Market House (Town Hall pre-1904)

Looking Northwest down Main Street c1900 | fullsize
Shown right: John Gallagher's public house, 7 Markethouse Street (Town-Hall Street).


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• 1752: Market House opens
• 1904: Major renovations to the Market House (Town Hall) are complete.

Architectural history of the Town Hall.: 1765-1904

Related Documents:

1901	Census: House And Building Return (88 Main Street)

Related Images:
 

Pagoda and gas lights c1935

Looking South | fullscreen

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• 
  1931: Abercorn Square is resurfaced with concrete.
  Humphrey Memorial is removed.
  
• 1932: Pagoda erected in place of the memorial.
• 1936: Town is connected to the electricity supply.
• 1968: Pagoda is removed
• 1991: New Pagoda (a tourist information centre) is added near the site of the original.

Related Images:

Publishing: Gray Printers (Gray & Sons)

Looking Southeast along Main Street 1956 | fullsize
Postcard published 1956 by Gray's Printers [Photo from Mr Curlyhill]


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• 1797: The Carroll and Foster printery is established. The printery publishes the Strabane Morning Post. Although hidden behind shutters today, a sign above the doorway in Gray's Printers states "Established 1797".
• 1822: Carroll and Foster become Carroll and Gray.
  Carroll provided financial support for the building of Saint John's Church, Townsend Street 1821.
• 1834: Carroll dies on December 28.
• 1835: Gray becomes the sole proprietor January 1.
  Gray is listed in the Trade Directory of 1839 in Main Street under John Gray, Printers and Stationers and Australian Agent
• 1887: Name changes to Gray and Co.

It is often claimed that John Dunlap started his apprenticeship at Gray's printery. Sadly this was not the case. John was born in Meetinghouse Street c1746, but at the age of 10 left Strabane to live in with his uncle William Dunlap in America. John served an apprenticeship under his uncle William who, at that time, was one of the leading printers in Philadelphia.


Looking Southeast along Main Street 1943 (gas street lighting) | fullsize
The street image shown above was reconstructed from a short sequence in a filmed documentary. Several  figures in motion, during this sequence, were repeated several times in the reconstructed image. The half man shown in the distance is actually the same soldier with the light shaded jacket shown twice in the foreground. This problem only affects objects in motion. Buildings are unaffected.

Related Video:

Video [cc]: Gray Printers 1943: The printer featured in the clip is Bobby Gray.
Bobby (Robert) is listed in the 1901 and 1911 Census.
(Look out for the damaged Presbyterian church shown at the start of the video)

Newspaper Articles:
Strabane Morning Post - Transcribed by Alison Kilpatrick

1812	July	28	Strabane Morning Post
1814	Dec	2	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Jan	3	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Mar	28	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	11	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	18	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	25	Strabane Morning Post
1815	May	2	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Oct	31	Strabane Morning Post

Related Documents:

1	Early Strabane Newspapers and their Proprietors

Related Images:

Panoramic view from Strabane Bridge 1943

Looking East from Strabane Bridge 1943 | fullsize
This image was reconstructed from a short documentary film on the town dated 1943.


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1938: Accidental fire destroys the 1st Strabane, Presbyterian Church on Christmas day.


Related Maps:

Map: Ordnance Survey 1905

Related Images:

Kennedy's Fire Escape

Strabane Market House ( Town Hall pre-1904). Looking NW along Main Street | fullsize

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• 1752: Town Hall (aka Market House) opens
  
• 1904: Major renovations to the hall are complete.

Slideshow:

1893: James Kennedy (beard and top hat) at Mount Kennedy.
For more information on Kennedy's Escape see the "Related Documents" section below.

The images in the slideshow were taken from a sales brochure published in 1893 (date supplied by Mr Curlyhill). They show a public demonstration of 'Kennedy's Patent Fire Escape' at Mount Kennedy, near the Convent of Mercy.  After Mr Kennedy's death in 1901, the Mount Kennedy building was sold to the Convent of Mercy. It was renamed Saint Anne's. In 1928 the building became part of the Convent Grammar School.

Newspaper Article
Derry Journal, Friday, May 2, 1884

Related Documents:

1	Fires and Fire Fighting in Strabane during the 18th and 19th centuries
2	Kennedy's Factory

Related Images:

 

Provincial Bank and Belfast Bank

Looking South East along Main Street sometime before 1904. | fullsize

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Spires: left to right

• Town Hall (Market House) before the 1904 upgrade.
• First Presbyterian Church

1885: Belfast Bank moves from Bowling Green Square to Main Street (image right).

