DERELICT

WAS IT REALLY ONCE A GENTLEMAN'S OUTFITTER SHOP

Recently, I came across the following comment: "My great grandparents were living at 29 Upper William Street in 1911 - when I visited a few years back it was a gentleman's outfitters." As I was reprocessing my 2016 photo collection, I decided to check if I had any photographs of 29 Upper William Street, and much to my surprise, it was an unoccupied or derelict single-storey building with a corrugated tin roof, which was in very poor condition. For those unfamiliar, imagine a roof made of wavy metal sheets. Now imagine the cacophony of sound when rain hammers down on it – a constant drumming that could drive you to distraction! It's certainly not something you'd expect to find on a house in a city centre.

Limerick City & County Council described it as "a derelict site comprising a cottage and surrounding land situate at 29 William Street Upper, Limerick V94K6HF, containing an area of 0.015 hectares."

Limerick City & County Council acquired this site through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) under the Derelict Sites Act 1990. This likely happened because the property was deemed derelict and detracting from the area's appearance.

William Street Upper is located in Limerick City Centre, within the Georgian Quarter. This area boasts elegant Georgian architecture and has a rich history.

18th and 19th Centuries: William Street was a fashionable residential address during the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the buildings, including those on Upper William Street, would have been grand houses inhabited by wealthy families.

Commercial Development: Over time, like many city centre streets, William Street transitioned to a more mixed-use area with shops and businesses occupying the ground floors of many buildings.

Modern Day: Today, William Street Upper retains some of its Georgian character, although some buildings have been modernised or replaced. It's a vibrant street with a mix of residential and commercial properties.