Loop Line Bridge – specifically the ads…
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As far as I know, the Loop bridge is a listed structure, though that doesn’t mean very much if the minister decrees it in the “national interest” to get rid of it.
I do think that if the advertising were removed from the bridges crossing the Liffey, Beresford Place, Gardiner Street and Amiens Street, and suitable illumination added, the result could be amazing.
But let’s face it, no-one alive has been around to witness the custom house from O’Connell Bridge, and the skyline has totally changed in the last hundred years with the SIPTU tower and the IFSC looming over it from all sides. If the loop line was removed, it still wouldn’t be that much of a view. I think the loop line is part of the city’s charm, and while a rail tunnel is proposed, it is to complement the loop line not replace it.
“The Loop Line is part of the city’s charm”
Suffering Mother of the Divinity, I’ve heard it all now 😀
so come on sue, the loop line bridge blocks the view of the river and is covered in ads, apart from that, what’s wrong with it? i think its a fine handsome victorian bridge typical of the great age of railway engineering and as good as anything that could replace it.
apart from that, what’s wrong with it? This is like the “what did the Romans ever do for us” Monty Python sketch.
So, ok, apart from the fact that the bridge is an eyesore and in the wrong place, what’s wrong with it? Er, well, that’s about it actually. Oh and it’s a big hulk of horrible metal that is about as “designed” as a Bertie Ahern interview
The point is, it shouldn’t be there. The shortest distance between Pearse Street and Connolly station is just below the Custom House. Then there’d be no Loop at all…good grief – look at the bridges in cities like San Francisco, New York, even Newcastle, we’ve to make do with the Loop Line and then we’re told, sure, it has its own charm. This is more nonsensical nostalgia – the only reason why people like it is because it’s been there so bloody long. 😡
@Sue wrote:
apart from that, what’s wrong with it? This is like the “what did the Romans ever do for us” Monty Python sketch.
So, ok, apart from the fact that the bridge is an eyesore and in the wrong place, what’s wrong with it? Er, well, that’s about it actually. Oh and it’s a big hulk of horrible metal that is about as “designed” as a Bertie Ahern interview
The point is, it shouldn’t be there. The shortest distance between Pearse Street and Connolly station is just below the Custom House. Then there’d be no Loop at all…good grief – look at the bridges in cities like San Francisco, New York, even Newcastle, we’ve to make do with the Loop Line and then we’re told, sure, it has its own charm. This is more nonsensical nostalgia – the only reason why people like it is because it’s been there so bloody long. 😡
Keeping approx. 40,000 private cars out of the city centre every rush hour is a very small price to pay for blocking the view of the customs house from the “An Lar” perspective.
I agree it would look at lot better with the ads off and a lick of paint like the Westland Row bridge, but it can’t be replaced as the DART in the whole scheme of things is far more important to the city’s lifeblood than a single angle view of the Customs House being ruined.
The only radical and expensive way out in future would be to build a new bridge which allows a better view of this very nice building, but I would wager that more tourists and everybody else in Dublin makes greater use of the DART, than gets depressed they cannot take a photo of the Customs House from the vantage point of a tacky amusement arcade.
I would rather have 80,000 people every day viewing the CH as they get to work and home from a DART train, rather than viewing it from their private car windows on Butt and Matt Talbot Bridges. We have to make a compromise, and in order to keep most sucessful element of our public transport network running, a nice view of pretty building being ruined from one single angle is not such a bad compromise really.
It looks fab from all the other angles and from the DART, BTW.
you still haven’t explained what’s wrong with it. the loop line is not going to move, so we need a bridge there. the loop line bridge is made of metal, yes, but apart from that, what’s not to like? if we are to have new bridges, lets have new crossings.
As I say, there’s nobody alive who’s seen the Custom House without the Loop Bridge. It’s a part of our city’s landscape whether we like it or not. I think we all agree the ads are horrible and have to go, but once that’s done, there’s some pretty decent Victorian ironwork which, with a lick of paint and some nice lights could look spectacular.
After that I’d look at whether anything can be done to make the overhead line supports fit in better with the burdge. I’ve sure the Victorians must have had some beautiful wrought iron tramline supports that could be copied.
I disagree that it blocks the view of the river. I grew up with the DART, and for me the loop line is the view of the river. It is the best vantage most people get of the river, and can look fantastic from a train in the early evening sun.
To say ‘just a single angle’ regarding the Custom House is not acknowledging the significance of it. It is the angle, the very view Gandon took into account when designing it. It’s that perfectly composed picture created, with the building at that raking angle sitting on the slight bend in the river that makes it so important, and makes the presence of the Loop Line so unfortunate, not to mention the open views lost out to the rest of the city and the sea – although admitedly the usually attractive IFSC does not look good piling up behind it.
I doubt any bridge of that height, with piers can appropriately open up the city to the east and the view of the Custom House. What limited benefits that are dervived from a new bridge I think would equalled with the refurbishment of the existing bridge, which has the added benefit of being a fine bit of Victorian engineering – yes okay the charm of being old – or rather, being of its time.
