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QUICK VISIT TO GRIFFITH AVENUE

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SWORDS ROAD TO MALAHIDE ROAD SECTION

In 1914, around the time of the housing enquiries into Dublin’s slum dwellings, Patrick Abercrombie’s plan for Dublin proposed high-density housing at Fairview and a new distributor road extending to the west from the Malahide Road. The project was shelved during the first world war, and Griffith Avenue (originally named ‘the 100-foot road’) was subsequently laid out from 1924–1928 along with the Marino Estate. The development of the avenue was commenced at the southern end of the road adjoining Marino. The avenue spans three electoral constituencies, and is the longest double tree-lined avenue in Europe.

Today I used a Sony FX30 which is not recommended as a stills camera as it is designed for video rather than photography. The problem is that it has an electronic shutter and as a result any movement within the frame can result in blurred or distorted images and today I had to discard many photographs ad they were unusable.

GREEN P&T POST BOX GRIFFITH AVENUE

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PHOTOGRAPHED 13 SEPTEMBER 2023

The Post & Telegraphs (P&T) was the name given to the government’s Post Office services inherited from the UK when the Irish Free State was established in 1922. The official Irish name for P&T is Puist agus Telegrafa.

One of my reasons for visiting Griffith Avenue was to photograph this example of street furniture as I thought that it was a surviving example of a late nineteenth-century British postbox but it is more recent.

Novelist and postal official Anthony Trollope, who lived for a time in Dublin, is credited with introducing post boxes to Ireland in the mid-19th century. The penny post had been such a success that postage volumes were on the increase and having to go into the post office simply to post a letter was becoming impractical.

In 1922. The first act of the new Irish government to order that all post boxes must be painted green (rather than red). It didn’t seem to matter that the boxes also featured the royal cypher symbols – such as ER (Edward Rex), GR (George Rex) or more commonly VR (Victoria Regina) – complete with a large crown still clearly visible through the green paint.

As time passed newer boxes appeared featuring the letters P&T (Post & Telegraphs) and later An Post.

GRIFFITH WOOD

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A NEW RENT-ONLY APARTMENT COMPLEX ON GRIFFITH AVENUE

Griffith Wood development has a prime location on a three-hectare (7.41 acre) site on Griffith Avenue that had been owned previously by the Christian Brothers. I had been, incorrectly, advised that there was a car showroom located here for fifty years and that it had been demolished to make way for this development.

This is new to me. My understanding is that the complex consists of 300 apartments none of which are available to buy. The complex is managed by American developer Greystar who has made the apartments available at very high prices.

To quote from some online publicity material: “We provide a curated living experience for those looking to find new friends and neighbours, with our host of resident events throughout the year, all managed by a dedicated on-site team.”

Griffith Wood apartments are located on Griffith Avenue in Drumcondra, Dublin 9. The site is a 2.2-acre development that was previously occupied by a car showroom. The apartments are set within a parkland setting.

The apartments themselves are a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units. They are all designed to the highest specification and furnished to suit your needs. The apartments also have access to a dedicated concierge service, bespoke gym, residents’ lounge, and co-working space.

Here are some of the amenities that are available at Griffith Wood apartments:

Concierge service
Gym
Residents’ lounge
Co-working space
Secure underground parking
Bike storage
Postal room with secure parcel storage
Pet friendly
Rent for apartments at Griffith Wood starts from €1,950 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, €2,585 per month for a two-bedroom apartment, and €3,900 per month for a three-bedroom apartment.

AN POST WHITEHALL DELIVERY OFFICE

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GRIFFITH AVENUE 12 SEPTEMBER 2023

A characterful postal sorting office building, remaining in its original use. It retains many of its original features, such as timber sash windows and north-light roof. Its public front presents a formal elevation to the street, contrasting with the more industrial curved sorting office roof behind, and its long cornice and recessed porch give it the feel of a colonial veranda. It is complemented by the post office exchange building on the opposite side of the courtyard, and also the neighbouring former Garda station, reflecting the development of Griffith Road as a suburb in the 1930s.

COURTLANDS OFF GRIFFITH AVENUE

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MY FIRST VISIT 12 SEPTEMBER 2023

The Dublin City Neighbourhoods Competition is an annual competition for communities, schools and businesses in the city organised by Dublin City Council. The aim of the competition is to bring about a cleaner, greener environment and to make local areas more attractive for the benefit of all city residents and visitors.

In 2015 Courtland’s Residents Association in Drumcondra were named the overall winners, receiving a prize fund of €3,200. They received the honour for the transformation of green areas in their estate, which began with the transformation of the green area at the entrance to their estate into a beautifully landscaped garden.

More recently, 2019, they won two awards – Best Residential Estate in the 151-300 house category and Best Open Green Space.

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