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PERRY, JAMES
- Born: 1845 Died: 1906
County surveyor for Roscommon and the western district of Co. Galway. James Perry was born at Garvagh, Co. Derry, on 7 September 1845 and, after attending the local national school, studied engineering at Queen's College, Belfast, and the Royal College of Science, Dublin, graduating from Queen's with first-class honours in 1873. He gained practical experience in the workshops of the Belfast and County Down Railway and on water-supply schemes in Beirut and Belfast. In 1877 he was appointed county surveyor of Roscommon and in 1882 was transferred to the western district of Galway,(1) where he remained until his death.
Perry also ran a private engineering practice in Galway. In 1888, with his brother John Perry, FRS, Professor of Mechanics and Mathematics at the Royal College of Science, London, and another partner, he built an electric power station at Galway for private consumers. The partners, who formed themselves into a limited company in 1897 with James Perry as managing director and chief engineer, carried out the lighting of the city in 1905. Perry foresaw correctly that the use of gas for lighting was 'on its deathbed'.(2)
Perry died after a brief illness at his house, Wellpark, Galway, on 28 November 1906, and was buried in the city cemetery. He was married to Martha, née Park, who was Scottish. After his death his daughter ALICE JACQUELINE PERRY acted as county surveyor(3) until April 1907, when his successor, PATRICK JOSEPH PRENDERGAST , took over. His pupils and assistants included JAMES PARSONS BURKITT , WILLIAM WRIGHT LARMOR and DAVID MEGAW.
Perry and his wife are commemorated in a plaque which was erected in the Presbyterian church in Galway by Alice Perry (Mrs Shaw) in 1968.(4)
Inst.CE: elected member 6 December 1892.
RSAI: elected member, 6 May 1895.(5)
Address: Home: Wellpark, Galway, 1895.(6)
See WORKS.
References
All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from the obituary of Perry in Min.Proc.Inst.CE 149 (1906-7, Pt. III), 392-3. Another obituary (not seen) is in JRSAI 37 (1907), 104.
(1) B.O'D.
(2) B.O'D.
(3) IB 48, 15 Dec 1906, 989.
(4) Irish Times, 27 Nov 1968 (information from Brendan O'Donoghue, 2015).
(5) JRSAI 25 (1895), 189.
(6) See note 3, above.
14 work entries listed in chronological order for PERRY, JAMES
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Building: | CO. ROSCOMMON, ROSCOMMON, ABBEY STREET, COUNTY COURT HOUSE (1882, TEMPORARY) |
Date: | 1882 |
Nature: | Temporary court house erected after old court house destroyed fire in June 1882. Replaced by permanent court house designed by Christopher J. Mulvany, 1883. |
Refs: | Roscommon Messenger, 18 Oct 1919 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, CLIFDEN, WATERWORKS |
Date: | 1895 |
Nature: | Contractor: W. Baird, Dublin (£1163.3s.4d) |
Refs: | IB 37, 15 Apr,15 May 1895, 100,131 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, COURTHOUSE SQUARE, COUNTY COURT HOUSE |
Date: | 1895;1897 |
Nature: | New iron roofs, 1895. Contractor: Pearson & Co. (£280). Alts. and adds. to provide accommodation for jurors and witnesses and public offices, 1897.. |
Refs: | IB 37, 1 Jun 1895, 134; 39, 1 Aug 1897, 150 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, TAYLOR'S HILL, DOMINICAN CONVENT |
Date: | 1896-1901 |
Nature: | 4-storey addition, to be used as girls' boarding school, linked to existing buildings. Contractor: J. Costello (£8653). Opened Sep 1901. |
Refs: | IB 38, 1 May 1896, 101; 39, 15 Jan 1897, 20; Irish Cathlic Directory (1827), 43(illus.); Sister Rose O'Neill, OP, A Rich Inheritance: Galway Dominican Nuns 1664-1994 (1996?), 124-9(illus.) |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, ABBEY (LOUGHREA), DISPENSARY & DOCTOR'S RESIDENCE |
Date: | 1897 |
Nature: | New. |
Refs: | IB 39, 15 Feb 1897, 42 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, COURTHOUSE SQUARE, COUNTY COURT HOUSE |
Date: | 1897 |
Nature: | Alts. & adds. to provide accommodation for jurors and witnesses and public offices. |
Refs: | IB 39, 1 Aug 1897, 150 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, ROUNDSTONE, WATER SUPPLY |
Date: | 1900 |
Nature: | Reservoir to supply Roundstone, for Clifden RDC. |
Refs: | IB 42, 1,15 Jul 1900, 404,425 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, CLIFDEN, UNION WORKHOUSE |
Date: | 1900 |
Nature: | Imps. Contractor: McWilliams. |
Refs: | IB 42, 1 Jan 1900, 226 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, WATERWORKS |
Date: | 1902 |
Nature: | New waterworks scheme. |
Refs: | IB 44, 17 Jul 1902, 1330; 45, 26 Feb 1903, 1620; 46, 16 Jan 1904, 28; B 85, 24 Oct 1903, 418 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, OUGHTERARD, UNION WORKHOUSE |
Date: | 1902 |
Nature: | Repairs, alts. & imps to fever hospital., for Guardians. |
Refs: | IB 44, 27 Mar 1902, 1088 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, ARAN ISLANDS, KILRONAN, PUBLIC LAVATORY |
Date: | 1903 |
Nature: | Latrine on pier, for Galway RDC. |
Refs: | IB 45, 8 Oct 1903, 2026 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, KINVARA, HARBOUR |
Date: | 1904 |
Nature: | New works. |
Refs: | IB 46, 7 May 1904, 326 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, OUGHTERARD, WATERWORKS |
Date: | 1905 |
Nature: | Imps., enclosing wells. For Oughterard RDC. |
Refs: | IB 47, 7 Oct 1905, 714 |
Building: | CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, EYRE SQUARE, NORTH GATE |
Date: | 1905 |
Nature: | Erection of old Browne doorway at same. With W.N. Burns, BE.. |
Refs: | IB 47, 3 Jun 1905, 386 |