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Francis Johnston

THE CLOCK TOWER LOWER GRANGEGORMAN

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ORIGINALLY THE RICHMOND PENITENTIARY

Last year [2022] The Grangegorman Development Authority appointed Tolmac Construction Ltd as the building contractor to carry out essential stabilisation works to the historic Clock Tower Building.

The Clock Tower is one of the protected structures on the Grangegorman site and these repair works will help prevent further deterioration to this 200 year old building.

Designed by Francis Johnston, the Richmond Penitentiary was part of an experiment in the early years of the nineteenth century which sought to replace transportation and aimed to reform rather than punish.

It was originally built on a radial plan, with a five-sided enclosure to the rear. This radial plan was common in penal architecture at the time. The front range, which is the only surviving aspect, makes a considerable impact on the streetscape of Grangegorman Lower. Its intimidating facade is enlivened by a sense of symmetry which is created by the central pedimented bay and projecting end-bays. Some granite dressings enhance the calp limestone facade, and are testament to the skill and craftsmanship of stonemasons at the time.

The clock-tower is of technical as well as aesthetic interest, as the original clock-mechanism of 1817 remains in use. The building remained in use as a prison for a short time only, and throughout the nineteenth century was used by the hospital in the vicinity, before being handed over to the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum in 1897.

THE GRANGEGORMAN CLOCK TOWER

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PHOTOGRAPHED USING A SIGMA DP3 QUATTRO

Originally opened in 1816 as the Richmond Penitentiary, this iconic tower is one of the most well-known of the 11 protected structures on the Grangegorman site. Built to the designs of Francis Johnston, also known for the Lower House on site and for the GPO on O’Connell St, the Richmond Penitentiary was the first of the penitentiary style in Britain and Ireland. The front facade, which overlooks Grangegorman Lower and the western side of the site, is all that remains of the original structure. The Grangegorman Masterplan shows the building’s final use as academic space for the College of Engineering & Built Environment.

Today I obtained an unused Sigma Quattro DP3 camera and, believe me, it is more than difficult to use for multiple reasons. The first problem that I had was that the internal battery was exhausted and I could not change any settings, I could not even set the date and time. The second problem was that AF would not work so I had to focus manually which was difficult without a viewfinder.

The biggest problem is that LightRoom does not recognise the RAW files and there is no point in using the JPG files and to complicate life one needs not to use any setting above ISO 100. Alto the battery life is the worse that I have encountered.

THE CLOCK TOWER IN GRANGEGORMAN

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ORIGINALLY THE RICHMOND PENITENTIARY

Originally opened in 1816 as the Richmond Penitentiary, this iconic tower is one of the most well-known of the 11 protected structures on the Grangegorman site. Built to the designs of Francis Johnston, also known for the Lower House on site and for the GPO on O’Connell St, the Richmond Penitentiary was the first of the penitentiary style in Britain and Ireland. The front facade, which overlooks Grangegorman Lower and the western side of the site, is all that remains of the original structure. The Grangegorman Masterplan shows the building’s final use as academic space for the College of Engineering & Built Environment.

The Richmond General Penitentiary was a prison established in 1820 in Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland as an alternative to transportation. It was part of an experiment into a penitentiary system which also involved Millbank Penitentiary, London. Richmond and Millbank penitentiaries were the first prisons in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to specialise in reform rather than punishment. The building was designed by the architect Francis Johnston and decorated by George Stapleton. The building ceased to be a penitentiary in 1831, and later became part of the Richmond Asylum.

In 1810, the Governors of the House Industry situated on North Brunswick Street were instructed by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to purchase land for the construction of a penitentiary. The purpose of the penitentiary was to provide a custodial and rehabilitative alternative to the transportation of prisoners to Botany Bay, Australia. It was hoped that through solitary confinement, hard labour and religious instruction that prisoners might be reformed. They obtained a three half acre site from Lord Monck in Grangegorman which was at that time planted with apple and pear trees. Given that the Governors already had responsibility for the management of several prisons, including the Female penitentiary in Kilmainham, the House of Correction, Smithfield, the penitentiary in James’s Street and a prison ward in the House of Industry, they were assigned the task of overseeing the building of the institution that would be known as the Richmond General Penitentiary. The architect appointed was Francis Johnston. The building was completed in 1816, but it served as a fever hospital in that year and was subsequently completely refurbished. It received its first prisoners in 1820.

Upon committal prisoners were placed in solitary confinement in cells towards the rear of the building and, if their behaviour was seen to warrant it, after a period of at least one week they were removed to cells closer to the front of the building where they were allowed a greater degree of interaction with the other inmates.

The penitentiary was used as a transportation depot to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) between 1840 and the 1880s. Over 3,200 women and children passed through the Grangegorman Transportation Depot as it was then known, before being sent on ships to Hobart, Tasmania. This was the largest number of transportees of any place in Ireland at the time. The Cascades Female Factory in Hobart where these women ended up is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1897 ownership of the building was transferred to the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum and it was thereafter referred to as the “annexe” and used to house patients and for administrative functions. The building now referred to as ‘The Clock Tower’ is used as offices for Technological University of Dublin and the Grangegorman Development Agency. It forms part of the new TU Dublin campus being developed on the former hospital grounds.

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 103

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ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE OLD RICHMOND PENITENTIARY BUILDING

Originally opened in 1816 as the Richmond Penitentiary, this iconic tower is one of the most well-known of the 11 protected structures on the Grangegorman site. Built to the designs of Francis Johnston, also known for the Lower House on site and for the GPO on O’Connell St, the Richmond Penitentiary was the first of the penitentiary style in Britain and Ireland. The front facade, which overlooks Grangegorman Lower and the western side of the site, is all that remains of the original structure. The Grangegorman Masterplan shows the building’s final use as academic space for the College of Engineering & Built Environment.

A green area – the Cultural Garden – has been strategically placed directly opposite, framing the Clock Tower and offering a place for celebration and commemoration of this historic building and the wider Grangegorman site. This was developed as part of the Site Infrastructure and Public Realm (SIPR) Project over 2013/14. The four-sided clock on top of the building also has historic significance as it is the oldest flatbed mechanical clock in Britain and Ireland. This is now regularly maintained and can be heard chiming the hour throughout the Grangegorman area.

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