Downshire Bridge and the Cut, Banbridge, Co. Down
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Where: Northern Ireland, Down, United Kingdom
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When: Unknown
Try to find the date or year when this image was made.
This lovely image of Banbridge seems to have all the hallmarks of a Robert French image but it is in the Eason Collection. Whoever the photographer was, he decided to do an Irish version of the "Hay Wain" as that hay wain there is way overloaded! Does that give us at least a time of year if not an actual date?
As the location was already confirmed, today's discussion focused on the subject and date. On the latter, inputs on the date from beachcomberaus (who reminds us that William Ritchie & Sons started publishing postcards like this from 1903), and Niall McAuley (who trawled more than a few street directories) have helped refine the range to a few years at the end of the first decade of the 20th century. On the subject, guliolopez and Dún Laoghaire Micheál illustrate that "the cut" was a 19th century engineering project - to help horse-drawn traffic through the town. At least some of which was of clearly overfilled carts :)
Photographer: Unknown
Collection: Eason Photographic Collection
Date: Catalogue range c.1900-1939. Likely c.1907-1910
NLI Ref: EAS_1182
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 18440
As the location was already confirmed, today's discussion focused on the subject and date. On the latter, inputs on the date from beachcomberaus (who reminds us that William Ritchie & Sons started publishing postcards like this from 1903), and Niall McAuley (who trawled more than a few street directories) have helped refine the range to a few years at the end of the first decade of the 20th century. On the subject, guliolopez and Dún Laoghaire Micheál illustrate that "the cut" was a 19th century engineering project - to help horse-drawn traffic through the town. At least some of which was of clearly overfilled carts :)
Photographer: Unknown
Collection: Eason Photographic Collection
Date: Catalogue range c.1900-1939. Likely c.1907-1910
NLI Ref: EAS_1182
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 18440
eason
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easoncollection
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glassnegative
nationallibraryofireland
bridge
banbridge
codown
northernireland
ulster
haywain
manwithbuckets
autumn
harvest
thecut
downshirebridge
slope
hill
murphy
temperancehotel
gilmore
refreshmentrooms
williamritchiesons
wrs
countydown
20thcentury
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BeachcomberAustralia
We had another "W. R. & S.", William Ritchie & Sons Edinburgh, a while back. 1903 + (?) https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/31007700052/
Niall McAuley
The streetights look to be all gas, which would suggest the early part of that date range.
guliolopez
Never been to Banbridge before. Physically or otherwise. The "cut" is intriguing. Looking at it, I'd have assumed it had something to rail or tram traffic - but seemingly it was completed in the 1830s to improve (mainly horse-drawn) through traffic on the Dublin road. As Wikipedia puts it, to prevent horses from falling "faint before reaching the top of the hill". One wonders if the overloaded carts had as much to do with it though :)
Niall McAuley
Heading to Lennon Wylie for street directories: 1901: No Murphy Temperance Hotel. There is a Sloan and Gilmore cycle repair given as Newry St. 1907: A Miss Murphy on Eden St, Sloan, cycle repairer, Newry Street (Gilmore has opened his own cycle repair shop on Bridge St). 1910: Sloan, cycle repairer, Church square, Murphy, Miss, confectioner and lodgings, Newry street So, I think we are between 1907 (Sloan alone but no Murphy on newry St) and 1910 (Sloan away to Church sq).
Niall McAuley
The Murphy's Refreshment Rooms sign looks new, while the Temperance Hotel signage looks old and faded. I think Miss Murphy has opened recently.
Dún Laoghaire Micheál
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] The concept of grading roads to accommodate horse stamina won't be lost on modern cyclists - if only our present day road engineers understood this.
Niall McAuley
This archive shot is also Eason, WR&S, Newry St Banbridge, with Murphy and Sloan hanging signs in the distance, and overloaded hay wains, so likely the same day. BUT IT HAS DOGS! Peter Sands shop is visible in that shot - David Sands is on Newry St in 1901, Peter Sands Car Owner in 1907, no Sandses in 1910, so the date is consistent with 1907-1910. (I also see McIlroy's Steam Bakery and Kernaghan's bar in that shot, but they are not helpful on dates, as they are there in 1901, 1907 and 1910.)
John Spooner
I cycled through Banbridge in about 1990. All I remember about my visit was that I stopped for a coffee and a bacon roll at the Majestic Cafe, where the owner warned me to take care as there were 'bad boys' about.
Niall McAuley
This archive shot is Eason, WR&S, Newry St. etc but is a little later, I think. Peter Sands is gone, and A. Keown is in that shop. Keown appears in the 1910 directory. Sloan and Miss Murphy's hanging signs are gone in that one, I think.
Niall McAuley
No sign of any French/Lawrence photos of Banbridge at all?
Carol Maddock
Apologies for going off topic, but it's for a thing here at Library Towers, so help from any Flickroonies appreciated! Am I raving, or did we discover over the years here that a Union Jack is only called that in a naval setting, and that otherwise the flag of our nearest neighbours should be referred to as the Union Flag? I think https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/ knew the difference, if there is one. Would like to be correct, without being painfully pedantic...
Dún Laoghaire Micheál
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] As Sheldon might say, fun with flags . . . www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/the-union-jack-or-...
Carol Maddock
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] :) Thank you! So, no need to err on the painfully pedantic side then...
Vab2009
Instantly recognisable! But I have always wondered why thgis was constructed the way it is. You have provided an answer - less of a hill for the hay wains!!
BeachcomberAustralia
Red Herrings ... 1904 Orange Blackguardism at Banbridge Town Hall (middle left of photo?) - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212351699 1909 Woman killed nearby by a motor car driven by Australians - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/173272143 1918 130 yo Banbridge man who remembered Waterloo - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/112386142
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Thanks all! Usual updates applied. (And a welcome back to https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner - who hopefully didn't meet any bad'uns on more recent adventures :) )
Sean Barden
I enjoy looking at the uploads from Library Towers and very occasionally commenting on them too. However I was pleasantly surprised to see the Temperance Hotel pictured in this shot as my grandmother Hannah Murphy and her sister were the proprietors of the establishment. Unfortunately I have little to offer regarding the dates except that Hanna had been working as a domestic servant for the Robinson family (Church Sq, Banbridge) in 1901. She married my grandfather in September 1907 but her sister probably continued running the place after this. I have a family photo of The Temperance Hotel but surprisingly it is clearly a different building from the one shown here. I shall have to do some digging...
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Excellent - thanks https://www.flickr.com/photos/fairviewdesign. We always delight when an image connects with a family member :)
Sean Barden
Dr. Ilia
Excellent!!
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Excellent indeed https://www.flickr.com/photos/iliaal and https://www.flickr.com/photos/fairviewdesign. Thanks so much Sean for sharing!