and gothic in various forms was appropriate for churches, alms houses, jails, hospitals and universities. In 1868 the Government decided to break the link between church and state in Ireland and the Church of Ireland was given significant funds to compensate it for the change. This resulted in a boom in church building. Christchurch Urney is one, elegant, example

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April 21st, 2017

21/4/2017

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33. Banking. The Provincial Bank, Main St  Strabane 1892
  In the Victorian period banks became much more prominent and Strabane had many. These were designed to be solid and reassuring and most opted for a design inspired by Classical architecture. Unlike similarly inspired Georgian buildings, render and decoration around doors was not sufficient. Most were faced in cut stone with plenty of detail to emphasise their importance. Branch banking had been pioneered in Scotland and the Provincial Bank promoted this system throughout Ireland. Most of its staff, however, were Scottish.  

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April 20th, 2017

20/4/2017

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32. The impact of the Railway. – Camus  Bridge, 1850

  The rail line along the Mourne and Strule valley to Omagh criss-crosses the winding river along its route and a number of fine, and very long, bridges still survive.  These are made of riveted iron sheets supported on massive steel girders and date from 1910-11. Cast-iron girder trellis bridges preceded them and before that, in 1850, the bridges were wooden. The changes were needed because of the rapid improvement in rolling stock. The railway became part of   the Great Northern Railway Company (Ireland) in 1876.

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April 13th, 2017

13/4/2017

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29.  Early 19th Century, Public House  – Railway Street Strabane
The Farmer’s Home on  Railway Street is indicated on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map, the first  detailed map of Strabane. However it is likely that the building we see today  was remodelled in the 1860’s.  The  giveaway is the single pane sash windows on the upper floors made possible  because of advances in glass technology mid-century.  The influence of   Georgian simplicity and proportion  continues however. The building is of a type once very common but now  increasingly rare.

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April 12th, 2017

12/4/2017

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28. Strabane Corporation – the Town Hall.
The Act of Union in  1800 followed a turbulent twenty year period when the influence of the  American Declaration of Independence and then the French Revolution had  engendered much debate and culminated in open rebellion in other parts of  Ireland.  The Irish Parliament was  dissolved, and as a result the borough of Strabane no longer had a dedicated  member of Parliament. This made the work of the Corporation more important in  the life of the town. They met in the town hall, located at the junction of Market  Street and Main Street -a building which was being rebuilt in 1766. This view  shows the fantastic steeple added in a renovation of 1904.  Unfortunately the building was bombed in  1972 and subsequently demolished.
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471.

11/4/2017

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27. Arcadian living –Baronscourt House  
Baronscourt House,  begun in c.1780 is one of the largest and most significant country houses in  Ireland. It reflects the power and influence of the Abercorn family  and is a private ideal world set within a carefully landscaped estate.  Initial designs were by George Stewart. John Soane (architect of the Bank of  England) carried out modifications in the 1790’s.  Further work was by William ‘Vitruvius’  Morrison and his son in the 1830’s. These were the best architects of their  time and they created something very special. However, this work was part of  a trend across Ireland and Britain. Everywhere landlords were improving and  adapting their estates to reflect classical ideals of living with an elegant  proportioned house located within a carefully designed ‘natural’ landscape.

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