Restoration work has started at the Strabane War Memorial, a 1960s cenotaph on Derry Road that was dedicated in 1969 to honor those who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Derry City and Strabane District Council said the work is part of a wider, conservation-led program across the district, supported by the Special EU Programmes Body through the PEACE Plus Programme. The broader effort includes projects at memorials in Derry City, Castlederg, and Sion Mills.
For mason contractors and stone specialists, the Strabane scope reads like a snapshot of real-world conservation work. The planned repairs include specialist cleaning, coping stone repointing, crack stitch repairs, stone carving, and gold gilding on the memorial wall. The project also calls for re-rendering adjacent walls, removing existing steps, and adding new paving, railings, planters, and interpretation boards to improve the memorial’s setting and accessibility.
Specialist conservation contractors Irish Stone are carrying out the work, with Consarc Conservation Architects providing conservation architecture services to help ensure interventions follow heritage best practice. Jobs like this tend to live or die on coordination. Sequencing cleaning, repointing, and crack repairs matters when you are protecting carved stone, managing access around active public spaces, and keeping finishes consistent across old and new work.
The program also includes a cross-community outreach effort delivered by RAPID, North West Cultural Partnership, and Creggan Enterprises, with activities aimed at schools and community groups. Council officials said the combined approach is intended to conserve the structure while deepening public understanding of the district’s shared history.
Works at the Strabane War Memorial are expected to be completed by November 2026.
Read the full, original article from Strabane Weekly here.