What’s up docks?
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What’s up docks?
The boardwalk, the boat, the bridge – Dubliners have three good reasons to celebrate, with the imminent arrival of new riverside amenities
March
An extension to the Liffey boardwalk, this time on Eden Quay, is to open on March 17th. The Docklands Authority is renovating the quayside further east, so that eventually a walkway can continue as far as the Point. The authority also plans to demolish its own building opposite Jurys Inn in late 2005, to “give the quayside back to the people”. As part of St Patrick’s Festival, the “Luminarium” (a giant, inflatable, multicoloured maze) will be in George’s Dock from March 16th to 20th. The fireworks display, Skyfest, will be held on Saturday, March 19th.
April
The Liffey Voyage boat (a tour service, not a river bus or taxi) is being built in Sweden and is to be delivered at the end of April. The Docklands Authority is tendering for an operator, and hopes to launch the service this summer.
May
The superstructure for the new pedestrian bridge – which will span the Liffey from the IFSC on the north side to Lombard Street on the south – arrives from Poland in March, and the bridge is due to open officially in May.
. . . and beyond
Plans continue to be made (and others scrapped) for the CHQ building at the edge of the financial services centre. A company part-owned by publican Hugh O’Regan has signed a leasehold for a large part of the ground floor, for “a range of leisure and dining uses”. And the wine bar Ely plans to open a wine bar and restaurant in one of the vaults fronting on to the dock.
Nearby, the Dublin City Moorings marina (on the Liffey in front of Jurys Inn) is being rebuilt to accommodate bigger and more boats.
See also http://www.dublindocklands.ie
AND WHILE YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD . . .
A pleasant oasis in the city centre is the plaza of the George’s Quay office block next to Tara Street train station. There’s a small Nude café, outdoor seating and glass-roofed smoking shelters.
“DDDA plans to demolish its own building opposite Jurys Inn in late 2005”
About time too! wonder where they’re off to. Lots of reduced rent office space around there!
Has anyone seen the new BMW garage in the middle of Georges Dock?
I think it is an interesting way to launch a new car.
@Lotts wrote:
“DDDA plans to demolish its own building opposite Jurys Inn in late 2005”
About time too! wonder where they’re off to. Lots of reduced rent office space around there!
directly across the liffy to a new purpose built building.
Was down in Grand Canal Basin last week .. lovely day … sat on the quayside by Hannover Quay and had my lunch. That place is going to be really nice once it’s finished. A friend was saying it would be ideal to have a killer whale or two in the basin…. can you imagine…. Feeding time….
So the rte has the Abbey moving to Georges Dock:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0616/abbey.html
where? i don’t get it, do they mean the stack house?
Their coverage was as typical as ever, as with all matters architectural, planning and environmental.
Not even the site was specified or shown on the news – just ‘next to the IFSC’ :rolleyes:Today’s Times was also wierdly vague – near where the Speigel tent is, landmark building, large enough footprint etc, but no actual site.
Georges Dock is the one on by the Harbormaster.
I don’t see an obvious spot where a theatre can fit on this site.
Looking at the outer dock…
There’s the big waste of space that is the gravel garden to the left of the dock, surrounded on three side and there’s the dock itself I suppose. This is sometimes filled in with a temporary platform. There a Shakspeare tent there at the moment but I guess the national theatre will need something more substantial!
Then there’s the inner dock:
there’s already apartment buildings built inside the dock here (requiring an engineering overhaul recently I heard!)
Maybe the theatre will go here.
On stilts?According to the Indo today….
The water-filled site, facing the Liffey, is currently occupied by the Footsbarn theatre company on a temporary surface, with a Shakespeare production opening there last night. It is immediately past the weighbridge. The new Abbey will be before Stack A and Jury’s Inn, and will massively enhance the prestige of Dublin docklands, scene of phenomenal renewal recently.
I hope they aren’t really going to fill the dock, that would be stupid. The big gravel space might be it, I have been suprised in the past by how big that is.
@notjim wrote:
I hope they aren’t really going to fill the dock, that would be stupid. The big gravel space might be it, I have been suprised in the past by how big that is.
wouldnt be a bad place to site the abbey provided its not more of the same crap that has been built down there already..is the proposal to have the new theatre surrounded by water which could actually look very well!
@notjim wrote:
I hope they aren’t really going to fill the dock, that would be stupid. The big gravel space might be it, I have been suprised in the past by how big that is.
As I have mentioned before, the dock is basically already filled in. The bottom of the dock was raised so there is very little depth in it now.
Sure and I thought that was wierd too, but having the old dock there, with water in, albeit shallow water, is a real feature: a grand space. Filling it would take lots of the character from the area.
Yes, I agree with you Notjim. I was disappointed when it was filled in to be shallower as it turns from a working and functional feature into a purely monumental feature. However, I agree that it should be retained. I assume land costs and availability have something to do with it. Who for example owns the dock? Is it the DDDA?
Georges Dock is on the Record of Protected Structures:
Limestone ashlar dock walls with granite copings, granite and cast iron bollards, steps, lock gates, cast-iron mooring rings, ladders and winches
To which could be added ‘Iconic’ building of international standard 😉
I think they could probably get away with filling some of it did not get rid of it entirely. Anyway, I am just speculating. Best wait to see what the actual plans are.
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