GrahamH
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Indeed – Advance Joinery as Devin says are very often mentioned as amongst the best in the Dublin area, as are Ventrolla who have a great reputation, though may be a bit pricey…
http://www.ventrolla.co.uk/offices/ireland
…otherwise I’m not much help!
Dun Laoghaire is a fecker of a place to date buildings such is the ‘progressive’ nature of window design there as you say. Whilst most places in the city never saw light of a plate/cylinder sheet until the late 1850s, Dun Laoghaire was very advanced for its time. It was largely the seaside location that spurred on the introduction of early sheet glass in the town in what seems to have been the 1840s. Peter Pearson rightly states the introduction of sheet glass as around this time, but often doesn’t mention in his publications that it was pretty much unheard of outside of his much-researched Dun Laoghaire!
I’d still find it very hard to believe though Echium that your house, especially a modest one, from 1838, in the basement, featured sheet glass windows! The fact that your upper windows are single pane sashes and not even early two-over-twos as was the only type available anywhere in Dun Laoghaire in the 1840s, suggests that not only were the basement single panes not original, but that the upper floor ones there today aren’t either! Such hugely expensive windows only came into widespread use in even the most prestigious housing developments c1858-1860.
Are there horns on your windows Echium? – little pointy, often curved features like this:
Indeed they do, and of course Craig makes reference to the Library windows also, however I wouldn’t be quite as quick to jump on Trinity. Roche’s book, as fine a publication as it is, doesn’t quite explain enough the variety of methods used, nor the popularity of certain types of glass, especially in Ireland – many references are made to UK glass or their methods that were imported, but with little expansion on their extent of use here.
The broad characteristics of crown glass and later glass such as cylinder and plate are very well explained, however the precise methods used in manufacture and more importantly the quality of output is not fully entered into. I’m no expert, but have come across countless examples of glass that cannot be neatly slotted into the categories as set out in the book, glass that looks like poor quality crown or high quality cylinder, glass that has both swirls and dimples, glass that has a highly dimpled surface, and glass that is much less blemished – all in a host of 19th century buildings of many ages.
Even comparing two images, look at the difference in quality between this and this – both supposedly cylinder glass:
Presumably Trinity is early cylinder or ‘broad’ glass, while Pearse St is a later improved version (?)
Admittedly your other pic does look dodgy Devin, but that could just be a dodgy pane of crown – it’s hard to know. I find it hard to think that Trinity would replace what even it recognises as one of the great treasures in the city with poor reproductions. The conservation project thus far looks like a job well done, even if the giant Venetians look a bit chunkier than usual now. You can certainly see the acres of priceless crown in the College Street window anyway!
@Echium wrote:
approx 120 cm square (a little taller than wide).
Hmmm – that sounds a bit suspect Echium. Openings with those proportions could have been formed when the aluminiums were installed in the 1970s, thought yes it is possible that they are original: basements often had rather squat windows. Either way though, they most certainly would not have been one-over-ones originally – 1838 is too early for such expansive glass sheets in Ireland, especially in basement windows!
Then again you could be referring to later window frames from c1900 that you wish to replicate – perhaps you could elaborate.The latest methods in double-glazed sash construction are effective and generally very accurate and attractive, though may not appeal to the most finiky of conservationists :). For basement windows though, I’d deem them more than acceptable.
Though rather grand, here’s an 1840s Dun Laoghaire house with Georgian grids, incl the basement:
Well the giant of all construction frenzies is now underway on Upper O’Connell Street in order for it to be ready for the parade of sorts on Easter Sunday (extraordinary how quickly that came upon us). There’s now barely five days to get everything in order, however it would seem to be doable.
Upper West looks like it may be completed in its entirety, as there’s nothing other than long strips of paving to be laid on a largely ready surface – still a lot of work though. Upper East on the other hand is very touch and go – the whole McDowell terrace still even has sections of the original paving to be removed, though at least services have been laid. It would be a shame for this section to remain fenced off as the last part to be finished, right next to the Spire and the GPO.Here are the ‘boulevard’ trees going in the other day. They are Oriental Plane trees, 67 of which are to line the street’s side pavements; they’re about 25 years old.