In the postcard view, the second building in from the left edge is the Provincial Bank. The Belfast Bank is shown near the right edge of the image. Two hotels are listed on Main Street in the 1901 Census. The hotel listed at 105 Main Street, was kept by Ellen Mc Elwaine ('Commercial Hotel' 1901 BPUD). The other, listed at 42 Main Street, was kept by Eva Thompson ('Victoria Hotel'  1905 Trade Directory). The edge of the Victoria Hotel can be seen on the right edge of the postcard. The Commercial Hotel is shown beside the Provincial Bank.

The building on the left, closest to the camera, appears to have Seed, or Feed, Merchant written on the frieze above the doorway. The signs on the windows are advertising flour.


Looking South East along Main Street sometime before 1904 | fullsize


Related Documents:

1901	Census: House and Building Return (Belfast Bank 43 Main Street)
1901	Census: House and Building Return (Provincial Bank 106 Main Street)

1901	Trade Directory

1913	McDonalds Directory.

Related Images:

  

Abercorn Pagoda and electric lights c1956

Looking South from the Derry Road | fullsize
This postcard was published in 1956 by Grays Printers. [Photo from Mr Curlyhill]

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• 1932: Pagoda replaces Abercorn Humphrey Memorial.
• 1936: Town connects to the electricity supply.
• 1968: Pagoda is removed.
• 1991: A tourist information centre, designed to look like the old Pagoda, is erected near the site of the original building.
  

Early Motoring - Bridge Street c1920

Looking East along Bridge Street. | fullsize

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Distant spires left to right:
o Christ Church
o Town Hall

Town Hall circa 1950

Looking Northwest from Upper Main Street | fullscreen

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• 1752: Market House opens
• 1904: Expensive controversial renovations are complete.
• 1972: Feb - Fire damages hall. [Boca Raton News - Feb 24, 1972]
  
• 1972: Oct - 50 lb bomb destroys hall. [The Hour - Oct 10, 1972 - page 2]
  Although no one was injured in the destruction, many of town's historical records were lost forever.
  

As the 1904 controversy faded from memory, the building was eventually looked upon with affection by most Strabane residents. The loss of the hall in 1972 was mourned by people from all sections of the community.

On a positive note:- The hall was the hub to a network of narrow streets. The destruction in 1972 enabled the town centre to open up. By 1985 an area consisting of Townhall Street, Market Street, and Butcher Street was demolished. A new shopping centre and car park was built on the site.


1905 ordnance map superimposed on 2010 Google Maps.
(Google Map POI icons are inaccurate.)


Newspaper Article:

NY Times, August 11 1912

Town hall clock used for target practice.

Related Images:
 

Bowling Green from Town Hall c1900

Looking NE from Town Hall (aka Market House) | fullsize

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• Christ Church was consecrated in 1879.

This image might show the view from the town hall before the 1904 upgrade.

Quote from Christ Church website

Not sure of date, must be earlier than 1905 - water pump not visible (but may be hidden by houses) and lack of buildings on the Curley Hill!

Bowling Green: Ordnance Survey 1905


Bowling Green: Griffiths Valuation c1850.

E Gallagher Ltd and Town Hall c1920

Looking West from the Town Hall | fullsize

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Edward Gallagher: 1901 1911 census.

• 1869: Edward opens the drapery store.
• 1884: Town Commissioner. Chairman of the Volunteer Fire Brigade.
  President of the St Eugene's Catholic Temperance Society.
  
• 1904: As chairman of the Urban Council, Mr Gallagher was partially responsible for the expensive, and consequently controversial, town hall refurbishment 1904.
• 1905: Gallagher re-elected by narrow margin.
• 1906: Mr Gallagher decides not to run for re-election.
  
• 1907: Eugene Conroy of the House League becomes chairman of the council

Newspaper Article
The Irish Canadian 5th Jun 1884 page 8 
- James Kennedy was the first Caltholic man in Strabane's history to be appointed to the position of Justice of the Peace c1882. Soon after this, the position was taken up by other Catholics including Mr Gallagher. Edward was also to replace Mr Kennedy as Town Commissioner by 1884.

Related Documents:  Strabane Factories (by Mr CurlyHill)

1	Gallaghers