Re: Re: ‘Dutch Billys’

@Devin wrote:

I don’t have time for writing detailed reports for internet boards at the moment, most of which would anyway just be reiterating material put forward in the last numerous pages of this thread and the Thomas Street thread about the absence of any real evidence for this building type, the lack of stylistic precedents anywhere, its unlikeliness as a style, the holes in the evidence for the claimed examples etc.

An associate of mine who might be described as ‘a significant heritage figure’ (beware of credentialism) agrees with me on the twin gable issue.

As a matter of interest, what does Peter Walsh – significant authority on Dutch gable architecture in Dublin that he is – think?

So you have an ‘associate’ who is a ‘significant heritage figure’, that’s nice:), I had the feeling that your obstinancy was being propped up by someone else’s ignorance.

Devin, of course twin-Billys existed, everyone else knows this, Peter Walsh was the one who first brought the existence of close-coupled twin pedimented gables on larger houses and pairs of houses to public attention with his ‘Dutch Billys’ article in Elgy Gillespie’s book; ‘The Liberties’ in 1973. These are the stylistic precedent for the twin gables on standard-width houses that you’re ignoring.

The evidence for the original triple gabled design of 33 Molesworth Street [Lisle house] is pretty much beyond dispute, the house next door at no. 34 had twin roofs exactly matching the detail at Lisle, only in miniature. Are you seriously suggesting that whereas no. 33 was a certain triple-Billy, no. 34 was not a twin-Billy?

I’ll look around for the copies of photographs of no. 34 before it was shamefully demolished and replaced by the present lame piece of pastiche, but in the meantime, just to enrage you further:), I’ll post up a conjectural reconstruction of Molesworth Street in it’s original form.

The suggested reconstruction of no. 35 is slightly more tenuous, but I can set out the case for it if you like. The original large mansion of the Earl of Rosse, at nos 29 – 31, was demolished and replaced by the present three Georgian houses early in the 19th century and I don’t know of any evidence for it’s original appearance – – – – – so naturally I’ve given it three gables.;)