A blog of sketches of historic buildings - Marks of Time

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2/6/2017

50. New Connections- Foot and cycle bridge, Strabane
Opened in 2016, the foot and cycle bridge picks up this challenge and brings modern civic architecture to the other end of town. Developed from an international competition held in 2006, it is supposed to be the first of two such bridges. Whether resources can be found for the second bridge or not, the ambition of current city fathers to bring modern quality investment to the town is very clear. Strabane and the surrounding area however, have much quality already, The key will be to manage this and new development well to make the most of future opportunities.

490.

29/5/2017

49. Regeneration – the Alley Theatre and Library 2008

The development of a new library and theatre in Strabane the late 2000’s was a significant investment in its cultural life but also a statement of confidence in the regeneration of the town centre. The buildings are well designed and impart a sense of new civic life to the area. Their scale links them to the rest of the town and their quality sets a benchmark for future development.

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15/5/2017

45. Scandinavian Modernism- First Presbyterian Church, 1955.
After World War II, the ideas of European Modernism became much more influential across the UK and Ireland. This had an emphasis upon function, an honest expression of materials and a rational approach to design problems. The Scandinavian approach was not as harsh as the main style and was adopted to create an elegant new Presbyterian Church in Strabane in 1955.

May 13th, 2017

13/5/2017

44. Inter war classicism- Former Northern Bank. 1922

The Edwardian period came to a sudden halt with the First World War. Industrial production boomed during the period only to decline afterwards. However, despite major political changes which resulted in the partition of Ireland in 1922, confidence was still sufficiently high to build a new bank in Strabane in the same year. This assertive building is a great addition to the town and reflects a continuing interest in classical architecture for institutions and public buildings during the period.

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3/5/2017

40. Church of the Immaculate Conception, Strabane- 1890-95 This large church reflects the increasing confidence of the Roman Catholic community towards the end of the nineteenth century, and like many such churches, the influence of funds sent from America. This building is by William Hague and uses details taken from French churches of the 13th century. In form such buildings are often referred to as ‘High Victorian’ because of their profusion of detail.

April 21st, 2017

21/4/2017

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.

April 13th, 2017

13/4/2017

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.

April 04th, 2017

4/4/2017

26. New Enterprise- the Canal Basin, Strabane.

The canal ended in a ‘basin’ located behind the main streets of the town. This was quickly surrounded by warehousing and became a focus of economic activity. A plan was developed by architect Robert Woodgate for the area in 1802 and called the ‘New Town’. The first image is based upon a photograph taken in the 1890’s. The basin was filled in in the early 1970’s but features are likely to remain below the present surface. The warehousing to the right of the image still remains and the second image provides a detail with some lost features , like the goods hoist, reinstated.

April 03rd, 2017

3/4/2017

25. New Enterprise- Devlin’s Lock, the Strabane Canal 1791.

The second lock on the canal is called Devlin’s Lock. A picturesque structure, the canal is largely un-watered beyond this point.

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1/4/2017

25. New Enterprise- Crampsie’s Lock, the Strabane Canal 1791.
To further encourage the development of the Strabane area, the newly enobled Marquis of Abercorn had an act of Parliament passed to enable the creation of a canal to improve navigation between Strabane and the Foyle in 1790. Construction was complete by 1796. This had the desired effect and the canal was highly profitable until the railways arrived in 1847. The canal ran for 4 miles and had two locks. This is Crampsie's lock at the exit to the Foyle.