GrahamH
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It’s always fascinating to note the connections between architects of old, and the influences in their work.
Yes the IAA should be able to help – went in there before looking for information on this exact architect, or rather his work, and instantly the ‘main man’ there knew him to be the architect of the work I wanted info on, and seemed to be well versed in his buildings at least, whatever about the man himself.Isn’t it – this whole area has some really wonderful architecture, including the charming terraces of Georgian-Victorian transitional housing stretching all the way down to the SCR, such as those on Synge St.
Thanks for that location Andrew, must take a look.
Yes – lovely pictures Morlan, you manage to capture floodlighting very well which can be quite difficult.
The seahorse ones are original Victorians from around 1875-80ish, though their lanterns are later – probably early 20th century resulting from an electric conversion.
Fleet St is a repro.
South Anne St are repros (though possibly original bases from elsewhere)
St. Stephen’s Green are repros – dating from circa 2005 :); though their grand columns are very much so Victorian – they originally featured American-style kind of collegiate-like globes atop, not unlike the OPW lamps on Green East.
South King St – repros too. Though I think they look really magnificent. They were recently painted black and the central shamrock in the head painted gold – very unusual and they give the street a unique identity.
Ah the Bread Building – how did you never see that before weehamster?! It’s pictured in every first class history book in the ‘what your street looked like in 1900’ section, or on the ‘O’Connell St in days gone by’ page 🙂
What is the name of this street?
Do you recognise the building with the pillars in the centre of the street? What is it called? What flag is flying overhead?
Ask your parents about the pillar in the middle of the street. Is it still there today?
Write a short account of your visit to the street in 1900 😀There’s two things that I find very interesting about the lampposts of O’Cll St.
One – that the swan-neck c1903 ones survived both 1916 and 1922 – extraordinary!
Presumably after 1922 is when the weird new black lamps were attached as some of the globes and fittings must have been blasted out of it – so the city overall was also done at the same time.Secondly, the fact that contrary to what is perhaps common belief, O’Connell St never had grand Victorian lampposts! It was a very simple, basic affair with just the small columns.
The trademark tall silver columns all over the city were never erected by the Victorians here – quite startling considering they went up pretty much everywhere else, yet the main street was left out!I’ve always wondered when most of these posts around the city date from – the 1870s? There’s never a word said in any books or articles as to their date – just the usual focus on their decoration, and loosely describing them as ’19th century’ etc.
The loss of the late 30s posts on College St is a disgrace. Whereas I’d support the installation of the (excellent) repro posts in areas where their effect is reinforced, and in places that they contribute to the image of the city such as around Christchurch etc as they have become such an institution, much more than just heritage pieces they’re now one of the foremost representations of the city – but to put them in in place of other historic pieces of street furniture is nothing short of a joke, whatever about the loss of the original fabric itself.
This small area of posts should have been consolidated rather than undermined 😡
A close eye will be kept on the remaining ones…Agreed – I think they look particularly well in this area, a little enclave of posts 🙂
These were one of my first memories of the city, coming over a bridge and then ‘those’ lampposts and ‘that black building’ (facade of Trinty’s accomodation block) – combined they scared the hell out of me for some reason, they just looked really sinister and frightening 😮Annnnyway, the remaining ones shouldn’t be touched, indeed they need to be restored. Fitted out with bright halogen bulbs they’d be much more effective at lighting the streets than most of the stock at the moment.
Here’s one of those two replica posts going in in 2003:
Yes – anywhere in the city indeed, It’s extraordinary nothing has been erected in their memory – though one could argue that one need only look around the whole Northside to see what’s still standing in their honour…
Well here’s a rough History of the Lampposts of O’ Connell Street for anyone who’s interested.
By no means is it complete, and not every date is pinned down, but it broadly covers the main schemes the street has experienced over the past 130 years.I’ve been gathering some info and pics about these lampposts and others in the city centre – hope to have something soon…
They were yes – that’s what that thread was about!
It seems they were put there directly as a result of the Westin’s restoration – to ‘fit in’ with the heritage look on that side of the street.
College St now has a completely disjointed public lighting scheme – 30s lampposts on one side, 2003 silver replicas on the other, and 80s ulititarian tat at the top in front of the BoI!Perhaps a mini-Georgian on the median would be a fitting tribute 🙂
But which of the two would you commemorate – Luke I or II?
You couldn’t very well dedicate it to the second, ignoring the man who originated the street it’d be standing on!
Perhaps a monument in honour of both of them?Despite both being raving speculators, they clearly had a vision for the city, an aim to increase its standing on an international level.
What view? 🙂
I’ve always been of two minds about those trees – from under the BoI looking over I think Moore looks great under the canopy now they’ve been trimmed back – with the sun dappling down through. But then this view of the portico from College St is completely wrecked by them…Here’s a couple of other pics, first from the 1880s, showing the newly installed lampposts with incadescent fittings evident:
(As well a replacement one-storey building shown a little more clearly)
Also a pic from just a few weeks ago – look at that ghastly signage. College Green really is a shambles in terms of the amount of street furniture, and its quality, and that of the paviong and road surfaces which are appalling. It is strange how such an important place in the city is still in a 70s time-warp.