Either remove the bridge entirely or keep a restored Loop Line.@Graham Hickey wrote:
To say ‘just a single angle’ regarding the Custom House is not acknowledging the significance of it. It is the angle, the very view Gandon took into account when designing it. It’s that perfectly composed picture created, with the building at that raking angle sitting on the slight bend in the river that makes it so important, and makes the presence of the Loop Line so unfortunate, not to mention the open views lost out to the rest of the city and the sea – although admittedly the usually attractive IFSC does not look good piling up behind it..
I can respect this, but how many Dubliners are losing sleep over this?
The fact is that people need to get to work and the city’s need to move and create wealth takes precedence over any nice view of a building being ruined. Dublin is a living city, it needs to function as a city and work as a city first and foremost. If it can do this and be visually attractive at the same time this is great.
But the loop line blocking the Customs House is not a major issue for Dubliners and nor should it be. Getting to work while preventing the city from having a Manila type traffic problem very much is a major issue in Dublin. Perhaps THE major issue in 21st Century Dublin so why get hung up on 18th Century aesthetics?
The fact is (and I am not trying to be condescending here) but the Loop Line will be there long after we are all dead and buried. It’s far too important to Dublin.
The 18th Century view of the Customs House being blocked from one angle is somewhat of a throw-back to a Dublin city which does not exsists anymore. Demanding the loop line being removed is akin to these people in East Wall who march around with “No Skyscrapers Here” placards. Have they really thought about the consequences and the reality.
The city no longer revolves along the Parnell Street-Stephens Green axis with O’Connell Bridge being visited by every citizen during the course of their day and if anything the city is moving organically more towards the east of the Customs House. The visual obstruction caused by the Loop Line will not be a significant factor that it once was because east of Matt Talbot Bridge will/is now longer be warehouses and industrial wastelands.
Dublin is a 21st City with 21st dynamics so why get hung up on 18th views. The loop line in the whole scheme of things is far more important to Dublin than the Customs House. The CH could be bulldozed tomorrow and the impact upon our city would be almost nothing. Take away the Loop Line and the city ceases to function. Altuistic leanings aside, Dublin need 21st transport much more than 18th Century vistas. I don’t see Peter Marks offering powdered wigs to their customers either.
At the end of the day it comes down to making do the best we can and to be pragmatic as well as sensitive to the cityscape take down the ads on the Loop Line and paint up the iron work in a tastefull manner is the best we are going to get.
We all want a beautiful city, but we need a functioning one more. But if we can find a compromise we can all live with then that’s the best we can hope for.
respect,
http://www.extendthedart.comP11 Comms, the people in East Wall were right, the proposed development for Spencer Dock was a dog, too bland, too ugly, too single use, too hard to service, not sustainable. The arguements they used were too blunt, they made it seem that they thought any skyscrapers in the area would be wrong, but the fact of the matter is, a better proposal, still containing high rise elements, would have provoced only a token objection.
Of course, we have to balance function with other aspects of the city, we can’t sacrifice everything to finding a transport solution, nor can we ignore the transport needs of the city. Bulldoze the Customs House and the city becomes a less desirable place to live.
@notjim wrote:
Of course, we have to balance function with other aspects of the city, we can’t sacrifice everything to finding a transport solution, nor can we ignore the transport needs of the city. Bulldoze the Customs House and the city becomes a less desirable place to live.
I entirely agree with notjim it is possible to have both transport and heritage, the sad fact is that both have been entirely neglected over the years.
P11, I don’t think anyone’s proposing to knock the Loop Line and the two fingers to IE – rather if it is reasonably practical to do so in the greater scheme of things than so be it.
I don’t understand your thinking regarding ‘an 18th entury view’, that’s like saying in 2100 we won’t care for ’20th or 21st century views’.
A view is a view.@Graham Hickey wrote:
It’s that perfectly composed picture created, with the building at that raking angle sitting on the slight bend in the river that makes it so important, and makes the presence of the Loop Line so unfortunate,
Don’t back down Graham, such truth hasn’t been heard in Abbeyleix in decades
Hoardings to be cleared from the Loopline bridge
The Sunday Business PostAlthough perhaps they’re an asset to the city – passing outside the Irish Life Centre today an American couple were taking a picture of themselves standing in front of the huge Bulmers sign there – notably not the Custom House behind it 🙂
Rumour has it that CIE have realised that the advertising hordings do need planning permission after all – that they have been illegal for years.
It seems the SBP story is simply making the best of an obligation to remove them that is coming “down the tracks” anyway.Sadly the only change I have seen to the hoardings is a temporary sign put beside the ‘Right Price Tiles’ to announce seasonal discounts.
Like so many other promises such as the Leinster House Front Lawn it would appear that the announcement was just a PR trick. It looks like the Ads are here to stay.
In case anyone thought the loop line bridge was ugly, have a look at this
http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~hideki/keihin/nihombashi.htm
http://askayama.net/machicard/tokyo23/chuo/nihombashi-bridge.html
the bottom part is the original bridge in Tokyo, the top part is a freeway built over the original bridge in the 1960’s:eek:
That bridge would require a lot more than a few ads removed to improve its appearance. The reason so many people wish to see the ads go from the loopline is that it would make a huge difference both to the appearance of the structure but also to the view of the Custom House.
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