Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland - Esplanade - Reis postcard c.1905

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Esplanade, Bray, Co. Wicklow
• Publisher:  Chas. L. Reis & Co., Dublin, Belfast & Glasgow
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Bray (Irish: Bré, meaning ""hill"", formerly Brí Chualann) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,872 making it the ninth largest urban area in Ireland as of the 2011 census.^[1] It is situated about 20 km (12 mi) south of Dublin on the east coast.

Bray is the location of some industry, is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail, is a shopping town for the surrounding area, and still attracts tourists, particularly from Dublin at weekends. The town straddles the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the northern suburbs situated in County Dublin. Bray is the location of Ireland's only dedicated film studios, Ardmore Studios.

The name of the town means hill or rising ground, possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the Dargle Bridge to Vevay Hill.

In medieval times, Bray was on the border of the coastal district, governed directly by the English crown from Dublin Castle, known as the Pale. Inland, the countryside was under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. Bray features on the 1598 map ""A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles"" by Abraham Ortelius as ""Brey"". (It is worth noting the ""O Byrne"" name appearing prominently on the map). In August or September 1649 Oliver Cromwell is believed to have stayed in Bray on his way to Wexford from Dublin.^{[citation needed]} During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bray was still a small fishing village, but during the latter part of the 18th century, the Dublin middle classes began to move to Bray to escape city life, while still being relatively close to the city. The Earl of Meath purchased the Kilruddery estate in Bray in 1627 with the establishment of the Earl title, the heir apparent is the present holder's only son, Anthony Jacques Brabazon, Lord Ardee (born 1977).^{[citation needed]}

The Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1854. With the railway, the town grew to become the largest Irish seaside resort. Five years after the building of the railway, Turkish baths were also built in Bray in an extravagant Moorish style at a cost of £10,000; these met an end after a turbulent century of business when the demolition squad arrived in 1980.^[2] The outbreak of World War II put the industry 'on hold' for its duration. However, during the 1950s tourists from Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland returned to Bray in great numbers to escape the austerity of post-war rationing. The town's career as a resort declined from the 1960s onwards when foreign travel became an option for large numbers of people.^{[citation needed]}

Thousands of people flocked to the seafront to see Olympic boxing champion Katie Taylor, the town's most famous Sportsperson, return home from London in August 2012.^[3]

The River Dargle which enters the sea at the north end of Bray rises from a source near Kippure, in the Wicklow Mountains. Bray Head is situated at the southern end of the famous Victorian promenade with paths leading to the summit and along the sea cliffs. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartzite. The large concrete cross at the summit provides a notable llandmark on the east coast and is a major attraction for locals and visitors.

The town is situated on the coast; Shankill, County Dublin lies to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow to the south. The picturesque village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.

Bray is governed by a town council (called an urban district before the Local Government Act 2001). Part of the northern Bray area lies within the local authority area of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, despite its seamless integration with the rest of the town. The border between County Wicklow and County Dublin lies along Old Conna/Corke Abbey, thereby making all areas north of that point Bray, County Dublin.

Bray is one of the few town councils to have twelve members in recognition of its size. Like Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda, Bray also uses a ward system. The area around the Southern Cross Road to the south of Bray is not included in the area governed by Bray Town Council, but by Wicklow County Council. The town itself is part of the Bray Local Electoral Area for elections to Wicklow County Council which elects 7 councillors.

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: british

sub-theme=england

county/ country=wicklow

number of items=single

period=pre - 1914

postage condition=unposted