Re: Re: ‘Dutch Billys’
Wouldn’t it just. Indeed an entire city survey for that matter, piecing together all surviving fragments and documentary evidence as an establishing baseline study. There’s a couple of hours whiled away for ya gunter, allbeit minus the €120k.
I agree that both Mary Street and Queen Street are sadly dubious cases (you can throw Dame Street into that category too for what it’s worth). Although in the case of Queen Street, quite why you would build such an ugly structure with actual intent is not entirely clear. Perhaps it’s a thorough rebuild of a Billy where like with modern-day replacement plastic windows, a tenuous element of reproduction is incorporated for the sake of reassuring continuity – in this case the clustered central windows are the dodgy plastic glazing bars of the 1870s.
So many interesting earlier postings there – Mountrath a gem! And an interesting point raised by Phil regarding facadisim (we won’t go down that road again), but it does indeed appear we have been at it a long time in this city. I suppose the central difference today however is that erecting a reproduction facade on a modern-framed building aspires to a much greater level of ‘deception’ than the make-do-and-mend improving efforts carried out on Billies. Conversely, reinstating a Billy facade on a thoroughly altered former Billy such as those of Thomas Street is a move of great integrity and arguably the easiest of all decisions to make in the reproduction debate.
Good to see South Frederick Street posted – saves me having to upload my pics :). Is it disturbing I’m now getting excited every time I encounter a downpipe serving a low outlet in a parapet? This was very helpful in identifying South Frederick houses that aren’t easily visible from the rear. Also now that the PDs are ordering in the parcel tape, one doubts many of them will miss their stunning early Georgian scalloped chimneypiece in their front room mounted on a corner chimneybreast. It’s well worth a gawk in their window if anyone hasn’t seen it already. An extremely rare survivor.
I have been Billy hunting about Dublin over the past while and hope to post some pictures soon – some known and one perhaps not (and right slap bang in the midst of one of the main streets of the city). Also, MSN Live Search Maps should be renamed Billy Camâ„¢. A purpose-designed program if ever there was one.
