O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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Well some newer pics now – we usually focus on facades above street level here, so to take that one step further what about the skyline of O’Connell St, notably its ‘chimneyscape’? ๐
Lots of interesting things going on up there worthy of a bit of attention. Sorry about the res and colouring of the pics, they’re VT stills of all things that I took ages ago ๐ฎI was tempted to make this into a ‘guess the building’ competition but then just decided that I couldn’t be bothered ๐
Here’s probably the most famous of all at the entrance to the street – why the architect even bothered to clad just the front edge of the chimneys in granite I do not know, how ridiculous is that?! Nice rendered stacks up there too towards the back.
Facing them from the Bachelor’s Walk corner is a Victorian stock brick chimney everyone probably knows, positioned on a WSC foundation (more about these later).
Just a few doors up is a fine big red brick Victorian stack with a sculpted render top:
Across the road are these fantastic Champion Pots over the corner Grand Central building (thereรขโฌโขs also more of these over the Lir Clock terrace).
Moving further up the street and you canรขโฌโขt but not notice the impressive stacks of Manfield Chambers/Clarks. Built of limestone, they have some fine pots, and at least somewhat make up for the lack of a cupola on this corner:
On the opposing corner the Adams Family building ๐ has some fabulous classically inspired chimneys flanking the mansard roof, with Doric detailing near the tops. They act more as book end architectural features than chimneys:
(right pic http://www.fantasyjackpalance.com)A little further up is the old Bank of Ireland building next to Cleryรขโฌโขs with a big stack on the boundary with the dept store, and a fun tiny little one on the other ๐
The right-hand picture shows the only chimney on the GPO roofline visible from the street: an unusual tall narrow stack or granite viewed here from an upper floor of Cleryรขโฌโขs. It pales into insignificance when one considered the magnificent array of chimneys extant until 1916:
At the corner of Henry St now, and the Joe Walsh Tours building features a chimney matching the buildingรขโฌโขs apparent provenance รขโฌโ a simple stock brick Georgianish stack, with pots that seem to date from oooh – c1994? ๐
Crossing the street again to the North Earl St junction, and the Georgian-styled post-1916 terrace here features some simple red brick chimneys, which have an almost suspicious 1980s look to them, but they are original.
OรขโฌโขConnell Street Upper features some of the largest chimneys on the street, including these fantastic Mary Poppins-like stacks over the รขโฌหCome in and Visitรขโฌโข and National Irish Bank buildings. When the Spire was going up there was a group of 5/4 people standing up here offering me every finger gesture under the sun, so there appears to be access to up there anyway ๐
The right-hand chimney is a bit further up the street.
And here is that chimney again just past Dublin Bus, along with two impressive late-1920s chimneys apparently dating from their buildingรขโฌโขs re-facing post 1922.
Just before Dublin Bus is this great Dickensian-like chimney with sinister pots protruding:
รขโฌยฆalong with this fine elegant rendered stack over Flanagans:
The right-hand picture here is a grand c1926 chimney on the corner with Cathal Brugha St, and also a little baby version next to it ๐
The image on the left is of the equally impressive chimney betweenรขโฌยฆ.actually this would make a good quiz question รขโฌโ anyone care to guess?! (though yes the stonework might give it away)
Finally, returning to the Wide Streetรขโฌโขs Commission terrace of Lower OรขโฌโขCll St, are there any of their chimneys left?
Well, what remains of even Victorian stacks is disappointing thanks to the efforts of the 1970s and 80s. What few there are do make use of WSC foundations.But Iรขโฌโขm glad to say that yes, there is a single remaining WSC chimney up there, in all of its stock brick glory รขโฌโ and here it is!
What a remarkable survivor! And not just because of all the 20th century interventions, but even by the 1890s the entire terrace opposite had lost all of its Georgian pots and some chimneys had been extended.
For it not to have been altered in any way, not even render applied is truly extraordinary, though it is possible that the pots are not original, but they certainly look it!All WSC chimneys featured a large chunky base with a tapered top as can be seen above. This gave way to the chimney proper, sited on top of the base and made up of about six courses of brick before being adorned with a simple raised course or two for decoration.
For the Sackville Street chimneys the WSC decided on seven pots per chimney, but as can be seen above in about 1898, later Victorian ones were so large as to warrant a reduction to six!
This surviving chimney is going to have to be watched as it may very well disappear overnight รขโฌโ especially given its positioning over Burger King of all places! ๐ฎ
Also the right-hand side of the gabled building still features a WSC foundation.