They have all been planted since these pics were taken and look very grand. Unfortunately the amount of hoarding, not to mention buses on the street conceal the new vistas at the minute. Lampposts have yet to be installed on most of the pavements, and have to be headed on the median.
Not all progress is positive though – remember this lighting test strip on the GPO from last November?
Well it was obviously deemed acceptable as a full scheme is being installed – a rather unsympathetic one 🙁
It’s being clumsily attached above the string course of the ground floor, the units crude, chunky silver metal yokes with joins every few metres:
Nit-picky perhaps, but am just not a fan of these strip things that try to absorb themselves into buildings.
There’s no doubting the GPO is a very difficult building to light – there’s no external poles that can be erected, no exposed basement to be availed of, and no enclosed ground space for the lamps that is shielded from the public – similarly sunken pavement lighting isn’t an option with pedestrians casting shadows everywhere.
But tacking strip units above the string course, essentially trying to incorporate them into the architecture of the building, is as clunky as it is disrespectful. It makes the moulding look cumbersome and just wrong.
More modern versions of the previous uplighters would have been much more appropriate – lamps that are clearly attached to the building, clearly seperate from the architecture, but discreet in nature by their colouring.It’ll be interesting to see how the portico is dealt with – probably Government Buildings style. 2 or 3 cherrypickers have taken up home behind the columns.
A group called Griffin’s has taken over nearly all the major convenience stores in the city centre of late. As part of the ‘takeover’, the various premises have had to have their signs redone. Some of them have ‘temporary sign’ signs erected over their doors, the Londis on O’Connell Street next to Clerys extraordinarily large and vulgar in the extreme. It has been sitting there for well over six months at this stage, if not since last summer.
Exactly how long is a ‘temporary sign’ permitted to be in place? Do they even have any legal standing?I’d largely agree – the posting of the Loop Line image was a bit devious :). Trinity’s new building is also about to conceal most of it from here anyway (even if they’ll just get that hideous view instead from what is to be a flagship institution).
However that is not to excuse the lumpen nature of the setbacks, nor the ridiculous heritage roof plonked on top, crowned with air con units. A more refined job even using the same scale of the structure built would have made all the difference.Just looking at Paul’s 1990s image, there’s definitely something strange going on with the original fabric of the building – a lot of materials must have been salvaged as Devin suggests:
There isn’t a sash left in the building, nor are there any railings or granite plinths and steps. Yet it’s clearly old glass in a great many window panes today, as it is definitely old granite forming most of the railing features! (though the curved sections flanking the steps seem to be new). Indeed even the railings have an historic quality to them. Very strange…
Also on Pearse Street, as mentioned above the extension of the Trinity Capital Hotel is now getting underway. The adjoining early Victorian houses are nearly finished externally, the upper floors and roofs anyway, and to a very high standard. Beautiful pointing especially. Haven’t had a chance to check out the real extension to the rear yet, though you can see it peeking over the parapet there…
So it is Georgian, and early at that! What a fantastic array of windows, including that tell-tale keystone stranded on the gable wall 🙂
If anything these repro sashes are now even more incongruous and damaging to the fabric in light of the above images, as the plates would very likely have been preceded with chunky frames as per the upper floors, and not slimline post-1770ish models as have been installed.wow – thanks for the pic of The Pembroke paddyinthehouse: looks achingly smart :). Lovely colour.
The new look (or should that be old look?) Butler’s is very much their standard offering, if a bit sharper than usual. Interesting that they’ve also seen fit to replace what seem to have been c.1920s plate sashes upstairs with Georgian reproductions, bringing the whole building in line with these Regencyesque heritage commercial premises you see in places like Bath and certain parts of London. Are these even Georgian buildings?
Nonetheless the gharish yellow paint would gone down a treat amongst the fashionable of 1810s Cork, even if no longer made with horse urine 😮The neighbouring buildings look terrible now, especially with all that PVC muck.
7/4/2006
The conversion into offices of the former premises of the Dublin Oil Gas Company/Academy Cinema is nearing completion now.
