GrahamH
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30th Sept 2003
Well I got a reply.
The house is indeed the Chief Stewards House – however thats all the info they had!
It looks like it was built around 1880.And yes the other is also the Provosts Carriage and Coach House.
It was designed in 1841 by Frederick Darley (who worked on the Kings Inns after Gandon) while he was architect to the college.I think the sign on the civic offices is funny – the building had just been completed with ‘Dublin Corporation’ carved in massive stone lettering at the entrance – when they went and changed the name.
Now the DUBLIN C of the original remains with ITY COUNCIL spliced in after!
And the Irish had to be changed as well – a neat job though.
You would have though someone would have thought of this considering the massive cost of cut stone – the name change was probably proposed for yearsSpot on!
And what a distinguished pile it is – somewhat unusual in that it’s detached – it really shows what conservation can contribute to a city.
I recongnise it as the priest’s house now!
Poor old Henrietta St is’nt shown in its best light as ‘Chandlers Court’ in the programme, interesting to see how these houses were used as tenements though.
And the opening shot has a fantastic view of the long-lost St Georges Wren spire – indeed the first time I’ve seen it with the exception of an old photo.Of course they’re fitting, they just need replacing, not because they’re old, because they were crappy from the moment they went up.
London makes such an effort with it’s bridges, and the lighting along the quays – all linked up with chains of twinkly lights, and Dublin is tiny in comparison.
Its hardly difficult to execute something attractive along Dublin’s quays, especially considering that because its so small the improvements would be dramatic.I don’t know what all the fuss is about this section not being finished by the Christmas rush – it will easily be finished on Middle Abbey St and most of Upper Abbey St.
There are little crowds of people forming now at various holes in the fencing to watch the works which, appear at least, to be going ahead with some pace.Watching the final cobbling finish being carried out is facinating.
The tarmac is poured out between the tracks and levelled out like a sheet of glass.
Then a handful of what appears to be a purple dust/powdered dye is thrown over the sticky surface.
Straight away about 5 or 6 men make use of big rubber stamps – like front door mats – laying them down over the ‘purpled’ surface in a way that they fit together like a jigsaw.
Then they jump and stamp on them, and press them down using a big stamping tool.
They lift them up and – hey presto – 21st century cobbles.
Applause from the crowd and quips such as “genius” “pure genius” are uttered.
And everyone parts, incredulous at the idea that they have just witnessed the unthinkable – Luas materalising.Just passed it this evening, some of the granite being laid is that pinky, large crystalled type (which I despise with avengence) alongside the limestone.
I’ll reserve judgement until completion – I think it has just always reminded me of flooring in 70s supermarkets.The Royal Dublin have submitted what is now at least their 3rd application for their refurbishment.
The latest includes plans for a closed off cafe terrace onto the street – which must be welcomed – and rather bizzarely, small balconies fronting some, if not all of the bedrooms facing the street.The facade is to be ‘contemporary’ with ‘natural stone and glass’. there is also to be a new glass canopy built over the cafe at ground floor level, as well as something like ‘intergrated structural floodlighting’ of the facade.
I only read it after passing the Civic Offfices earlier – could have gone in to see it on paper – unless someone else would like to venture in instead hint hint…It dosn’t look like a drill hole alright…
The flags look great but not the poles.
The date no earlier than 1970 anyway.Colinsky – the house isn’t on a corner, it’s set back a bit from the quay with a bit of scrub/park and a small road infront between it and the quay.
The facade at least – is late 18th century.The basic problem I have with the design is that it is horizontal in emphasis, made up of massive horizontal panels.
Henry St, like every other street, is made up of a terrace – which in turn is comprised of vertical buildings or units.
Roches blatently breaks the rules as it were, and hence just bullies its way onto the streetscape screaming ‘look at me’.
If the panels were vertical, perhaps alternated with strips of vertical glass (windows) it would address the street so much better.
€50 million is a lot – to put it in context – the massive Arnotts extention, refitting and restoration cost approx €58 million.
Absolutely, indeed bookstalls, coffee-sellers etc could all have their place in this scheme.
But rebuilding the mall from Parnell down to Henry St, in its original position, would break the length of the street, ruining its continuity – and have litttle relevance today, as none of the original streetscape remains with the exception of one house.
Building a mall the whole way down, over the bridge and in a modern manner is a different idea entirely – and a better different idea at that!
Integrating O’ Connell Bridge into the street has always been a problem, with the Eden Quay/Bachelors Walk axis breaking the link.
This median park could join them up nicely.Sorry James, I though you were representing An Taisce from a previous thread – nice to know the CCBA at least cared for its environs long before it became fashionable to be involved in ‘regeneration’.
I saw it too yesterday – good God it’s massive – moreso thanthe last time I saw it without that black yoke looming over the top like Independence Day.
It will indeed be hugely dated in a few years and the condition of the concrete will be far from pretty.
I’ve no idea why the glazing on the corners is not centred to highlight these entrances, it looks messy now.
I did’nt see staining and I don’t know what a patina is so can’t comment.
