Site of former no.29 Townsend Street, Strabane, Co Tyrone

This site on the southwest side of Townsend Street in Strabane formerly contained a single-storey terraced dwelling, probably constructed before 1833, which was demolished sometime after 1983. The vacant ground has since been landscaped.

The building belonged to a terrace of single-storey dwellings with whitened stone walls and slated roofs. A survey conducted in February 1970 noted that windows were mostly drop-hung sashes with full glazing bars, though some modern replacements were present. Entrance doors were a mixture of sheeted and modern types.

The site appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1833–34, indicating that a building stood here by that date. Valuation records from 1832–34 show that much of Townsend Street consisted of modest single or one-and-a-half-storey dwellings at that period, suggesting the former number 29 was already in existence. By 1857, two separate houses occupied the site: the northwestern property was held by Edward Ward and the southeastern by Margaret McCaffrey, both leasing from Thomas Neilance. Their low rateable values indicate both were modest single-storey buildings, likely those recorded on the 1830s map.

Thomas Ward succeeded as resident of the northwestern house by 1873. In 1877, John Tomany is listed as occupant of the southeastern property. By 1885–88, the two houses had been merged into one larger "new" dwelling. Tomany acquired the freehold in 1892 and occupied the property until 1896. Subsequent occupants included William Henderson (1897–1900), Robert Blair (c.1900–03), Edward Campbell (1903–06), Patrick Dooher (1906–24), John Kane (1924–c.33), Arthur Forbes (c.1933–39), Sarah Tate (1939–58), J.J. Tate (1958–59), and H.H. O'Neill, who remained as both occupant and freeholder until at least 1972.

The long terrace to which number 29 belonged was demolished sometime after 1983. The site, situated on the banks of the Mourne River, was subsequently landscaped.