Traffic lights-Jnct Fitzwillam St & Baggot St
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Hi all
Was meeting up with some friends for lunch on Baggot St yesterday and noticed the traffic lights at the junction of Baggot St and Fitzwilliam St are ancient. I’m sure you know the ones – they have the round shade over each lens and the red lens has the word “STOP” written on it. I had thought these had all been eradicated from the streets of Dublin and I have to say I was very pleased to see them. They really suit the junction and it would be a shame if they were replaced by a new set, as is the case all over the city. Does anyone know how they are still in place considering the fact that relatively new traffic lights around the city have been replaced by the new small sets with white border? They do look a little bit worse for wear, admittedly but with a lick of paint and a few replacement shades, they’d look great. Are they listed or protected as I’m surprised they are still in use? Also saw another one of these old traffic signals at the junction of Mt St Lower/Warrington Pl/Clanwilliam Place – Only one, I think though. The rest appeared to be more modern.
Oh, I also saw what looked like recently installed poles beside the traffic lights on Baggot St. Please say there are no plans to remove the old signals. They really look great. -
Nice observation Mr G, features like that are what make a city interesting a little bit like:
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=1843&highlight=college+concrete+lamposts
https://archiseek.com/content/attachment.php?attachmentid=82
😉
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I know these lights well – they’re a delightful feature! And isn’t there a lovely little silver column lamp on the central island between them?
Often wondered when they date from – the 50s?
They definitely ought to be preserved – they’re not listed in the current protected list, but it’d be well worth proposing to the City Council that they be added. -
This brings to mind a sign on the N11 (southbound), behind the stand in Donnybrook rugby ground and hidden in the trees, that says ‘Dual Carriageway Ahead’. Makes me think not of ‘driving’ but of ‘motoring’. 🙂
One day it will disappear (whatever about protecting 1950s traffic lights, tatty old signs might be a step too far), yet I can’t bring myself to (ahem) place it in my care. 🙁 -
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Highly likely.
I’ve heard it said that the village of Dunhill, about 6 miles west of Tramore (Waterford), suffers more than most. Can’t think why. Is it the association with a certain classy brand of cigarettes?The dual carriageway sign isn’t one of the standard pointing signs- it’s a large landscape rectangle, white with black borders and text, with the words stacked one above the other. What always amused me about it is that almost everyone knows that the n11 dual carriageway is ahead, and for those that don’t they can see it out their windscreens. Therefore it seems to speak of a time when the concept of a dual carriageway must have been very novel.
Good lord- never thought I’d be getting sentimental about roads. 😮
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Yeah, the traffic lights do seem very old indeed. Does anyone have any idea has to just how old these traffic lights are. I reckon 50’s or 60’s but that is just a wild guess. But they really do suit the street scene. IMO, they give the street a kind of Parisian feel, or am I just exaggerating a little there?
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@emf wrote:
When I saw this post I got goose bumps as I was just discussing it with someone the other day. We wondered if perhaps they might have been the first in the City??
First traffic lights in Dublin were at the corner of Merrion Square beside the Mount Clare Hotel, circa mid 30’s methinks.
I note that works seems to have recommenced on the lights at Baggot St… Better not touch the fluted standards or I’ll be very very X 😡 !
PS I do have to fess up to having probably been the one responsible for CC thinking twice as to whiping theses lights out – I got onto a no of different councillors last summer when I saw that de feckers were about to replace them… 😉
H.
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@Graham Hickey wrote:
The Irish Life site?
It is a disgrace that such an imposing building actually became a site. It reminds me of Alderburgh House at the Five Lamps.
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Great early colour pictures of Dublin above. It’s funny; as colour photographic dyes fade with time, they develop a magenta cast, giving us a “rose tinted†view of the past 🙂 .
The first pic with pig & pigpen (& maybe both pics) was featured in a National Photographic Archive exhibition a while ago. Are they from the Nat. Archive’s site?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a picture (left) of one set of the old hooded traffic lights at Lr. Baggot Street crossroads being discussed, attached to (an older) fluted silver lamp. They are kind of quaint, but I’m not sure if they should be attached to the old lamp standards like that, which probably date from the ‘20s or ‘30s. These fluted lamps are on the islands of 3 of the 4 roads at this crossroads. The modern pole beside the lamp above was shoved in at least a year (& possibly 2 years) ago AND JUST LEFT THERE!! Typical of the lack of control over street furniture in this city 🙁 .
And look at the other picture (right) – modern poles clustered around an old lamp standard base at the same crossroads – and this too has been like this for at least a year! It DRIVES ME CRAZY! You wouldn’t see it in any other city 😡 . And this part of town is an internationally important Georgian area…..what hope is there??
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😀
Unfortunately, in real life many of them have nowhere to live, unlike these yokes…
Some interesting pics – the lady there also seems to be interested 🙂 (though that’s only cause people always look at what you’re taking a pic of – somewhat embarrassing if it’s a kerbstone or somesuch)
I wonder if the lights were originally attached to their own pole rather than the lamppost?
They seem to have a more 60s appearance to them than the 50s perhaps…
Either way they’re in remarkably good condition – says lot for a bit of maintenance.As for the lamppost, yes it would seem to be early 20th century – c1920s. This period always has smooth rather than fluted bases, and the ridged detailing finishing off the base is just classic of the period. It was probably painted green originally.
Isn’t it interesting though how times change. The picture on the right perfectly encapsulates the differences in attitudes towards street furniture – whatever about the poles’ positioning, look at their design. The contrast between the highly decorative and well-finished lamppost, and the crude unfinished galvanised steel traffic poles couldn’t be any more stark.
At least the older traffic pole being removed will help somewhat in the clutter stakes, but agreed that the new ones should have been placed a few more feet away from the lamp column.
Considering the pole next to the crossing will probably be used as a new pedestrian light (badly needed here), what sort of design should the comtemporary signal assume?
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