Dublinspirations
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Did anyone notice on that pic that there is only a two story building to the left of where tha present-day Ulster Bank stands?!!!
Could it be the projecting entrance bit of a higher building? I must look at some other old Coll Gn photos & see if I can see…
Had a look at that group of three trees on their own outside Fox’s/Thomas Cook’s – they’re nice; – they could definitely stay if everything else was to be removed. All of the trees in College Green now are indispensable to ameliorate the awfulness of the traffic, but could all be disposed of with major traffic calming (except perhaps for the three mentioned).
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Also, in these winter/summer views (albeit winter a few years ago), notice the difference trees in bloom make to the view of the House of Lords/BoI portico from College Street.
What view? 🙂
I’ve always been of two minds about those trees – from under the BoI looking over I think Moore looks great under the canopy now they’ve been trimmed back – with the sun dappling down through. But then this view of the portico from College St is completely wrecked by them…Here’s a couple of other pics, first from the 1880s, showing the newly installed lampposts with incadescent fittings evident:
(As well a replacement one-storey building shown a little more clearly)
Also a pic from just a few weeks ago – look at that ghastly signage. College Green really is a shambles in terms of the amount of street furniture, and its quality, and that of the paviong and road surfaces which are appalling. It is strange how such an important place in the city is still in a 70s time-warp.
@Devin wrote:
Could it be the projecting entrance bit of a higher building? I must look at some other old Coll Gn photos & see if I can see…
Had a look at that group of three trees on their own outside Fox’s/Thomas Cook’s – they’re nice]http://img83.echo.cx/img83/1935/90s2a8wa.jpg[/IMG]
Also, in these winter/summer views (albeit winter a few years ago), notice the difference trees in bloom make to the view of the House of Lords/BoI portico from College Street.
What is most striking to me about those images is the lack of the two concrete lamp-posts on front of the facade of what is now the Westin. I remember these being discussed before by Graham Hickey? Anyway, unless I am imagining it, it would seem that they were replaced with lamps resembling earlier styles!
They were yes – that’s what that thread was about!
It seems they were put there directly as a result of the Westin’s restoration – to ‘fit in’ with the heritage look on that side of the street.
College St now has a completely disjointed public lighting scheme – 30s lampposts on one side, 2003 silver replicas on the other, and 80s ulititarian tat at the top in front of the BoI!Yes, that one is gone, isn’t it? The bastards – they’ve been slyly removing them here and there & replacing them with fake muck…three also dissappeared from O’Connell Bridge at around the same time; one each on the pavement near the south quays, and one directly outside the ICS building.
There’s one remaing on the Westin side of College St., near the D’Olier St cnr, three on the other side of College St. & two on D’Olier St. (six altogether).
I’ve been gathering some info and pics about these lampposts and others in the city centre – hope to have something soon…
Sorry Phil, I had my screen brightness down low cos it’s burning my eyes, but there are actually TWO concrete Art Deco lamps there…even worse!! 😡 They once lined O’Connell/D’Olier/Westmoreland/College Streets & around into College Gn. a bit too. Most of them seem to have been removed in the early ’80s. They were priceless & should never have been touched 😡 😡 .
Agreed – I think they look particularly well in this area, a little enclave of posts 🙂
These were one of my first memories of the city, coming over a bridge and then ‘those’ lampposts and ‘that black building’ (facade of Trinty’s accomodation block) – combined they scared the hell out of me for some reason, they just looked really sinister and frightening 😮Annnnyway, the remaining ones shouldn’t be touched, indeed they need to be restored. Fitted out with bright halogen bulbs they’d be much more effective at lighting the streets than most of the stock at the moment.
Here’s one of those two replica posts going in in 2003:
On the subject of the trees in College Green… those trees really need to be removed from BOI.
This pic that I posted in the O’C thread will show how intrusive they are. It’s impossible to get a decent picture of BOI present day. The clutter!
‘Fraid it won’t be happening for quite a while…..’til major traffic calming is worked out for the Gn.
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Whatever about the removal of the majority of these in the early ’80s, the removal of several as recently as 5 years ago is totally unacceptable. And it begs the question; what did they do with them after removal? Are they being carefully stored or were they just smashed up? Does their concrete construction mean removal inevitably results in chipping/breakage to the lamps, preventing re-use? Any which way, removing them was a prime example of official cultural vandalism.
Graham, I look forward to the info you’ve gathered on lamps in the city centre (‘got some of my own too). Where will it be going, a new thread or an existing one?
To replace those lamps with reproduction ‘heritage’ lamps displays a very warped sense of history. I wonder should we question the CC about where they went to?
On one level it is warped indeed, but I think it is important to note that these silver lampposts are much more than just heritage pieces of furniture: they are as much a part of Dublin as red telephone boxes are to London. And I presume that in some areas of that city brand new boxes have also been installed over the years in places where needed not because they’re olde worlde, but because they embody the city in a manner like nothing else.
Likewise in Dublin, in fairness to the City Council, the erection of these lampposts in appropriate places is generally executed in this spirit rather than in that of a yearning for the days of yore as is generally the case with pastiche concoctions.
Saying that, there is absolutely no defence for what has happened on College Street and D’Olier Street – they were/are the last remnants of a piece of street furniture once seen all over the city centre and ought to be/have been preserved in situ, and as a complete entity.That’s a great pic you posted there Devin, I never noticed that very fine curved detail on the side elevation of the arches before – very Art Deco.
Note all the dirt accumulated on the floor of the lamps 🙂With the Port Tunnel set to open in a few months time and the end of the HGV nightmare on the City Centre Quays how much attention will the main Chapter of this report receive does the forum think?
you won’t see the attention to detail necesary to bring improvements in dublin unless you had a minister for dublin , or a mayor with some power , or a council that could tax you to some degree
@Morlan wrote:
A few more bins and seats on the quays. Job done.
Rofl:D
Dublinspirations is an excellent publication + one that An Taisce should rightfully be proud of.
Since the boardwalk has been constructed, I reckon theres a case to be made that the river side foot path should be removed, which would then mean that the path in front of the shops and buildings could be doubled in width: Any takers?
Unfortunately, to get back to TP’s point, I would guess that 90% of vehicluar traffic along the quays is not HGV. That traffic is likely not only to remain, but thanks to this governments crap car-favoured policies, is in fact probably going to get worse 😡
Sorry to piss on the parade 🙁
H
@hutton wrote:
Since the boardwalk has been constructed, I reckon theres a case to be made that the river side foot path should be removed, which would then mean that the path in front of the shops and buildings could be doubled in width: Any takers?
Interesting idea. The boardwalk should be raised to the same height as the footpath. As it stands, it is not overlooked and leaves passers by in fear that they will be mugged. Nothing unique to Dublin; if you venture down for a stroll by the banks of the Tiber, you are at risk from Italian toilet-traders and the like.
Yes that is an interesting idea. I would favour simply pedestrianising the entire length of the liffey north and south , with one lane kept for buses.
Although alot of planting would be needed to make the liffey a nice place to be . !! ! it is usually very windy due to the tunnelling effect of the buildings either side of it , in my experience.
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