St. Anne’s Park, Clontarf – Restoration

It’s a shame the house doesn’t remain, or even its ruins

I read that it was going to be the Presidential residence, and would have been much worthier in comparison to Aras an Uachtaran.

. I did hear that DCC were looking into it so perhaps you should give the Conservation Officer a call or even your local councillor.

Anyone got a picture of the house?

It’s in Freddy O’Dwyer’s ‘Lost Dublin’.

Fairly standard Victorian confection, not in the same league at ‘Kenure’ in Rush.

Truly one of the most remarkable scenes in Ireland; its splendid portico standing forlornly amidst a 1980s housing estate.

And from where a cracked 19th century bowl was salvaged to form the – somewhat equally abandoned – centrepiece of the State Drawing Room in Dublin Castle.

I digress.

@gunter wrote:

It’s in Freddy O’Dwyer’s ‘Lost Dublin’.

Fairly standard Victorian confection, not in the same league at ‘Kenure’ in Rush.

To say it was a standard Victorian confection is quite a harsh dismissal. Like Kenure Park, the house is likely to have incorporated the earlier house (Thornhill). The Ardilauns were patrons of the arts (they were benefactors of the Abbey Theatre, among other things) and of scholarship. This house was first remodelled by Benjamin Guinness and the extensions by his son made it comparable with the best of the mansions being built at that time in the USA, e.g. by the Vanderbilts (see Newport Mansions: http://www.newportmansions.org/page7016.cfm), as one would expect. The architecture was lavish, but it was not an amateurish wedding-cake like excess of ornament; correct me if I’m wrong, but we are not overburdened with Beaux-Arts architecture here in Ireland, this era being one of the most difficult economically in our recent history (the two other Guinness houses, Iveagh and Farmleigh are in other styles are as far as I’m aware, both also incorporating earlier houses). Maybe some of the interiors of St. Helen’s House in Booterstown (yet another house which was originally built in the 18th century, remodelled at this time by John Nutting)? As a last point, it is unlikely that someone with enough taste to recognise the quality of 18th century detailing at a time when it may not have been fashionable (c.f. façade of Iveagh House, modelled on Aldborough House, one of the interior ceilings is a ‘convincing Victorian copy’ of one in the Provost’s Housein Trinity) would commission something that was just a confection. Now, I hope my rebuttal is not too harsh itself …

@arachne wrote:

To say it was a standard Victorian confection is quite a harsh dismissal. . . . . As a last point, it is unlikely that someone with enough taste to recognise the quality of 18th century detailing at a time when it may not have been fashionable (c.f. façade of Iveagh House, modelled on Aldborough House, one of the interior ceilings is a ‘convincing Victorian copy’ of one in the Provost’s Housein Trinity) would commission something that was just a confection. Now, I hope my rebuttal is not too harsh itself …

Sometimes it takes a glib comment to draw out the reluctant poster 😉

When/why was it demolished?

In December 1943, the main residence of St. Anne’s, “The Mansion”, was gutted by a fire while being used as a store by the Local Defence Force and the ruins were demolished in 1968.

What a pity!

* Apologies for this tangent but I have often read books like the one above – Freddie O’Dwyer’s ‘Lost Dublin’ and Frank McDonald’s ‘Destruction of Dublin’ being cited/mentioned on here. Are these books still in print?

been wondering that myself, I have to pick up a copy of both!

Neither is still in print, as far as I know.

Lost Dublin will be hard to find- and you’ll have to beat me to it!

The Destruction of Dublin can often be found relatively cheaply in second hand shops. There was a copy in the bookshop in the George’s Street (Market) Arcade a couple of months ago (Powerscourt end of the arcade, right hand side as you face towards George’s Street).

Both are in libraries too- Richview architecture library in UCD, at least, and presumably others.

http://www.oldirishmaps.com/proddetail.php?prod=lostdublinODwyer&cat=74

http://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Dublin-Frederick-ODwyer/dp/0717112497

http://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780717110476/ODwyer-Frederick/Lost-Dublin/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Dublin-Frederick-ODwyer/dp/other-editions/0717112497

bit pricey though

tried to get “Destruction” on Amazon a few years back – was expensive but not prohibitively so, but they couldn’t track a copy down in the end. Befriend a student or lecturer, gain access to the library and then read* it or photocopy* it from there

*rob
*rob

how hard is it, to say we’re going to clean the graffiti off, oh ok,lets do that, i mean these don’t need to treated like the front of the aib bank.

could st anne park handle a building in its place? some sort of collapsible building? its a wonder they having had markee concerts there, i know they had things like nike basketball events…

These pictures probably don’t add a whole lot to the topic, but they are less often seen than the ones up. The first shows a partly boarded up but otherwise reasonably intact looking entrance front a whole 9 years after the fire. Maybe the vandalism was an indirect result of development near the park after this picture was taken. The second is simply another view of the house before the fire.

By the way, wits said it was being used as a store for fire equipment when it burnt down. The 1952 picture is taken from the New Neighbourbood of Dublin by Maurice Craig, Joseph Hone & MIchael Fewer. Apologies for crap quality.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055466607
What is happening at the front of the park where the pond is? Are they getting rid of it?
Yeah, they are saying they “can’t maintain” the pond anymore
http://www.finianmcgrath.ie/St_Annes_Park.pdf

@arachne wrote:

These pictures probably don’t add a whole lot to the topic, but they are less often seen than the ones up. The first shows a partly boarded up but otherwise reasonably intact looking entrance front a whole 9 years after the fire. Maybe the vandalism was an indirect result of development near the park after this picture was taken. The second is simply another view of the house before the fire.

you can see daylight streaming down in the windows closest to us, obviously the roof and floors were gone.

Dublin City Council has plans to carry out conservation of the follies, and to develop a trail connecting them. However, the funding is not available. Shame that more people don’t realise how important they are. Great photos on this!

City council is inviting tenders for a “conservation strategy” for the follies. Might be restored yet.

Title: Conservation Strategy for the Follies in Saint Anne’s Park
Published by: Dublin City Council
Publication Date: 27/03/2009

Abstract: Dublin City Council wishes to commission a detailed strategy for the conservation of the follies within the Historic Core Area of Saint Anne’s Park. This strategy is funded by the Parks and Landscape Services Division, the Dublin City Heritage Plan and The Heritage Council.

This project arises from an action in the Management Plan for Saint Anne’s Park, prepared by Murray Associates in 2006 for the Parks and Landscape Services Division and the Dublin City Heritage Plan. The Management Plan has a broad scope balancing the diverse aspects of regional park management including: Vegetation; Conservation and Archaeology; Physical Geography; Boundary issues; Circulation; Use Profiling; Sports; Staffing. Saint Anne’s Park is synonymous with sporting activity, recreational walking, The Red Stables, and the Rose Garden, which are all well maintained and in responsible management.

The Management Plan affirms the importance of the Historic Core Area as a designed landscape and identifies the critical need for conservation of the follies and garden features. The designed landscape/”wilderness” landscape, and numerous follies therein, located in the area to the northeast of the house site are in an altogether more compromised state. The conservation and recovery of these follies is identified as a high priority within the management strategy for the park. It is the intention of this project to gather vital information on the follies required to undertake a conservation works programme.

Anybody got any more pic of st amnnes or kenure house .the more candid the better

Has anybody any knowledge of the train tracks and buffers at the rear of St. Annes House in St. Annes Park prior to its demolition in 1968.
Thank you.

Wouldn’t it be great if they rebuilt the house?

It’d be a great concert venue.