1844 Plan: Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway

The following documents entitled "Plans and Sections of the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway with a branch to Lough Swilly 1844" were made available to the OSB through the kind generosity of Mr CurlyHill. The entire photocopied plan spreads out over 21 pages.

Sheet 1: Plans and Sections of the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway with a branch to Lough Swilly 1844

This particular plan for the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway (L&ER) was prepared for Parliament by the engineer Sir John McNeil in 1844, at the request of the Irish Railway Commission. However, these pages do not depict the final route taken by the railway. The final design was influenced in part by the eminent engineer Robert Stephenson and Alexander Ross; after McNeil declined to build the line when the act passed in July 1845.

Report, Robert Stephenson and Alexander M Ross, London 18 August 1845, with report of the first General Meeting of the Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway, The Railway Times, VIII, 30 August 1845, p. 1390. We have inspected the entire line, and have to report to you that much alteration is required to save expense, and to expedite the execution of the works very materially. We are informed that surveys were made in haste, and that Sir J. MacNeil, in the midst of his then pressing engagements, did not himself have time personally to go over the line.

The line to Strabane should have been completed by September 1846 (L&ER General Meeting, Railway Times IX 29 Aug 1846), but allegations from shareholders of Ross's personal and financial involvement with the contractor James Leishman (1800-1884) slowed the project down. The railway station at Strabane opened months later in 1847. Perhaps wearied by the growing dissatisfaction and paranoia of parsimonious shareholder during the famine years, Stephenson and Ross withdrew from the project by January 1848. (The Railway Record V, 15 January 1848 pp56-57). It would take 6 more years to reach the terminus at Enniskillen.

To highlight the difference between McNeil's plan and the completed 1854 L&ER route: on sheet 4 MacNeil runs the rail track at Strabane east of the Bowling Green, through the plot where the Church Of the Immaculate Conception is now situated, up Townsend Street and parallel to the Liskey Road.

Despite Stephenson's criticisms, McNeil's maps are still a useful source of information that show us, albeit roughly at times, what 70 miles of countryside looked like during that period.

The following downloadable KMZ Basemaps and KMZ Enlargement files were designed to be viewed upon the satellite imagery of Google Earth. Since the files were converted to the WGS 84 datum, all measurements should be treated as imprecise due to datum displacement. The opacity and location of the maps can be adjusted within Google Earth. Zoomit links are provided to show the maps in their original unadjusted state.

*NOTE: Google have altered the way their cloud storage system "GoogleDocs" handles KMZ files. Instead of displaying a direct download link, GoogleDocs now opens the KMZ file directly onto Google Maps. Whilst this is a good idea in principle, Google have only partially implemented KMZ support on Google Maps as of yet. As a result, many KMZ files are aligned incorrectly when viewed on Google Maps this way. However, the same KMZ files will appear correctly aligned when opened in GoogleEarth. On the following links please make sure you select Download from the File menu, and then open the files in Google Earth. Just ignore the GoogleMaps preview.

Main Route

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View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Sheet 1 ∙	City and County Londonderry	6 Sections
Sheet 2	Saint Johnstown - Templemore	3 Sections
Sheet 3	Porthall - Tullyowen	7 Sections
Sheet 4 ∙	Strabane town	4 Sections
Sheet 5	Breen - Milltown	7 Sections
Sheet 6 ∙	Newtown Stewart - Mulvin	3 Sections
Sheet 7	Beltan - Pubble	11 Sections
Sheet 8	Lislimnaghan - Castletown	17 Sections
Sheet 9 ∙	Omagh	12 Sections
Sheet 10	Mullawinny - Mullaghmore	9 Sections
Sheet 11	Drumskinny - Shanaragh	8 Sections
Sheet 12	Strangagummer - Esker	9 Sections
Sheet 13	Drummurry- Lisnahanna	11 Sections
Sheet 14	Aughaward - Salry	9 Sections
Sheet 15 ∙	Enniskillen	9 Sections

Lifford Deviation

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View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Part 1	Lifford Common - Porthall	6 Sections
Part 2	Liggartown - Coneyburrow	8 Sections
Part 3	Trafalgar	1 Section

Derry City and Branch to Lough Swilly

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View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Sheet 1a	City of Londonderry Enlarged Plan	-
Swilly Branch	Port Lough - Whitehouse	9 Sections

Life expectancy \ income - Ireland \ UK. 1800-2009 (GapMinder data)

SkyDrive Folder (alternative links)
  

Post Office and Emigration Office

Looking NorthWest down Main Street c1907 (incomplete street light on the right) | fullsize
Tinted collotype published by Valentine Dublin (divided back, 'low harp' logo in red ink.)


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Andrew Hamilton is listed on Main Street in the 1901 trade directory as an ironmonger and emigration agent. Whilst the 1901 census shows Andrew living at house number 4 Bowling Green (private dwelling), the the actual location of his business on Main Street is not shown.

On the right edge of the postcard (published by Valentine Dublin c1907-1914), the building with "Emigration Office" written on it is a likely location for Andrew's hardware store and emigration agency. This building is listed in the 1901 Census: House and Building Returns form, at 91 Main Street with no inhabitants. Other non inhabited shops listed on Main Street, in the 1901 census, are: 38, 48, 50, 56, 62, 95, 100, 102, 104, 108, 110, and 116.

By 1913 Andrew's business had expanded to include a shipping agency, along with a house, land and insurance agency. With his family he had moved home to 24 Derry Road, and had moved his conglomerate to Railway Street.

The building with the greenish shop-front, to the right of the Post Office, was the location of Stevenson's Draper Shop.


