Zap the childrens shop – High Street

My earliest memories of High Street is with both sides pulled down or about to be for the new dual carriageway. I agree with Paul on the pram shop that it should be removed btw.

Primarily the central island seems to act as a refuge for pedestrians trying to cross the road. My sister works in Tailor’s Hall and the complete area is a nightmare for pedestrians, the traffic islands at Cornmarket are a warren, to cross the street involves about three traffic islands and 10 minutes.

I agree that removal of the central island, widening of pavements and planting of mature trees would be a definite improvement.

I remember the derelict buildings of Christchurch place from when I was younger. Does anybody remember a factory/warehouse where Jury’s Inn is now. It had “BE_AB__” on the side the _ indicate where the letters had fallen off – the font it was in was very 50s sort of like the old ESB lettering. Any answers to that one.

I also remember Wood Quay/Winetavern Street being just hoardings. Dublin was so grim then wasn’t it?

I remember the building which was located on the site of the current Jury’s Christvhurch. A quite horrible 1950’s building that for its last years (or certainly all I remember) was derelict. Beside it was the site of the vehicle imound lot – amazing to think they the Corpo sited this opposite the oldest building in Dublin!

Anyway, don’t remember the letters on the building but its image is ingrained in my head – I always thought it was awful even as a child and was quite relieved when Jury’s replaced it (bad as it is, it was a whole lot better!).

The building resembled the ugly Corpo offices right beside the Fitzsimons hotel on the quays.

I’m amazed that the Pram Shop inspires such hatred. I think it’s kinda cute, and a hangover from Old Dublin. I’d love to see it preserved in some fashion, while every modern building on High St is reduced to rubble. Am I simple contrary?

On this note, does anyone have an old pictures of the area? (High St, Christchurch Place, etc). I’m now living on Castle St, and would love to know how the area looked years ago. I’d be specially curious to see pictures of where Jury’s now stands, and also if any exist of Archbishop Usher’s house, where the Castle Inn now is (I believe it was only knocked down in the 40s, after remaining their for 500 years).

Cheers,

P.

Thanks for the directions, notjim.

If this isn’t the right place, it can be moved yes?

I started a bit of a file on High Street in the early 90s, when I hadn’t much else to do, and I just found it again under something, so before I loose it again, here are some of the photographs I had accumulated.

High Street c. 1975. The four bay building on the left is the ‘Bedding Manufacturer’ from the earlier (How well do you know Dublin) pic.

Aerial view of the same terrace from c. 1984

@notjim wrote:

. . so true to a folkish religion knotted up in quotidian demands of secular life.

I was just going to say that!

Here’s another photograph of the east end of High Street in 1963 with, if I’m not mistaken, ctesiphon’s dad on his bike off to buy icecream for the chizzlers in the local shop.

That was the way they used to do scaffolding newgrange, back in the day. Floor joists would be taken out, put on edge and stuck out the windows, the inside end wedged under the floor above and out you went, with your life in your hands.

The date of that one is slightly wrong, must have been late 1964 at the earliest, because there is a firm date of Sept. 1964 on this Paddy Healy photograph of the same houses from the top of Nicholas Street showing no. 3 High Street (the house with the scaffolding) still intact while the rest of the street looks like a bomb hit it.

Apologies for adding a couple of years onto ctesiphon’s dad.