Barrow Street Railway Shed
- This topic has 21 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 12 months ago by
Paul Clerkin.
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AuthorPosts
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July 28, 1999 at 12:17 pm #704645
Anonymous
Participanthttp://www.ireland.com/newspaper/letters/1999/0728/index.htm#5
Sir, – The recent screening by RTÉ television of the
documentary series Ironing the Land will have brought
Ireland’s rich railway heritage to the attention of many viewers.
It is therefore surprising that the imminent destruction of a
piece of our railway heritage has not generated comment,
particularly from organisations dedicated to the preservation of
that heritage.
Within the next few days the former engine shed of the Dublin
and South Eastern Railway at Barrow Street, Ringsend is
scheduled for demolition to make way for the development of
a DART station. A small portion of the shed wall is to be
incorporated into the structure of the new station.
The history of the Barrow Street engine shed is linked to the
history of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, opened on
December 17th, 1834, and arguably the world’s first
commuter railway. The trackwork of the original Dublin and
Kingstown Railway consisted of inverted T-section steel rails
secured to granite blocks which formed sleepers. Problems
with this method of construction led in 1839 to the
replacement of the trackwork using (by today’s standards)
more conventional materials.
In true Victorian tradition the material recovered from the
original trackwork was “recycled” and used in the construction
of the engine shed, which still stands at Barrow Street. The
columns used to support the roof of this building were formed
from the inverted Tsection rails while the walls were built using
the granite blocks. Indeed, it is still possible to see the holes in
the granite blocks where the rails were attached to the
sleepers.
The passing into oblivion of this piece of our railway heritage is
a matter of sadness. – Yours, etc.,
RICHIE MURRAY Turret Road, Palmerstown, Dublin
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July 28, 1999 at 1:43 pm #712603
Anonymous
ParticipantI’m afraid I don’t know of this building.
John
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July 29, 1999 at 10:28 am #712604
Anonymous
ParticipantIs it the stone one with “Barrow street engineering works” on the side of it? If so as you head south on the Dart from Pearse Station it is on the left just after the Grand Canal Basin.
RW
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September 15, 1999 at 1:27 pm #712605
MG
ParticipantI assume this has now been demolished….
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September 16, 1999 at 2:37 pm #712606
Anonymous
ParticipantYep,
Nowt but rubble.
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January 22, 2007 at 7:19 pm #712607
manifesta
ParticipantI’m assuming this is not the railway shed mentioned earlier in this ancient thread (seeing as it’s far from demolished… and about seven years later) but I was wondering what this shed is/was. Does anyone know?
It is in fact on the left (heading south of Pearse) just as you pass Grand Canal Basin… also quite visible from the Grand Canal DART platform, where this picture was snapped. The sign down on the locked gate on Barrow Street says IRISH RAIL PLANT DEPOT. If anyone knows what this building is, what the nature of the damage is (fire? neglect?) or how long it’s been standing there in all its gutted glory, I’d be interested.
Also, Archiseek Picture/Information Fairy, I wouldn’t mind a picture of the original stone shed with the ‘Barrow Street Engineering Works’ on the side, insight on how/if a wall of it was incorporated into the Grand Canal DART, more cool stuff about demolition and rebuilding on Barrow Street and oh yes, a pony. Thank you.
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January 22, 2007 at 9:06 pm #712608
GrahamH
ParticipantYes I wouldn’t mind a picture either if anyone has one 🙂
The above structure seems to be a typical 1950s concrete shed of column and sleeper construction, where horizontal bands were slotted down between the verticals like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Another example is on the Drumcondra Road near the Griffith Avenue Garda station, with its gable facing the road. This type of building always tends to make me uneasy – suppose they’re reminicent of wartime construction aren’t they: POW and even concentration camps…
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January 23, 2007 at 12:48 pm #712609
The Denouncer
ParticipantI work right beside this pime piece of land – what is replacing this, some skinny 32 storey wonder?
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January 23, 2007 at 2:04 pm #712610
ctesiphon
Participant@GrahamH wrote:
The above structure seems to be a typical 1950s concrete shed of column and sleeper construction, where horizontal bands were slotted down between the verticals like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Another example is on the Drumcondra Road near the Griffith Avenue Garda station
Spot on, Graham. As well as being typical of the mid-20th century, they were particularly associated with railways- I’ve seen examples in a few towns around the country, often converted to domestic garages when the associated railway lines were lifted as so often happened. Original functions included storage, offices and even occasionally waiting rooms on platforms- this construction type didn’t have a single purpose across the board.
From your pics, manifesta, it would appear that the damage was a combination of fire, neglect and probably some low level vandalism.Regarding the other query, I don’t have pictures of the old shed, nor do I remember it, I’m afraid.
But I do have a spare pony.
