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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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 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.  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.  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.  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  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.  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.  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.  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.  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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