Christopher Thompson Memorial Fountain [Near The Entrance The The Royal Hotel in Bray]

Christopher Thompson Memorial Fountain [Near The Entrance The The Royal Hotel in Bray]

It has taken me about three years to get any information relating to this memorial fountain in Bray.

The fountain and obelisk at the Royal Hotel in Bay was erected, by public subscription, in memory of Dr Christopher Thompson, who died in 1876. I read somewhere that he was the only Medical Doctor in Ireland to have a monument such as this in their honour but I have photographed four others. [1] The Raheny Cross in memory of Marie Elizabeth Hayes, doctor and missionary [2] Thomas Thompson Memorial Fountain - Belfast [3] Memorial to Dr. William Ashford - located in Sandymount [4] Memorial To Dr. Issac William Usher of Dundrum. Note: I believe that Marie Hayes was the first woman in Ireland to qualify as a Doctor.

Dr. Thompson was born in Dublin in 1815 and joined the British Army, as a Doctor, and was assigned to the Light Infantry in Cobh [known as Queenstown at the time]. At some stage he was promoted and moved to the UK and later took up a position at Portsmouth general Hospital. In 1859 he returned to Ireland where had a house at Duncairn Terrace in Bray.

He was involved in fighting an outbreak of cholera in Bray in 1879 but he died towards the end of the year. He is buried in St. Paul’s graveyard across the road from the memorial.

I believe that his wife about nine years later and that she is buried in Mount Jerome cemetery which is in Harold’s Cross in Dublin. I will check this the next time I visit the cemetery but it strikes me as a bit odd that she was not buried with her husband.


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RELATED

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Memorial To Dr. Issac William Usher of Dundrum. The Raheny Cross in memory of Marie Elizabeth Hayes, doctor and missionary Thomas Thompson Memorial Fountain - Belfast Memorial to Dr. William Ashford - located in Sandymount

THE RIVER DARGLE FLOOD DEFENCE SCHEME [PHOTOGRAPHED APRIL 2017]

THE RIVER DARGLE FLOOD DEFENCE SCHEME [PHOTOGRAPHED APRIL 2017]


I had planned to visit Bray at least twice a year but I failed to maintain this schedule which is a pity but to be honest, with one exception, not much has changed since my last visit. The flood defence project is the exception because the is no doubting the fact that progress has been made since my last visit but considering that it started back in 2012 I am sure that many locals are less than impressed.

The River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme is one of the key capital investment projects by Wicklow County Council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) with an investment of €40 million.

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MEMORIAL TO TWO FIREMEN [ADELAIDE VILLAS IN BRAY COUNTY WICKLOW]

MEMORIAL TO TWO FIREMEN [ADELAIDE VILLAS IN BRAY COUNTY WICKLOW]


As the story is very complicated I will not discuss it in detail  but there is plenty of information available online.

The one advantage of a good tele-photo lens is that I often notice something that I may have missed. In this instance I was in Bray photographing the ongoing flood protection project and I decided to photograph what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse and while doing so I noticed what turned out to be a memorial to two firemen.

The firefighters who died were Brian Murray (46), a senior and experienced officer, and Mark O’Shaughnessy (25). The blaze broke out in a disused factory at Adelaide Villas in Bray County Wicklow. When the fire brigade arrived  at the scene they deployed a new fire fighting system known as CAFS (compressed air form system) for which they had not been adequately trained. Mr O’Shaughnessy had received no training at all in the system and Mr Murray had only attended a demonstration.




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