Just on the theme of CC-bashing, on Gardiner St this morning there was a CC worker painting a heritage litter bin with gloopy black gloss paint – fair enough, getting some treatment for once.
But upon finishing, he gets up, puts his can of paint & brush in his bicycle basket – and cycles off!No Wet Paint signs, no cordons, no tape – nothing!
I just wonder how many people are walking around the city now with black tarry streaks down their sides…I mean really – what ignorance. What if you’re wearing light coloured clothes – esp women in business suits etc?! Not that Gardiner St is exactly renowned for its power-dressers, but still, there’s plenty of white tracksuit bottoms to be destroyed 🙂
You wouldn’t have that happening on the southside. A couple of sheets of paper is all it takes.
Luke II or Luke II? 🙂
Who is more deserving of recognition on O’Cll St – father for the Mall and the street he’d be standing on or son for the contribution to the city at large?Agreed about the need for greenery – of a lower level though, and of a kind that flanks the space rather than dominates it.
The lampposts definitely disappeared before the 80s. Lots of pics depict them as such – indeed there’s loads of interesting pics of College Green from the olden days worthy of posting – must dig some out…
What’s this church Andrew? Can you give an exact location?
Argillan is magnificent all right – pass it every day on the train too, up on the hill. Isn’t there a story that the family allowed the railway line run through their grounds on the condition that they could stop any train when they wanted to use it? 🙂
Remember I had a most embarrassing time tring to find the entrance too – round in circles for about half an hour…
I love the crumbly bits of statuary that crop up occasionally from underneath foliage – an arm here, a leg there, an urn of fruit in the corner 🙂Can’t agree with you dodger about Connolly, including the new canopy – though the works inside recently are a huge improvement all right – esp the acres of new seating. And it only took six years to install it :rolleyes:
As for the Pro-Cathedral, what about the GPO? The Clash of the Porticos would be one war too many for poor old O’Connell St 🙂
A bit of both. Fr Mathew was started at the end of last week, while work on Larkin began just yesterday or Tuesday.
All that’s left now on O’Cll St to be covered are Sir John Grey and William Smith O’Brien – no doubt they’ll look quite strange as two giant cubes facing each other 🙂Joyce on Nth Earl St and the Sheahan Memorial have yet to be deal with. Presumably they’ll be tackled last.
Here’s an excellent project commissioned by Dublin City Council in 2003 to bring together information about the 9 monuments in the area (though Yvonne Wheelan’s work is still better :)). It’s the material in this project that was used for the information signs on the street.
http://www.dublincity.ie/Images/O’Connell%20Street%20Statues%20Survey_tcm35-10452.doc
Another perhaps dodgy fact on these signs is that Fr Matthew is of Carrera marble: it says limestone in the report as one would expect, but says marble on the street…though it is possible that he’s just manky dirty – one need only look at WSO’B after all…
It’s interesting (with the benefit of hindsight of course) to note how WSO’B doesn’t fit into the street like the other monuments do – it’s clearly evident he wasn’t designed for this location. His scale is wrong, esp compared with Sir John Grey, and the proportionately larger ‘flight’ of steps at the base is indicative of his original island location at the foot of D’Olier St.
Not that this detracts from it in any way, if anything it makes the monument much more interesting!On the subject of monuments, what about a memorial to Luke Gardiner in the last vacant plot on the street, which also happens to be the ideal location – the entrance to his Mall half way between Fr Mathew and the Spire?
Anyone know what he looked like? 🙂No, it really does look that bad from this location – just usually there’s buses blocking the view.
That’s about the only decent thing the trees here do too, they hide the view of the Ulster Bank from College St.Agreed that the trees are inappropriate for the location; they aren’t needed. Saying that, the row of three of the same that run along the entrance to Grafton St in front of Fox’s look well I think – and they add a pleasant maturity to the area.
An interesting view you’ve posted there Frank – whatever about the absence of all forms of life :), how the vista up to Trinity is opened up is quite impressive. It’s always something of a let-down in the summer when you look up from Dame St and all you see is a giant bush of leaves hovering over the slight mound at the entrance to College Green, concealing Trinity.
The potential for a piazza-like space here is blatently evident – so much so it appears as if the place was originally planned as such, like one of the great squares of St Petersburg, a city from which I’ve often thought the West Front could have been plucked right out of – got a lovely eastern European feel to it.
If the trees are ever removed, the problems with Grattan’s monument will truly become apparent – there’s some serious cracking going on with the plinth that needs attention.
Also two replicas of the famous seahorse lampposts should definitely be cast for the site to replace the two that were removed from what I can gather in the 40s/early 50s. Then again, surely even then they wouldn’t have been thrown out or dumped, they would’ve been quite valuable. They must be kicking around somewhere, either in a Corpo yard or someone’s back garden more likely :rolleyes:
There should be some record as to what happened to them…Great pic Morlan 😀
Entirely unfair and the oldest picture in the book below – but still funny 🙂
http://prete.ntio.us/photos/photo_lrg_iraq_limerick.jpg
Does the Clarion still hold the honour of the tallest hotel in Ireland?