The building is disasterously large in scale, the earlier likening to the Stena HSS is perfectly fitting.
Ha!
I saw the Grattan Bridge lanterns too Stephen, these have been like this since the spring!
And the flagpoles too are appalling, esp the feckity little lamposts set between every pair along the quays with those awful 80s suburbia heads on them.
I walked along the quays from the civic offices, and was nearly blown over the quay walls about 10 times with the trucks going by – so much for 30mph in built up areas.
Some very fine Georgians along the quays – most surprisingly with original sashes.
An especially fine detached townhouse to the left of the civic offices set back from the quay that I never saw before.I never knew An Taisce proposed this either James – although I was aware of the CCBA’s actions on the issue.
Why do you not like the idea of the trees going – I am equally sad etc to see them going, esp with the history attached to a minority of them, but I see the current lime tree plan to be in the overwhelming interest of the street – above the existing ones – most of which were planted in the 60s.
They became far too large, obscuring completly the buildings on the other side of the street – and more importantly, massively diminished the boulevard aspect to it – it became almost a parkland, just with acres of asphalt underneath.
The current plan reinforces the length of the throughfare with the symmetrical layout acknowledging it’s importance.
I never heard of the plans to re-instate Gardiner’s Mall either – and as much as I’d love to see it done for historical reasons, I’m not sure of it’s relevance for today.
Whatever about building ‘old’ in the rebuilding of the modern infill on the st to unify the character of the st – which was argued about at length on the Royal Dublin thread – rebuilding the Mall surely would be nostalgic in the extreme.
The wealthy of today promenade in their Victorian piles in leafy suburbia – not in the middle of O’ Connell St (indeed the exact opposite of what prevails today!)Thursday 25th 2003
I saw the first of the new paving on the street today – and wow it looks stunning – so good you want to keep it caged off from the public with barriers and concrete boulders – keep it safe from dirty feet and the plague of chewing gum.
I see it is being laid a significant 1 foot or so below the existing road level, hopefully this is in order to reduce the level of the pavement under the portico of the GPO which is too high and eats up parts of the plinths of it’s columns and the steps of the entrances.
The base of the Spire is being surrounded with straight edged square granite cobbles (which must have cost the earth) – with the areas either side on the median being laid in alternate stripes of granite slabs and (I think) limestone, which has a bluey tinge to it and is very attractive.
There is no question that litter wardens must be dedicated to the street after completion, if there is a strong awarness amongst the public that if you throw/spit chewing gum on the ground, that you will be nabbed, the process will soon stop.
This paving which must be prohibitively expensive
must be protected.And as much as one would like to say otherwise – GOOD GOD O’ CONNELL ST NEEDS TREES!!!
I’d like to think it’s architecture could hold the street up – but it can’t – largely due to the appalling state of repair of most of the stock above st level.I had’nt seen the st without the Clery’s trees until today – the place looks like London after the Blitz.
True
On the subject of Abbey St and the Indo Bldg, I noticed today for the first time the fantastic architectural unity of Middle Abbey St on the Arnotts side of the st as I rarely use the street.
All of the buildings in the terrace are very fine – with the exception of the horrible intrusion of Penneys.
All buildings have a strong vertical emphasis, including the new Arnotts – the best example of infill in the city.
And there is the extraordinary cut stone Wool Mills bldg which adds further interest.The terrace is far more gracious than parts of O’ Cll St around the corner.
I went down to have a look at it this afternoon – Isawthat hole you speak of what?, which was evidently caused with some significant force, someone literally rammed a sharp rounded object into it, like a golf umbrella tip, the metal looks like it exploded with a bullet through it, with all of the frayed edges pointing towards the underside.
And I too saw the stickers that some idiot placed over each and every solitary LED in the centre of the walkway.
The amount of effort they must have gone to to do this – what pathetic individuals they are.And as for those bloody white stickers on the bollards, which also taint every piece of furniture on Henry St etc…
Perhaps the bridge should be closed at night – this may seem silly considering this is when Temple Bar is it’s busiest – but all of this damage must be happeningunder the cover of darkness.
I think the metal is far too soft – it should never have been used underfoot. I always found it decidedly vunerable from the first time I walked on it, even then it was being damaged.
The bronze handrail is particularly bad – dirty, full of wavy dents and the joints too obvious.
Saying that, the bridge’s profile is strikingly elegant and well designed.
An island will destroy what fragments there are left that unify the Green into some semblance of a square, this space should be used to widen the Iveagh House-side pavement which is far to narrow – and is appallingly paved in a crazy paving of concrete slabs and remenants of the original granite and coalholes.
If only these mansions were dull, dark and dreary – most are clad in day-glo red brick.
You turn a bend in the road and AHHHHHH!
Although – so many bungalows are rendered in standard grey plaster and never painted, never clad – never finished.
This is a major problem – so many of these houses are never completed as their builders are in charge of their own project, there are no finishing deadlines and so they are left.Drive along the road from Dundalk to Newry and the amount of houses that have never been finished from as long as 15 years ago…
