The project restored The Rowan monument - an industrial heritage monument, removing all vegetation, repointing and consolidating eroded carved details. The inscribed plaque was repaired and repainted, missing sections of the enclosing walls were replaced, and a new granite plinth and iron railings constructed.
The Rowan monument is dedicated to John Rowan, an engineer and inventor born in Doagh in 1787 and who died in 1858. Rowan established a well known foundry in Doagh which fabricated iron implements, field gates, ornate entrances and the like. He later set up an agricultural machinery and boiler-making business in Belfast. He is perhaps best known for designing and building a steam coach which he drove through Belfast on 1st January 1836 leading to claims by some that this was the first motor car.
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