Marks of Time
Historic Buildings as  illustrations of the past.
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487

17/5/2017

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46.  St Teresa’s church Sion Mills 1963.
By 1963 the use of  decoration on modern buildings was becoming more acceptable again. Here, a  massive recreation of the last supper was commissioned from artist Oisin  Kelly and mounted as a screen across the front of the building. It is not as  much decorated building as building displaying artwork. The building is  designed to mimic a classical temple, a form used for many churches in 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 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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339.

10/4/2016

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The Flax Spinner, a sculpture Sion Mills main street recalling the work of the mill that created the village. Artist: Eamonn O'Doherty
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338

9/4/2016

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338. www.Marksoftime.com
Herdman’s Mill, Sion Mills.  Down from the main street along the riverside is the mill. First constructed in 1835 the main part of the complex dates from 1853. Badly damaged by fire in 2011 it is still an important building and an important landmark in the surrounding countryside
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337.

7/4/2016

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St Teresa’s church Sion Mills is on the main street of the village and dates from 1963. Like a modern version of a classical temple it sits on a plinth of steps, though its frieze is not within its pediment but along the front facade. This huge drawing of the last supper by  Oisin Kelly  is  a powerful piece of modern art and well worth experiencing at first hand. Architect: Patrick Haughey
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336.

5/4/2016

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Sion Mills Presbyterian Church on the main street, constructed in 1865, predates the half timbered buildings. It was designed by John Guy Ferguson of Derry. It is very similar in design to the former Church of Ireland in Burt Co Donegal, designed by the same architect and also complemented by a spire of yellow brick. Beyond the church in this view is the primary school of 1879.
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