Related Documents:

1901	Census: House And Building Return (John Anderson , 90 Main Street | Gray Printers, 94 Main Street)

1901	Census: House And Building Return (Post Office, 54 Main Street | Tea Merchant, John Devine, 52 MainStreet)

1911	Census: House And Building Return (John Anderson, 47 Main Street | Gray Printers, 42 Main Street)

1911	Census: House And Building Return (Post Office, 21 Main Street | Tea Merchant, John Devine 25 Main Street)

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:

Update: WhatWasThere and iPhone support.

Long time, no update... I hope it was worth the wait.

Here's what's new:

• Most of the photos featured on the blog were uploaded to a new website called WhatWasThere.com. WhatWasThere shares the same goal as SepiaTown, but does things slightly differently.
• A free App for the iPhone and iPod touch is available for download on iTunes. Android users can use my 'Photo History Map' to get a similar experience. 
• The Newspaper Timeline link was re-tuned to reduce the number of hits on the other Strabane over in Washington.

Knockavoe viewed from Lifford late 1880s

Looking East from Lifford late 1880s (approx 200 yards SW of Lifford bridge) | fullsize
Image supplied by Mr Curlyhill. The original metal sign can be found at the UAFP.

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• 1894: 13-16 July: The Finn Valley/Donegal Railway line converts to 3'0" narrow gauge. 
  A new railway bridge constructed over the River Mourne opens. (see Donegal section)

For a more accurate location see the Photo History Map, or load the BlogPhoto.KML file into Google Earth.

Quote: Mr Curlyhill
My deduction of this is that it was a promotional item issued by a Wine and Spirit Merchant called Sproule and McIvor. They were in existence in 1882 but no Longer in the 1890s.
The last recorded name of Sproule & McIvor was between 1891 and 1892, thereafter it became solely McIvor.  This is my deduction of the drawing being done in the late 1880s. 

Building locations: extrudes from the 1905 ordnance survey in Google Earth. Strabane Bridge is represented by the horizontal box at the bottom of F,G and H.

It is possible that the large building on the extreme right edge of the Sproule and McIvor poster, (also shown as the marker labeled 'H' in the Building locations 3D reconstruction), is the tower at Saint John's Church. Saint John's was built in 1827 on the current site of Strabane Grotto. A tower was added to the church in the year 1837. (See related document: Christianity and Catholicism in Strabane before 1895)

• Narrator: Sister Ursula (Convent of Mercy)
• Audio Source: Mr Curlyhill
• Song Lyrics: Willliam Collins
• Closed captioning is available at Youtube.com.

The lyrics to the song "At the foot of Knockavoe" were written by William Collins. Collins was born in Strabane in 1840 and emigrated to Canada at the age of 15. Later he moved to Cleveland and enlisted in the Federal Army. He fought in both the American Civil War, and in the Fenian Raid of Canada. After the wars, he wrote several books of poems. Collins also wrote for the Boston Globe and the New York Globe.

In recent times, the words from Collins's poem "At the foot of Knockavoe" were put to music by Strabane man and local musician, Joseph Gormley.

Related Documents:

1	Christianity and Catholicism in Strabane before 1895
2	Annals of The Four Masters Transcribed by Michael Harron, MSc, MSc
3	A Sigh For Old Times William Collins poem of Strabane.

Here is the download link to the Battle of Knockavoe points-of-interest file.
To use: Open the file inside Google Earth.


Knockavoe battle analysis by Mr Curlyhill | click image for fullsize


Related links:
Strabane District Council - William Collins
Death notice of Sr Ursula Mc Hugh Dec-20-2010

Related Images:

Commodore Cinema

Looking NorthWest along Main Street: (electric lights) | fullsize
Published by Grays Printers 1956. [Photo from Mr Curlyhill]

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• 1913: Cooper family build the Pallidrome Cinema on Railway Road/Street.
  (Date supplied by Mr Curlyhill)
• 1935: Cooper family open the Commodore Cinema on Main Street. (Correct date supplied by Mr Curlyhill. See quote below)
• 1936: Town connects to the electricity supply.
  Douglas Cooper signs up to join the Air Force in late 1936.
• 1937: Douglas is awarded his Wings in June 1937 and assigned to RAF Station Waddington in Lincolnshire in October of that year.
• c1945:  Douglas Cooper returns to Strabane and becomes manager of the Commodore Cinema.
• 1970s: The Commodore Cinema closes.

The above view of Strabane Main Street came from a postcard published in 1956 by Grays printers. Valentine publishers also used the view in at least two other postcard designs.

• Valentine mixed view shamrock postcard No. R.5055 franked 1961 and sent from Coleraine.
• Valentine's standard postcard No R4307

From the other side. Looking Southeast along Main Street: c1940 (gas lighting) | fullsize

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Quote: Mr Curlyhill

Cooper opened the Commodore in 1935.

References: document of Dougie's Memories.

But films were being shown before this, particularly in the Recreation Hall in Sion Mills.

World History:
Cinema manager Douglas Cooper (Squadron Leader H.D.H Cooper) was a POW at Stalag Luft III (now Żagań in Poland) during World War 2. The camp was made famous by the films "The Great Escape" and "The Wooden Horse". Although Douglas did not take part in the actual escape, he did help to plan and construct the 'Wooden Horse'.

Download: Stalag Luft III for Google Earth 
Plan of Stalag Luft 3 projected on a topographic map from 1940. Red line indicates where tunnel "Harry" was built.



Movies: 

The Wooden Horse 1950 Trailer (Stalag Luft III)

The Great Escape 1963 (Stalag Luft III)

Related Images: