Lurgan is a prosperous and flourishing manufacturing town in the north-east corner of the County Armagh. It is situated twenty miles S.W. from the city of Belfast, on the line of the Great Northern Railway, and a mile and a-half south from Lough Neagh. The population of Lurgan, according to the last census, was 11.447. The correctness of these figures have been often questioned, the general belief being that the population is over 15,000. The annual valuation of rateable property in the township amounts to £24,372 10s, which is an increase of £1,091 on the valuation of last year, and the township is rapidly increasing in extent and value, many new streets having been opened during the past year. In the year 1831 the population of Lurgan was 3,760 and the rateable property was then £5,578, and since that time both the population and valuation has almost quadrupled.

The municipal affairs of Lurgan are managed by a Board of fifteen Commissioners, incorporated under the Towns Improvement Act of 1854, and the general cleanly appearance of the streets are evidence of the fostering care of the Municipal Board. The town is not picturesque in its appearance, but its fine open main street, particularly from the Church to High Street, is a very observable feature in its construction and formation. The elegance of the old Market House, the last of the ancient buildings which stood in the centre of Market Street, and were known as the Middle Row, has added much to the prospect of the central thoroughfare, in addition to the increased street accommodation available for fairs and markets, the former being held on the second Thursday of each month, and the markets every Thursday. The market and fair are improving, and though the Main street is very wide, it is taxed to its upmost, particularly on the days that the fair and market are held together.

An unlimited supply of pure water is now obtained from Lough Neagh, the intake being at Castor Bay, on the south-east of the lake. The new works were opened in 1894, and in point of modern perfection they are pronounced to be second to none in the United Kingdom. The advantages of the water supply for domestic purposes is considerably enhanced, considering the facilities afforded to many industries for their development in the interests of the town.

Brownlow House and demesne, some 500 acres in extent, being now in the hands of a local syndicate, increased building accommodation has been provided, and desirable improvements are expected in the near future. Lurgan may be said to be the cradle of the Irish cambric industry, and to the success and skill of its inhabitants and those of the surrounding villages in the fine linen and damask manufacture, and in later years the handkerchief hemstitching and finishing business, is to be attributed the onward progress of the town, many individuals engaged in these industries having accumulated princely fortunes. Among the many in industrial centres in Lurgan are the extensive power-loom weaving factories of Mr. James Malcolm, D.L.; The Lurgan Weaving Company, Ltd., Messrs. Johnston, Allen & Co., and the manufacturing concerns of Messrs. Robert Watson & Sons, John Douglas & Son, Samuel A. Bell & Co., Mathers and Bunting, John Ross & Co., McCaughey & Co., James Clendinning & Sons, Richardson, Sons & Owden, John S. Brown and Sons, Joseph Murhy & Co., and the hemstitching factories of the Lurgan Hemming and Veining Company, John Ross & Co., Faloon & Co., James B. Hanna, J. Maxwell & Co., Murphy & Stevenson, Mercer & Brown, James Clendinning & Sons, Johnston, Allen & Co., McConnell & Searight, and Hill Street Sewing Factory.

The Banking Companies represented in Lurgan are the Ulster, the Northern, and the Belfast, each establishment having a branch office. The Church of Ireland, standing in the centre of the town, is a large and commodious Gothic structure, and has a fine peal of eight bells, in addition to an illuminated clock, which from its commanding position, is visible from a long distance. There is also a handsome and spacious Church of Ireland Mission Hall and Schoolhouse in John Street. There are, besides Lurgan College and the Model School, a large number of National Schools available for instruction, two of these being in immediate connection with St. Peter’s Church and St. Joseph’s Convent. There are also commodious houses of worship for Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and Society of Friends, the Salvation Army, and Plymouth Brethren. The Town Hall is in Union Street, and contains an Assembly Hall, with platform and foot lights; a minor hall above large hall, and in the basement are the Town Clerk’s Office and the Free Library and Museum, the Newsroom, and Amusement Room being highly appreciated by working men. The Mechanics’ Institute is a handsome structure, situate at the corner of Market Street and Union Street, and adjoins the Town Hall. In this building the Masonic body meet. A new Masonic Hall and a commodious Orange Hall will soon be added to the number of public buildings. In connection with the institute there is a billiard-room and a well-equipped reading-room and library.

The Petty Sessions are held in the County Courthouse on the first and third Tuesday of every month, the district embracing what was formerly the Waringstown Petty Sessions district of County Down. The Quarter Sessions for the northern portion of the County Armagh are also held four times a year in the County Building, William Street. In the Autumn of last year the Lurgan Town Commissioners completed the erection of an ornamental public fountain in commemoration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The memorial structure, which is of chaste and ornate design, is composed of bronze metal castings, and is in the centre of Church Place. Four very handsome globe-headed gas lamps-one on each corner of the base-enhance the beauty and attractiveness of the memorial, and the entire erection is worthy of the proverbial loyalty of the Lurgan people, and the great and auspicious event it is intended to commemorate.