The Short History Of Previous Pavilions

     This is the 149th year since the club was formed in 1859 although cricket has been played on the Mall since 1845.

     The first reference to a pavilion is in "Bassets Armagh" written in 1888 when he writes about Armagh Cricket Club and its pavilion. At that time the club was 27 years old, so this wooden building was the first. It was sited more towards St.Marks Walk side of the ground as a cinder path led over to it from that side.

     Thanks to the "Armagh Guardian" of April 1964 we have a brief description of the building as follows:      

    "The No. 1 building was an oblong wooden box which stood near to where the rugby corner flag is today. The front of the building consisted chiefly of three great doors hinged at the top which were pushed up to stand  supported by iron bars so as to form a roof of portico.

     The first pavilion was taken down some 23 years later to be replaced by pavilion No. 2. However, the first did not disappear completely for when it was taken down to be erected at the Royal School ground where it was in use for many years.

    In 1907 it was decided by the Mall Trustees that "the path from the cricket hut to the Mall walk opposite St. Marks Church be closed up and re-sodded and that the Committee of the Cricket Club be asked to have this done. . ."

    An application to the Trustees for permission to erect a cricket pavilion was received from Mr. C. L. Houston, Honorary Secretary of Armagh Cricket Club.

   Permission was granted on the 22nd April, 1911, subject to the Cricket Club Committee undertaking to remove the pavilion upon receiving three months notice to do so from the Trustees.

   When No. 2 pavilion was erected a path was opened from Mall West where it still is to this day but it was not until 1938 that the two stone pillars and gates were erected.

   This pavilion was to last for 53 years am I am sure it has many fond memories for the older generations of cricketers who have the privilege to play out of it.

   1964 saw the rugby and cricket clubs opening the third pavilion named after W. H. Dawson, who had been Captain of the Rugby and Cricket Club. It was his idea to build the pavilion but unfortunately he did not live to see his which come true.

    Guests at the opening included the legendary Fred Trueman, the Yorkshire and England cricketer and the great English Rugby Union star Richard Sharpe.

     The joint ownership was to last until the rugby club moved to their own Palace Grounds in the middle 1970s when the cricket club became outright owners.The pavilion was to survive bomb attacks which unfortunately became a feature of the 1970's and 1980's but it rendered great service to the club.

     By the mid-1980's it became obvious that No.3's time was sadly running out and members started to talk about replacement. 

    In 1993 everything was ready and a start was made to put in place the building we have today. The W. H. Dawson pavilion we have today was re-opened by Mike Gatting, the former England Captain and Captain of Middlesex and Desmond Haynes the West Indian opening batsman, also from Middlesex.