THE BRIDGE I COULD NOT FIND AND THE HOUSE THAT I COULD NOT FORGET
A TALE OF TWO LANDMARKS [THE BRIDGE I COULD NOT FIND AND THE HOUSE THAT I COULD NOT FORGET]
During a 2016 trip to Cork City, one landmark sat at the very top of my photography list: the famous 'Shakey Bridge'. Yet, after two days and nearly twenty miles of walking, it remained elusive. I left the city feeling I had missed a key part of its character, unaware of the photographic surprise that lay waiting.
A few months later, a magazine contacted me looking for a photograph of either the Shakey Bridge or a large, derelict house painted red. I instantly remembered the imposing, slightly eerie house overlooking the River Lee and sent them my photographs. To my astonishment, they replied that my photographs of the house also featured the very bridge I had searched for in the background!
What I didn't know then was that my 2016 photos had captured these two landmarks at a specific point in their history, just before they both underwent dramatic transformations.
The house, as a recent Google search confirmed, is WestView Villa, a Victorian gem known to all Corkonians as the "Iconic Red House". When I photographed it, it had been sitting in a state of dereliction for years. Its vibrant red-rendered façade was a symbol of faded grandeur. Today, however, that decay is a thing of the past. Beginning in 2018, the house was subject to a complete conservation restoration, transforming it from a forlorn icon into a stunning, modernised home.
Similarly, its famous neighbour has also been reborn. Since my visit, Daly's Bridge has been meticulously restored. In a major project that began in 2019, the beloved "Shakey Bridge" was carefully dismantled and rebuilt, securing its future. It was reopened in late 2020, retaining its signature wobble but now standing stronger than ever.
It’s a perfect reminder of the power of photography. My accidental photo captured two connected pieces of Cork's heritage as they were, preserving a moment in time just before a new chapter for both was about to begin.
During a 2016 trip to Cork City, one landmark sat at the very top of my photography list: the famous 'Shakey Bridge'. Yet, after two days and nearly twenty miles of walking, it remained elusive. I left the city feeling I had missed a key part of its character, unaware of the photographic surprise that lay waiting.
A few months later, a magazine contacted me looking for a photograph of either the Shakey Bridge or a large, derelict house painted red. I instantly remembered the imposing, slightly eerie house overlooking the River Lee and sent them my photographs. To my astonishment, they replied that my photographs of the house also featured the very bridge I had searched for in the background!
What I didn't know then was that my 2016 photos had captured these two landmarks at a specific point in their history, just before they both underwent dramatic transformations.
The house, as a recent Google search confirmed, is WestView Villa, a Victorian gem known to all Corkonians as the "Iconic Red House". When I photographed it, it had been sitting in a state of dereliction for years. Its vibrant red-rendered façade was a symbol of faded grandeur. Today, however, that decay is a thing of the past. Beginning in 2018, the house was subject to a complete conservation restoration, transforming it from a forlorn icon into a stunning, modernised home.
Similarly, its famous neighbour has also been reborn. Since my visit, Daly's Bridge has been meticulously restored. In a major project that began in 2019, the beloved "Shakey Bridge" was carefully dismantled and rebuilt, securing its future. It was reopened in late 2020, retaining its signature wobble but now standing stronger than ever.
It’s a perfect reminder of the power of photography. My accidental photo captured two connected pieces of Cork's heritage as they were, preserving a moment in time just before a new chapter for both was about to begin.