The exterior is finished and looks impressive; a fine stone-coloured render, perhaps with a light wash of some kind over it complements the rusty tones of the granite dressings very well:
From Archiseek:
Originally built as an industrial headquarters for Dublin Oil Gas Station, established to extract gas from fish oil. This business went bankrupt in 1834 when the price of fish oil, previously very cheap, suddenly and rapidly increased. In 1842 the site was acquired by the Society of Antient Concerts. Having adapted the interior into an 800-seat hall with a Telford organ, the society gave its first performance there on April 20th 1843, featuring extracts from Handel’s Messiah.By the 1920s, the Antient Concert Rooms had begun to show films, although the premises still also played host to other performances and continued to have an orchestra pit. It was only fifty years ago that the building was completely converted tp a cinema, opening in April 1956 as the Embassy and later becoming the Academy, in which guise it remained until the late 1980s. During the mid-1950s the most serious changes were made to the original facade, when a new canopied entrance was added to the ground floor and a balcony inserted into the hall’s auditorium. Otherwise, the exterior remains that recorded in an engraving made soon after the building was first constructed in the 1820s.
The windows are exqusitely restored/replaced to the orginal specifications. There’s even the odd pane of crown glass in there:
All of the doors have been painted an elegant, what seems to be almost black green – perhaps an influence from the Royal College of Physcians’ recent restoration across the way. The railings have also been mended:
What a transformation from but a few years ago!
However not everything is quite as (cough)…rosy…
Yes. They’ve always been good, but are even better of late. What once was a small bookshelf on Irish architecture and built environment has gradually enveloped that whole corner over the past two years.
Their Dublin section is also expanding.Pffft – I take you happy clappy Wogan’s Interiors and raise you the glorious St. Peter’s:
Moody I tell ya – moody 🙂
Nice pics there – the St. Laurence Gate is a great feature in the town. Surprised it wasn’t knocked in 1963 as a ‘hinderance to the flow of traffic and the wider economic expansionary needs of the conurbation’ :rolleyes:
Drogheda is really looking up of late – got a great mix of (really) ancient heritage, contemporary developments, and everything in between, as the above pictures demonstrate. Quite a few remnants of 1950s Ireland about – even 1970s Ireland which are becoming increasingly (and for the most part thankfully) rare.
Just a pity about the dross that’s enveloping every field in a mile radius of the town.Some of these (Fitzgerald?) blocks…
…have just been redecorated; the originally exposed pebbledashed ‘cylinders’ painted a dark shade of grey, and the pebbledashed elevations of the flats themelves (on the other side in the pic I think) painted off-white. They look much improved.
The cylinders look rather strange in such a dark colour after years of their light grey cement finish.Indeed.
A few others would include:
.Lopping the top of the Dept of Agriculture that looms over the parapet of Government Buildings.
.Then in turn ditching Govt Buildings for College Green 😉
.Knock down Commercial Buildings on Dame Street.
.Likewise with College House down the road, only in this case replace it wth something better.Arran Quay.
Various Nassau Street buildings.
ICS Westmoreland Street and D’Olier Street.
That new monster on Eden Quay.
Penneys O’Connell Street.
Move the Rotunda to its rightful position 🙂oh, and Tallaght.
Ha! And this is exactly what is happening right next door to the above estate also (yes, another one), where ‘quality’ red brick houses line the roadway featuring highly prized diarrhoea coloured timber effect PVC windows and bastardised Georgian front doors, whilst like clockwork the rest of the development falls away to rendered elevations with the brick reserved for the front ground floors only, and white PVC.
Yes, that corner’s been in a mess for months now – should have been sorted long ago.
Agreed about the amount of manhole covers, particularly around the Spire where it’s a complete mess to be honest. What’s the point in having a ‘feature’ bronze base for the Spire if it’s to be surrounded on all sides by crude access covers to traffic signal controls? Don’t know how that problem could have been resolved, but it’s most unfortunate to have so many concentrated in such a prominent area.
There are examples of inset paving slabs in covers on the Lower median, but these haven’t been universally applied on the rest of the street.An old photo now, but can’t you just feel the stickiness? 🙂
How would you space boarding underneath the zinc Bren88?
Ths site says zinc has a lifespan of around 100 years when used on roofs – pretty impressive. Would copper be the same?
