Victoria Bridge, County Tyrone

Victoria Bridge is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is mostly within the townland of Breen[2] (from Irish: Bruíghín),[3] which is in the civil parish of Ardstraw. It is also part of the historic barony of Strabane Lower, and Derry City and Strabane District Council. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 318 people. In the 2011 Census, it had a population of 420 people.[4][5]

Victoria Bridge
Victoria Bridge
Location within Northern Ireland
Population318 (UK 2001 Census)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Postcode districtBT
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
Victoria Bridge and River Mourne

Housing

Four homes were constructed for people who fought in the Boer War and who returned to the area. These houses were named "Ladysmith".

Education

St Eugene's Primary School was opened in 1960 to replace the old school at Breen. Originally under the jurisdiction of Glenock Parish, Newtownstewart, it changed to become the responsibility of the Parish of St Theresa in Sion Mills. The school has more than 50 pupils.

Transport

The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) served Victoria Bridge railway station. The station opened on 9 May 1852[6] and the last train from Omagh to Strabane passed through Victoria Bridge on 14 February 1965. Billy Anderson was the last man in charge of Victoria Bridge station. Patsy Mc Garrigle served as signalman at Victoria Bridge for the final five years. Victoria Bridge Station was unique because it was constructed from wood. The closure of the railway remains controversial, especially due to the impact on the local economy.

Victoria Bridge station was also served by the Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway, a narrow gauge railway linking the GNR(I) main line with the nearby market town of Castlederg. This 7¼ mile long line closed in 1933.[7] This station opened on 4 July 1884 and closed on 17 April 1933.[6]

The former GNR mainline bridge over the River Mourne, 1 km north of Victoria Bridge, originally constructed on the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway.

See also

References
  1. Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. Ordnance Survey Ireland: Online map viewer (choose "historic" to see townland boundaries)
  3. "Placenames NI". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  4. "Victoria Bridge". NI Neighbourhood Information System, Gazeteer of Settlements. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  5. http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=N00004526%20(Victoria%20Bridge%20Ward)@Within%20Ward:%20@Within%20Ward:%20%20Victoria%20Bridge@21?
  6. "Victoria Bridge station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  7. Ferris, T (1993). The Irish Narrow Gauge (Volume 2, The Ulster Lines). Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-017-6.

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