Speaker for 15th March 2016
TWO Talks by John Moore on the 'History of Portrush Railway Station' and 'WW1 Postcards'
Coleraine Probus members had twice the enjoyment at their recent meeting, when John Moore made a very welcome return to the club to tell them about the history of the Portrush Railway Station and the to look at some WW1 Postcards.
The first part of John's talk started with the development of the natural harbour at Portrush and the growing network of railways in the North of Ireland. When the Ballymeana to Coleraine and Portrush link was made in 1867, the town started to grow rapidly to cater for the influx of holidaymakers. The 1880 (*see footnote below) rail bridge over the Bann enabled a direct link with Londonderry and further increased the popularity of Portrush as a holiday town.
A remodelled station for Portrush was opened in 1893, boasting the world's largest Grandfather Clock (all 17 and a half foot tall) and designed in a way that made it one of the most elegant stations in all of Ireland. The new station played a big part in the further expansion of the town and it's many hotels.
The 1960s, with the increasing popularity of the motorcar saw the steady decline of rail transport and the station building. Although there was a small revival with the coming of the University, the building was eventually sold off in the 1990s. In recent years, the improvements to the station forecourt area and the renovations to the old station building into shops, have breathed a little more life into the station area. Who knows what the future may bring, hopefully a brighter one for this special and historic building.
The second part of John Moore's talk was centred around a box of old postcards he discovered when cleaning out a shop his late Grandfather had in Limavady. What a find that turned out to be! The postcards mainly dating from 1914 on, gave a unique insight into that (currently topical) period of our history. John showed a surprising range of cards with their patriotic messages encouraging the recipients to 'sign up' (and hinting of the 'disgrace' for not doing so!).
Especially interesting items from the collection were those that had been beautifully hand embroidered on silk, and then mounted on the postcards. These had mainly been done by French women, who had fled their own country with the advance of the German army, and came to England as refugees.
Other notable cards were a series of 'Old Bill' cartoons, some propaganda cards depicting the Sinking of the Lusitania, and others showing drawings of the execution of Nurse Edith Cavell. It was no surprise that John also found a collection of cards dating from 1918, these were 'Victory Greetings' cards!
*Footnote:
My notes (WebEd) from the meeting may be incorrect. The bridge over the Bann may have been completed in 1860, according to: Irishrailwayana.com
The information on their website states:
The Belfast and Ballymena Railway opened on 11/4/1848. A line from Randalstown to Cookstown was opened in 1856. A double line from Belfast to Greencastle was opened in 1862 and extended to Greenisland in 1863. The Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway opened a line to Portrush in 1855. At the other end of the system, the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway (incorporated in 1845) opened to Limavady in 1852 and Coleraine in 1853. A bridge over the River Bann at Coleraine was completed in 1860 and permitted a through service between Belfast and Derry.
The Belfast and Ballymena Railway became the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company in May 1860. It absorbed the BBC&PJR in January 1861 and the L&CR in July 1871. The narrow gauge Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway Company was vested in the BNCR in 1884 and it absorbed the Carrickfergus and Larne Railway [1890], the Draperstown Railway [1895] and the Derry Central Railway [1901]. In 1903 track mileage was 335 miles (in 1922 route mileage was 201 miles of standard gauge and 64 of 3ft gauge). The BNCR was purchased by the Midland Railway on 1/7/1903 and its name was changed to "Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)". The company acquired a hotel in Portrush (1881) and built one in Belfast in 1898. Refreshment rooms existed at Belfast, Carrickfergus, Ballymena, Whitehead, Larne, Derry, Coleraine, Portrush, Glenariff Glen and Ballymoney.
