MAIN ST ST JOHNSTON NEAR 1910 POST CARD IMAGE
The small white house in the cente slightly on the right (near the big tree) used to belong to an old lady called Ellen Orr. She wore long black
skirts. One had to climb up a ladder to the attic to get to the sleeping
quarters. Her husband had an accident and fell down and died.
Mr Humphrey Dunne who ran the electrician shop across the street, used the house
as a store.
The house next it on your side, was occupied by Joe and Isobel Gibson and family. It had a very steep stairs and it was demolished in 1998. Roseanna Wilson resided there.
The house next Gibsons, at the corner of Church Lane was demolished in the late 1970s. A man called Alec Bovaird used to live there. The other corner is a large house which housed Patterson's Shoemakers.
The houses coloured white where the woman is cycling past were demolished in 2000. The obvious dilapidation of the roof, would suggest that the houses were not habited at the time this postcard picture was taken. One of the houses was used as a butchers shop.
To your left, across the Main Street from Patterson's was Barney McCauleys Newsagents. The shop had presses and two big counters one to the left as you went in and one to the right. The presses were stained dark wood. They sold religious statues, sweets and chamber pots as well! The shop was renovated by Brogans in 1992.
McCrossan's house was demolished in 1988. It was just behind the Parochial House to which it bore a close resemblance. It faced in the same direction towards the Foyle.
The last house to be seen on your right furthest down the street was demolished
and a bungalow belonging to Frank Hegarty was built there some distance in from
the road. There was a gateway into a field and Lowry’s house was next. It was
demolished in the late nineties leaving a part of the wall at the front. A mural
was painted on it to mark the Millennium in 1999.
Frank Hegarty had a shop beside his house that functioned more or less as an
ice-cream parlour.
Children and young people used to watch the ladies coming on the train from
Derry to spend the Saturday evenings in the town about fifty years ago. The
visitors were destined for Lynch’s Bar which is not in this picture.