O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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@Graham Hickey wrote:
Well it’s an excusable error given that the dashingly imaginatively titled City Quay is hardly memorable, and the other’s just a mouthful 🙂
Excluding the Seamans Church the architecture has little more appeal.
Is there anything but the Seaman’s Church? 🙂
Really ought to give these bollards a rest but I hope to have the final answer at last.
I found another Laurence pic, probably taken on the same day as the previous one, but from street level. It has a better resolution and look at what you can make out:
…a very substantial 3-arm lamp-standard sited right in the middle of the quadrangle of bollards. It looked much smaller in the first pic, but this pretty much confirms it – the bollards were installed round this significant piece of street furniture for protective and decorative purposes.
It has to be noted that this island is standing in the middle of an undefined street layout where there’s no footpath or kerbstones in the centre. It appears this part of Upper O’Cll St (that is now the median) was used as a Victorian taxi-rank, where all cabs & horses lined up. Hence it was also important to highlight exactly where O’Cll St ended and where the cab line ended, not to mention to define the road-layout of the wide O’Cll St for those entering from the north.
This pic from around 1900 from a bit further down outside the Gresham also shows the cabs, or maybe it was just a parking space:
Admittedly this doesn’t solve the trapdoor mystery though – unless it is an Underground access shaft…
The railings around the Ambassador makes it look better than the way it is today. How did they get it into their heads to remove them. Another botch job again by the meddling maulers.
Also the setting of the Rotunda has been destroyed by the extensions built in its garden, that really was a superb vista at one time.
@GregF wrote:
….and the Garden of Remembrance is a hideous concoction at the other end of the square as well.
The thing I hate about the garden of rememberance most is that it only has one entrance/exit, and this is not a district that you want to be pinned down.
@Graham Hickey wrote:
The IT article mentions a George’s Quay site as being offered by the DDDA…?
Definitely an error or trojan horse only the smallest site possible for derevelopment exists on Georges Quay within the DDDA area between the train station and Tara St, the remainder of Georges Quay is the Ulster Bank complex to the East and the area West of Tara St is solely with the DCC area.
http://www.ddda.ie/uploads/pdfs/Map%20A.pdfIt is zoned objective 5 ‘to consolidate and facilitate the development of the Central area… ‘
@Graham Hickey wrote:
Admittedly this doesn’t solve the trapdoor mystery though – unless it is an Underground access shaft…
I’d say that the image you posted a while ago was simply that of an access cover for underground telecom cables.
No doubt :rolleyes:
Good point about access to the Garden of Rememberance: the single-entrance layout is quite intimidating in the area of the city it’s in, but especially because you’re stepping down out of sight of others at street level which leaves you feeling quite vunerable.
Having to come back the rather boring way you came doesn’t really help matters either.But I wouldn’t say it’s as awful as you make out Greg, but if the whole or most of the square was to be redeveloped then it’d be open to some changes.
It’s direct connection with the nationalist nature of O’Connell St’s statuary and its history still makes it a suitable location for a Garden either way.In many ways the garden of rememberance is about the only major civic design product remaining from its era in Central Dublin, while it wouldn’t be to my own taste maybe removing it may be airbrushing out a piece of design history? Those naff tiles in the water feature you would never see anything quite as crass today.
I can see the point of the single access being critical as it is as you say below street level which makes a single entry exit a safety hazard given that most police patrols are done in cars. Any thoughts on retaining some of the garden as is and extending it and providing new access?
Widening the sunken section I’d see as important for security and ease of movement reasons; it’s too cramped getting by people sitting along the benches & kinda awkward too passing them all like you’re on a catwalk – although this would alter the crucifix formation…
Despite the security concerns regarding how low it is, it nonetheless creates an impressive drama when you ascend from below up the flight of steps to the sculpture. Likewise when leaving and going back up to re-enter the ‘real world’ again at the eastern side.
As you say, most of the 60s landscaping is worth retaining.I spent a great afternoon there yesterday, the seating is kind of cool and as you say Graham the landscaping is impressive, 40 years of growth would be difficult to replace. I really think that we should think again before dumping a lot of the elements of what is quite a unique environment, what would really set this place off would be to extend it and use modern design to contrast with what exists.
It can be a real suntrap during the day alright – the heat emitted from the walls is something of a unique experience during the summer 🙂
Forgot to post this link about the Carlton from Art Deco Ireland – some details of its interior (although no pics) and exterior:
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/6941/carlton.htm
It’s a pity there’s no large capacity cinemas around anymore; extraordinary to think that the Carlton held 2000 people while the Savoy just across the road held a further 3000.
It is a pity that no-one got pics from the interior of the Carlton before it closed, I’m sure that the Interior would have been the most interesting part of the building given the restraint that was forced upon contemporary facades on O’Connell St at that time.
On a completely unrelated topic, I noticed a long list of alterations being sought by Anne Summers including a new shop front, personally I thought they had a minimalist enough image as it was, but their advisors Lisney Chartered Surveyors obviously know better. That was a signiture I did not expect to see in that context
And did you read about this or just ‘happen’ to notice the application in the window eh? 😉
That is interesting news – the shopfront is grand as it is but any change from that pukey green will be more than welcome.Our bollard friends have certainly been round the block – here they are in 1969 desperately trying to get in with the ‘it’ crowd, pictured slinking up alongside a fashionable young lady – alas she’s not interested 🙁
![wil50[11].jpg](https://i0.wp.com/kildarest.nli.ie/npa/wil/wil50%5B11%5D.jpg?w=640)
😀
Image copyright: The National Library of Ireland
Picture of the Month
It is amazing just how insignificant the bank looks on the corner of Parnell St without its warm colour.
Regarding the application I had a quick nose at it yesterday but got dragged away by the better half before I could digest it properly, if it were Cleary’s I’d probably have been allowed read it properly.
On the subject of the bank, it has now been on the market for two years which surprises me, I really thought someone like Louis Fitzgerald would have moved on it for conversion to bar/restaurant in the same vein as Grand Central even if the interior is plainer.
It’s a lovely building alright – the terracotta panels on it have unusual Eygptian-style urns on them as well as other interesting detail. It looks at its best in the evening sun when it comes round the corner from behind the AIB opposite and it glows red with the sun flaring up the windows.
Yes it’s a pity its not in use and that it hasn’t been sold – probably because the same money would get you a similar building in a much better location than there. Even if it’s only a hop across the road from O’Cll St – with the Parnell St junction there it might as well be a mile away.
Hopefully things will change with the Parnell Square phase coming on stream shortly.It was sold Graham but to an investor who put it back on the market to let, I’d say it should go this year given the general improvement in the area due to projects such as the Ilac Centre revamp and Cosgraves scheme on the former Waldons Garage site these combined with the upgrade of Upper O’Connell St to a boulevard type layout do make the equation 50% solved. But it does however have to be said that the only reason this fine building is empty is because of the poor condition that section of Parnell St towards Gardiner St is still in. This section is like stepping back to 1980’s Dublin with the level of retail offering and the spots of actual dereliction.
Parnell Square will be interesting I’m sure although it is still a few years away and by the time that the usual funding delays emerge I’d say you are probably looking at 2010 before it is completed.
I think 2016 was actually the target year for finishing the upgrade of parnell square! On the garden of remembrance, plans for the square include a new entrance to the garden opposite the hugh lane gallery. Also the pool is to be raised up so the garden wont be as sunken anymore. I’d say that will improve footfall through the garden but will detract from the oasis feel of the place. I think it was designed to be sort of detached from the rest of the city, a sort of quiet place for refelection. Overall plans for the square look like they would bring about a big improvement though!
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