This thread is going to pot; seriously good pics Graham very detailed the only thing about is Burger king i wouldnt worry about them taking down the pot as they could cover it in a banner for freshly potted plants
Has anyone got any images of the no motorbike signs, I think they look great even if they are being completely ignored.
Oh go on then:
Only in Ireland, only in Ireland…….
These two say it more than words ever could.
And whatever about the irony and the humour and the maddening nature of it all, the CC have seen fit to plonk a crude, lop-sided, dirty, lumped-in-with-concrete, galvanised steel pole with no less than four signs attached, right in the centre of the plaza, outside the portico of the GPO.
Had the workman or operations manager a set of eyes in their head?! It’s unbelievable!
And it makes not the slightest bit of difference either way:
And further down where the signs are mounted on nice chromed poles, again not the slightest bit of difference:
Indeed I just stood there watching as motorcyclists came and went as they pleased – just itching to go over and point to the signs and inform them as to what an ignorant shower they all are (but they are motorcyclists after all so…..yeah, kinda kept quiet…)
Rigorous enforcement is the only answer, including by the Gardaรยญ who stand about outside the GPO – they simply must have a role to play in this.
Some welcome signs have been provided like this one pointing down Princes St:
…but all you need is one bike on the plaza and straight away everyone follows suit.
In other more uplifting news (quite literally), as has been mentioned the GPO is being shrouded in scaffolding, including the portico; only the left-hand wing has to be covered now, as well as the pediment and maybe as high as Hibernia up there.
There were no contractors about except the scaffolders up above, so nobody to ask exactly what is happening, but considering the portico is being covered I think it’s safe to assume the building is being cleaned.
It’s quite an impressive sight and has everyone on the street walking along looking upwards – really draws attention to the building.
The contractors are having a great time up there ๐
The scale of the detailing must be fantastic so close up:
Those images are a microcosm of the entire public realm and built environment Ireland in a nutshell, great ideas, well presented and totally ignored save for the better private commercial developments.
I love the first picture, Graham ๐ but in fairness to the 2nd picture, it does say no gluaisrothairs; doesn’t say anything about rothairs. So pedal bikes are allowed in these areas now. I’d prefer not to see any sort of 2 wheeled contraption in the central median, but if pedal bikes are allowed, why not provide some shaggin’ bike stands. Christ, the planning in this city.
You’re right about the scaffolding on the GPO, really does draw your eyes to the building. You got the tri-colour high and mighty in the first GPO shot anyway.
Now that the GPO is getting some special attention, maybe people are appreciating its importance. As for the scale of detailing on GPO, doesn’t look like Tashy Mcรขโฌโข Luminous-Jacket is much interested.
I’ll comment on your crazy chimney post tomorrow. ๐
I’m not so sure Morlan that it is legal, I’m sure if you scratch deep enough you’ll find a set of bye-laws that prohibits bicyle parking in undesignated spaces.
The solution to the Bike parking just like the Taxis take it to the side Streets and leave the median for what it was designed for ie pedestrians. Credit to DCC for the signs all the same this like the boardwalk issues proves that Store Street Gardai are either the laziest jobsworths or haven’t received the extra Gardai we were all promised 3 years ago.
Thanks for posting all these images, Graham. I am really enjoying them.
I like the builders in pensive mood on the scaffolding.
@Frank Taylor wrote:
I like the builders in pensive mood on the scaffolding.
Pensive? He staring down some young one’s top, or contemplating his next tobacco inhalant! ๐
There was a note in the Indo I think at the weekend saying the GPO would be under scaffold for 6 weeks for a clean. The report also said that bullet holes from the 1916 Rising would not be repaired (in line with the policy towards the statues on the street)
Getting back to those signs. They are truly dreadful, exactly what I feared might happen. The final design of the street is now being seriously compromised by all these ill thought out additions, signage (as you rightly point out Graham not even installed properly), lack fo enforcment of parking policy, bus stops galore, the taxi rank. Its very dissappointing.JDP I can only imagine that you were being sarcastic in your comment above.
Excellent pics of the OC St chimeyscape. It goes to show how very rarely we look up.
@JPD wrote:
Has anyone got any images of the no motorbike signs, I think they look great even if they are being completely ignored.
They’re not even straight! I reckon theu’re temporary. In fact I reckon a lot of the signage put in is temporary….to be removed and replaced once the pavement works are completed.
@Thomond Park wrote:
I’m not so sure Morlan that it is legal, I’m sure if you scratch deep enough you’ll find a set of bye-laws that prohibits bicyle parking in undesignated spaces.
