johnglas

Prax: the situation at Cobh is a national disgrace – clearly the local town council is incapable of exercising any oversight. I agree with ake that government money shouldn’t entirely be sniffed at, but the real key is strong local action based on agreed national guidelines. The danger now is that the deterioration and lack of remedial action will lead to such complicated problems that the existing committee will be overwhelmed and just retreat in panic.
On a purely architectural point: why does the arcade in Cobh continue across the transept arches? The whole point of a crossing in Gothic churches is to create a sense of great space and volume at the point just before entry to the sanctuary (that’s clumsily put, but you know what I mean). Here, the closing off of the transept arms will increase the longitudinal thrust of the building and eliminate any sense of the presence of the transepts, and destroy any feeling of being at the ‘fulcrum’ of the buiding immediately under the crossing. Any medieval precedents?

Yes, dave 123, but ‘building up’ is a relative term. If that’s code for highrise, then sticking a highrise block in the middle of an historic townscape, however ‘decrepit’, is not the solution to anything very much and will just encourage developers to flatten even more on the plea that every commonplace development will ‘create’ 10,000 jobs, etc.

Paul, well spotted! Can we not have an outbreak of fashion for tiled (glazed brick?) walls in shops again? And any colour except beige. Any pics of these shops in context?

I will floor Rhabanus by saying I agree with him; one can only hope that when the present incumbent (bishop) retires, his successor will take a deep breath and ‘renew’ (‘re-age’?) the sanctuary with fittings that pay more respect to both fabric and context. The ‘slype’ with the stations is quite effective, but both they and the tapestries in the sanctuary seem to belong to the ‘advanced primary school’ school of art, which is where they should eventually be donated when replaced.
However, Paul’s shots show what a powerful interior this still is.

I wonder if that’s why so many spires were not built; the church exterior is quite plain, but the steeple is very elaborate indeed. Maybe the building committee took fright and held off building it until they could ‘afford’ it, by which time they were all long gone and it never got built.

Isn’t it just a marvellous building all round; as a ‘plague’ church, it’s never been intended as a ‘mere’ parish church but as monument and thank-offering. What a floor – I’m sure it’s not Marmoleum (not that I’ve anything against Marm…). My recollection of it is of its being much darker and your pics show it more in all its glory. Thanks again for that, but you’ve deeply unsettled me and I really must get back to Venice!
My next rip is to Paris early in July; I’ve a few favourites there – I must try and get some shots.

I can understand your impatience with the ubiquity of patinated copper, but it’s just a fad, like many other fads, e.g. exposed concrete, unpainted galvanised metal, acres of glass cladding and flat-roofed, boxy house extensions. Much of architecture – at any period – is fashion and what is touted as ‘cutting edge’ (whatever that means) is actually just the latest trend. So, there’s a lot more patinated copper to come until people get tired of it and go on to something else like titanium (no, sorry, that’s been done) – and it’s still better as a surface material than exposed concrete, especially in this climate.

He concludes his application by stating that the “proposed redevelopment in its current configuration will put the day to day running of this business, cause undue hardship to our 95 employees, suppliers and customers.”

“Accordingly, I therefore believe this planning application is unlawful and invalid insofar as it includes or purports to include any part of The Granary used and occupied by the Trinity Rooms.”

Trinity Rooms are also battling to take ownership of a small piece of land, which borders the nightclub. As the owner of the land is unknown, Limerick City Council imposed a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the land this March, which is currently being decided upon by An Bord Pleanala.

It looks as though the director of the Trinity Rooms is engaging in the sort of hyberbole that gives objections to planning permission a bad name; he also appears to have a putative material interest in an adjoining piece of ground, so he’s not exactly disinterested. I’ve only been to Limerick once, but it seemed to me to be the most ‘urban’ in feel of the Irish cities, especially in the ‘new town’ bits and facing the river; Englishtown was, however, a disappointment. Anything that reinforces the character of the centre should be welcomed, provided the design is up to it and it reinforces the urban character of the city.

Yes, it’s a gem of a building; my only fear is that ‘in restauro’ usually implies quarantine for an indefinite number of years!
It’s too long since I’ve been to Venice – I think my favourite church is possibly the Frari, although the sublime basilica at Torcello or the exquisite gem of S. Maria dei Miracoli also come to mind, amongst others. La Serenissima, indeed.

PS When at my most Lutheran (or Palladian), I would have to say S. Giorgio Maggiore and I still have a poster of S. Maria de Salute (the most memorable profile of them all).

Remarkable how the ‘feel’ of the church changes with the use of the different hangings; the requiem fit-out is paticularly solemn. (Interesting that it shows up the somewhat distressed state of the walls in the church; I think St S P is normally closed.) Just back from a quick trip to the Rhineland; there’s a very definite German style – high maintenance, restrained use of statuary, etc, eclectic nature of decoration, a ‘thoughtful’ adaptation to the liturgy, no loss of altar rails,etc. The one exception was the Koelner Dom, in a terminal state of invasion by dust! Although Cologne still has some Romanesque gems.