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January 24, 2007 at 1:14 am #712611
manifesta
ParticipantThanks for the insights, Graham and ctesiphon. Makes you wonder why they’d go to the trouble of demolishing something perfectly historic as a Victorian era engine shed while leaving this creepy old thing from the ’50s just next to it, left to rot. I can’t imagine it’s had much practical use lately, but I could be wrong. That said, I’d prefer this piece of dereliction instead of sticking in some glossy, inevitable high rise in its place. But then maybe I just like creepy, run-down inexplicable buildings.
If pictures aren’t available of the original shed, I wonder if there be any land surveys or maps that might show precisely where it might have lived before it was demolished. And if there’s any evidence at all in the new Grand Canal DART station of this original wall they claimed to preserve, it’s certainly scant evidence. Invisible, one might say. Unless I’m not looking closely enough… I’d love to be proven wrong on this one.
@ctesiphon wrote:
But I do have a spare pony.
Is it a bicycle? 😉
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January 24, 2007 at 11:44 am #712612
fergalr
Participant@manifesta wrote:
I’d prefer this piece of dereliction instead of sticking in some glossy, inevitable high rise in its place. But then maybe I just like creepy, run-down inexplicable buildings.
😀
Really? Are you by any chance a member of the Irish Georgian Society? -
January 24, 2007 at 5:32 pm #712613
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January 25, 2007 at 1:46 am #712614
ctesiphon
Participant@manifesta wrote:
Is it a bicycle? ]
Aye- the trusty old tubular nag. She was put out to grass about 6 months ago when I got a showjumper, but she’s still a dependable old girl in her own way. 🙂@manifesta wrote:
If pictures aren’t available of the original shed, I wonder if there be any land surveys or maps that might show precisely where it might have lived before it was demolished. And if there’s any evidence at all in the new Grand Canal DART station of this original wall they claimed to preserve, it’s certainly scant evidence. Invisible, one might say. Unless I’m not looking closely enough… I’d love to be proven wrong on this one.
As it was only demolished in 1999, according to RoryW above, there’s every chance it features on 1:1000 city maps from the late or mid-20th century. These show individual plot outlines and building footprints, but they don’t show detail of internal layouts. I’m not sure if these maps are available to buy, though libraries might have them.
I’ve never heard of the wall being retained- was this meant to be part of the station design? Is it supposed to be a feature in some way? I must confess I don’t know the station well at all- must have a look when I’m next passing.
One other thing: http://www.irishhistoricmaps.ie is the relatively new website fot the Ordnance Survey’s digitised historic maps, available for purchase rather than for free dwnload afaik. Might be of some use.
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January 25, 2007 at 7:16 pm #712615
Anonymous
Inactive@ctesiphon wrote:
Aye- the trusty old tubular nag. She was put out to grass about 6 months ago when I got a showjumper, but she’s still a dependable old girl in her own way. 🙂
ctesiphon, glad to hear that you still are getting the leg over….:)
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January 25, 2007 at 8:36 pm #712616
ctesiphon
ParticipantSiempre. 🙂
The new bike is my daily sidekick (I was going to say ‘daily ride’, but, well…), but the old girl still gets a whirl every so often.
ctesiphon (resisting all sorts of double entendres…:o ).
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February 9, 2007 at 12:54 pm #712617
The Denouncer
ParticipantAha. Looks like this is on the way down, lads out there in hardhats ripping bits off it at the mo.
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February 9, 2007 at 1:14 pm #712618
Anonymous
Inactive@ctesiphon wrote:
I’ve never heard of the wall being retained- was this meant to be part of the station design? Is it supposed to be a feature in some way? I must confess I don’t know the station well at all- must have a look when I’m next passing.
At the top of the steps, as you walk up to the station building there are two small metal structures, which as far as I know are from the original shed.
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February 9, 2007 at 2:30 pm #712619
ctesiphon
ParticipantThanks phil.
@The Denouncer wrote:
Aha. Looks like this is on the way down, lads out there in hardhats ripping bits off it at the mo.
Pics please!
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February 9, 2007 at 3:51 pm #712620
The Denouncer
ParticipantHmm they pulled down a ‘TO RENT’ sign and left it leaning against the side of the shed, then they disappeared
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February 9, 2007 at 3:53 pm #712621
ctesiphon
ParticipantMaybe it’s been let? 😀
Do keep us posted, please.
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February 9, 2007 at 6:17 pm #712622
The Denouncer
ParticipantSorry I meant ‘To Let’ – unless they were trying to hoist it up to be viewed from the DART somehow. But they were pulling bits off. What is replacing this and when is the work on the silo offices starting?
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February 9, 2007 at 7:54 pm #712623
Paul Clerkin
Keymasterthe Station Northern Boundary wall (beside future development site) between the entrance lift & the basin is in fact part of the old shed (retained to window height). The gaps in the wall where there is infill balustrade is in fact the old window openings.
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