Perhaps I’ve yet to “scratch deep enough”, but from a cursory examination of parking bye laws in Dublin it would appear that what are known as ‘pedal bicycles’ are exempt from most provisions regarding parking in the city centre.
Go to http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI11Y1963.html and do a ‘CTRL + F’ for “cycle” to see what I’m getting at. A few examples:
4 —(4) (b): no vehicle (except a pedal bicycle) shall be parked in a parking place during the relevant hours for a continuous period which exceeds one hour
5.รขโฌโ(1) No person shall park a vehicle (other than a pedal bicycle) for any period during the relevant hours in any portion of a street mentioned in column (3) of Part I of the Third Schedule to these bye-laws.
6.รขโฌโ(1) No person shall park a vehicle (other than a pedal bicycle) for any period in any portion of a street mentioned in column (3) of Part II of the Third Schedule to these bye-laws
And especially:
11 —(1) (f) a pedal bicycle may be parked on a footway provided that it does not interfere with the free movement of pedestrians on the footway
____I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that cyclists are common law users of the road whereas motorists and motorcyclists are licenced road users?
It was more the Old Corporation bye-laws I was referring to but in this case Subsection (11) that you have posted does raise the point of interference with the free movement of pedestrians; as O’Connell St is a Plaza and as such movement must be considered to be likely from four directions and not two as would be normal in more peripheral locations.
Those extracts come from the ‘Dublin Parking Bye-Laws, 1962’, on the Statute Book site. Are there others I’m not aware of?
You mention that “O’Connell Street is a Plaza”- I think I’d disagree. The central part of the street in front of the GPO has the potential to be used as a plaza, but under normal circumstances it is still a directional street, with traffic lanes, footpaths and pedestrian crossing points.
This is one of the problems (IMHO) with the O’Connell Street redesign, as has been mentioned before on this thread. People now seem to think that the GPO area is a pedestrian free-for-all and wander out from any point and at any time that is convenient for them, often with dangerous consequences. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to brake suddenly on my bike or swerve to avoid pedestrians ambling around the GPO section with nary a care for us poor self-propelled two-wheelers. ๐
Perhaps there would be a case for introducing a bye-law concerning parking of bicycles when the GPO area is in use as a plaza , i.e. when pedestrians could be legitimately milling around that area. However, I would be wary of any measure that further reinforces the mistaken assumption that it’s a pedestrian priority zone at all times.I believe that the intention of the design was to always have many people milling around this space, I do believe an Italian Piazza to be any less a Piazza just because there are not events on. If it transpires that the central median of O’Connell St has simply replaced Car lanes with bicycle parking what will the point have been?
I’m not overly sure if you could call O’Connell St a ‘Piazza’. While Italy is abundant in them and their stature and quality might vary, I do not ever remember seeing any of them completely sandwiched by traffic.The essence of a good Italian Square ( or Piazza ) is sometimes their Isolation. The GPO ‘Plaza’ will never get that, unless traffic can be restricted to one side of the street. At best, it will provide a convenient space for major public occasions, but little else on a daily basis ( I certainly don’t see waiters from Flanagans risking there lives to deliver a steak and chips to the median anyway ).
Perhaps a focal point somewhere on(or under) the median would help. An underground Museum? Metro Stop??
@Thomond Park wrote:
I believe that the intention of the design was to always have many people milling around this space, I do believe an Italian Piazza to be any less a Piazza just because there are not events on.
If that was the intention, then traffic should have been kept fully clear of the ‘plaza’ area. As it is, there’s hardly more than a few seconds at a time, at least during the day and evening, when the road is traffic free.
A better parallel to draw might be with the Ramblas in Barcelona, which has a very wide median, and very narrow traffic lanes either side- one to each side, I think. The kerb is higher than on O’Connell St, more clearly delineating the boundary between pedestrian area and traffic area. (Though come to think of it, don’t most pedestrians in Dublin just wander out at gaps in the traffic everywhere, not just where they think it’s sanctioned as with the almost flush footpath/road surfaces on O’Connell St?)
@Thomond Park wrote:
If it transpires that the central median of O’Connell St has simply replaced Car lanes with bicycle parking what will the point have been?
A small victory for cyclists!!! ๐ (Sorry, facetious I know, but I couldn’t resist. You are, of course, right TP.)
PS A clarification of my earlier post- when I said “The central part of the street in front of the GPO”, I didn’t mean the median. I meant the area bounded by the boxy trees, running the full width of the street. (Lest there be any confusion.)
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