Re: Re: How We Built Britain: Dublin

Yes it was a disappointing segment alright. All the locations were given equal weight on their website, but clearly not on screen. Most peculiar of all was that none of the great squares or streets were shown. Indeed we barely got a shot of a decent terrace: just isolated images of fanlights and some of the more hokey doorcases. Nothing short of extraordinary, especially given it’s what the city is most celebrated for and the IGS were consulted for the programme, and were no doubt visited on Merrion Square.

The overall impression generated was that of a very fast-paced city, littered with roadworks for some reason, and choked with traffic, pedestrian and vechicular, which I suppose it is – the principal streets anyway. Also, because only Henrietta Street was featured, and it was noted that ‘some remnants’ have survived like the Custom House and Four Courts, the impression was given that the entire Georgian city has been allowed fall into the state of Henrietta – certainly the image I’d take away as an outsider, which is a shame.

Had to laugh at the featuring of Government Buildings – you could have betted a fortune on its inclusion given the standard of research that went into this piece. Otherwise there were some nice parts and observations. What really hit home though is just how rare Henrietta Street is on an international level as a street of largely unrestored ancient mansions. It is on a par with these incredible derelict palaces or eastern European townhouses you sometimes happen upon on websites. We’re just so used to the street we don’t realise how unique it is. Oddly the shameful attitude of neglect taken towards the street over the years has actually made it of additional interest. The fact that it stands in the middle of a western, wealthy, developed city is all the more bizarre.