Lutyens @ Islandbridge, Mitchell + Assoc
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I see from the news section (http://www.irish-architecture.com/news/2005/000196.html) that Mitchells have won a competition for work to Lutyens’ War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge. Does anybody know what this entails? I hadn’t heard about a competition, and to be honest I didn’t think the Gardens needed anything more than careful maintenance and a little tlc. I’m very fond of them and I think it would be a pity if they were too mucked about.
Admittedly the entrance from the Inchicore side is sadly severed- is there to be work here? I hope the interventions will be minimal.
Info on or images of the proposal would be welcome. Cheers. -
I did search before the first post, honest, but only found this now. 😮
Doesn’t say if there are to be works elsewhere within the park. Still curious… -
Perhaps that is suggestive of an aim to preserve the park as is.
I remember an interview with City Manager John Fitzgerald I think, who pointed to the fact that the park itself needs little work, but rather the approaches to it and how it integrates with the rest of the city could do with some attention – and that the Gardens are somewhat detached and forgotton about out there on their own.There was also an article in the Sunday Times a while back which featured some sort of innovative ‘lighting wall’, the first of its kind in Ireland that would dramatically highlight the boundary of what I think was the Memorial Gardens from the road.
Open to correction on that, not least as there’s no mention of it on the above link… -
Lambay, Heywood (gardens only survive) and Islandbridge …. anything else of his in Ireland? I love his chimneys!
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Agreed, KB2, he’s one of my favourite architects of all time. Both his classical stuff and his Arts and Craftsy domestic stuff. There’s a house in Donegal that potentially had his hand in it too, but not confirmed. Loooong catslide roof, those chimneys, etc.
Thanks for the info Graham- I was hoping that the lack of mention of works to the interior of the park meant that it wasn’t being touched. I know what JF means about the park being detached from the city, but I don’t know how that can be rectified. The new scheme might help, but the pedestrian priority route still has to cross a very busy road, and the entrance past Trinity Boat Club lacks the requisite formality (and is not on the axis). Yet more evidence of the destructiveness of our old roads programme, I suppose. 🙁 -
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That sounds like a great idea, dodger. There wouldn’t even need to be that much clearance over the water as the canoes and boats that use that stretch sit so low.
I’ve often thought it was a pity that the UCD boathouse is such a shed, compared to the Trinity one. Some people see it as a reflection of the respective campuses, which I can’t agree with. I’m a fan of the UCD campus (once wrote a thesis on it), but not of the boathouse. I spent a year in the UCD boatclub, and I remember the envious glances we used to cast across to the southside. In fact, almost all the buildings along this north bank stretch are pretty poor (with the exception of one of the boatclubs- Commercial? Neptune?- and Jim the Boatman’s house beside the UCD boatclub).
It would be great if the link could be made on the axis of the park, but there would be merit in it going across the weir too. -
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About time the Memorial Gardens were given attention. This great attraction to the city has been overlooked for too long. A proper entrance would be very fitting. It was a shame the way they ran the dual carriageway through chopping off the original entrance.
I wonder whats in store for the Garden of Rememberance on Parnell Square. It’s entrance is shite too. Remarkable how such a basic thing as an archway (used since the dawn of civilization) add greatly to entrances and such…ie St. Stephans Green entrance. -
@GregF wrote:
I wonder whats in store for the Garden of Rememberance on Parnell Square.
Howley Harrington published a plan for redesigning the garden, as part of there framwork for Parnell Square that was published last Feburary. I never got the hang of direct web links so you’ll have to look it up your self on the City Council website.
I hope their proposals are carryed out.
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