NORTH OF THE RIVER

ORIGINAL IMAGES BY A REAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Home » William Murphy » Page 14

William Murphy

EXPLORING HANOVER QUAY AND THE IMMEDIATE AREA REF-225548-1

by

NOVEMBER 2023

Because of the riot in Dublin last Thursday I am using a iPhone rather than my Sony Cameras. I suspect that I am being over cautious.

The Grand Canal Docks first opened in 1796, built to a design by William Jessop. Before this development, from medieval times the area was associated with lepers, as recorded in some of the street names such as Misery Hill and Lazer Lane. At the time they were the world’s largest docks. They fell into decline within just a few decades, due mostly to reduced canal usage with the arrival of the railways. The landscape was dominated by Dublin Gas Company’s mountains of black coal, along with chemical factories, tar pits, bottle factories and iron foundries. However, bakers and millers maintained business along the southern edge of the inner basin. By the 1960s, the Grand Canal Docks were almost completely derelict.

Around 1987 it was decided that Hanover Quay was too toxic to sell. Regeneration began in 1998, when Bord Gáis sold the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) the former gasworks site located in the area between Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Hanover Quay, for €19 million. The DDDA spent €52 million decontaminating the land, even though the likely return was estimated at just €40 million. The decontamination took place under the supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency, between 2002 and 2006. The process involved constructing an underground wall eight metres deep around the affected area, and the contaminated soil being dug out and removed. By the time the decontamination was finished, an inflated property bubble and increased demand in the area (brought on, in part, by the decision by Google to set up its European headquarters nearby), allowed the authority to sell the land for €300 million. The DDDA injected some of its new funds into the area’s infrastructure including seats, street lighting, and civic spaces.

A number of buildings have since been developed, involving the construction of millions of euros worth of real estate, the establishment of what is now sometimes known as Silicon Docks, and the arrival of several thousand new residents.

MARY’S LANE REF-225458-1

by

I DID NOT REALISE THAT EXTENDED ALL THE WAY TO BOW STREET

I used a Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and it did not preform well in low light combined with fog and rain … now I know. You may have noticed that I experimented with “multi-framing” and, to be honest, I did not like the result.

The building of real interest is the Victorian Fruit And Vegetable Market which I will not discuss here as I intend to do so at a later date.

The Irish capital has struggled recently when it comes to housing. In response to this there was a plan for a major development situated opposite the city’s former fruit market and next to the building where H Lawlor is located. My understanding is that the Fruitmarket Partnership has applied for permission to build a shared accommodation scheme of 360 bedrooms, with a total of 506 beds, in 61 “apartment clusters” sharing kitchen and living facilities. The scheme would be built in four blocks on two separate sites on Mary’s Lane and Halston Street in the city’s markets area west of Capel Street. The four blocks would range in height up to 14 storeys or 49m, more than twice the 24m maximum allowed under the Dublin City Development Plan.

About a month ago Dublin City Council indicated that Mary’s Lane would get a new plaza, seating and cycle parking. And St Michan’s Park on Halston Street, and Greek Street, would also get major upgrades. Apparently the owner of H Lawlor is not keen on the idea as he operates from buildings on both sides of the street.

JAMESON DISTILLERY ON BOW STREET REF-225437-1

by

IS A TOURIST TOURIST ATTRACTION IN SMITHFIELD

I have had lunch here a few times but I never took part in a guided tour of the complex.

In 1780 John Jameson threw open the doors of his distillery on Bow St. Over 200 years later, the doors are still open to friends old and new. Founded by John Jameson in 1780, today the former factory stands as a monument to Irish Whiskey. Visit Jameson Distillery Bow St Dublin for the world’s leading distillery tours, cocktail making classes, premium whiskey tasting sessions or to learn how to blend your own whiskey.

DUBLIN CITY CENTRE THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT AND LITTLE TO SEE

by

24 NOVEMBER 2023

The city was remarkable empty of people and there was not as much to see as I had expected … most of the damage appeared to be on Abbey Street and O’Connell Street. Public transport had not returned to normal and may not do so until Monday and that does have an impacts on my plans for the weekend.

Yesterday three young children were injured in the stabbing incident outside a primary school which sparked violent protests and clashes with police. According to the Guards [police] a five-year-old schoolgirl and a female teacher, believed to be in her 30s, remain in a very serious condition.

I was in the immediate area, near the Parnell Street Tram Stop, when knife attack occurred on Parnell Square East. I did not witness the actual event but I was made aware of it within minutes and immediately decided to return to my apartment for personal safety reasons but my main concern was that the incident had the potential to provoke a violent reaction locally. However, I was surprised by the scale and intensity of the reaction. After returning home I decided to visit the local centra which never closes and was amazed to discover that it was shuttered.

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION BESIDE THE CONVENTION CENTRE – GUILD STREET

by

VIDEO BY WILLIAM MURPHY

DublinBikes docking station 49 is located on Guild Street on the bank of the Royal Canal opposite to the Convention Centre. If you are interested in bridges this is the place to visit as there are four to be seen in the immediate area

[1] The Samuel Beckett Bridge is a cable-stayed swingbridge in Dublin that joins Sir John Rogerson’s Quay on the south side of the River Liffey to Guild Street and North Wall Quay in the Docklands area.

[2] It is hard to ignore the rugged beauty of the two Scherzer Bridges on the north quays, one at Custom House Quay, the other at New Wapping Street. These were constructed to a design patented by William Scherzer of Chicago and installed in 1912. The bridges operated as lock gates between the River Liffey and dock and canals beyond.

[3] The Luas runs over the Spencer Dock Bridge at the Royal Canal which opened on Bloomsday, June 16th 2009. The Spencer Dock Bridge is the principal structure along the LUAS Red Line Docklands C1 extension to the Point Depot.The Bridge was the recipient of an award for Best Structural Design at the LEAF Awards 2009. The Award recognised Amanda Levete, architects, for implementation of an innovative structural design solution. The conceptual design is based on the geometry of the Manta Ray fish with asymmetric pectoral fins (wings) extending out from the body of the bridge deck and reaching down towards the water level in the Royal Canal.
The 40 metre span bridge features fluid lines and an undulating concrete surface taking traffic and pedestrians across the Royal Canal.

[4] Sheriff Street Lifting Bridge.

The wonderful thing about Dublin is that everything has a history or a background story but the problem is that everyone will tell you a different story.

When I first photographed this bridge, many years ago, a self appointed local historian told me that the lifting bridge was built by Earl Spencer the paternal grandfather of Diana Spencer. The problem with such stories is that the facts may be “alternative” but they are often true so they cannot be easily dismissed. I did, however, have some problems with the story for the following reasons.

Spencer Dock was originally known as the Royal Canal Docks
Diana’s Grand Father or his father had no connection with Ireland.
The bridge appears to have an electric motor dating from the 1940s or 1950s

Anyway I decided to check a history of the docklands published by Turtle Bunbury [by the way the book features one of my photographs] and I came across the following: “The new dock was a work of ‘entirely private enterprise’ and cost £58,000. On the beautiful afternoon of 15th April 1873, (Sir) Ralph Cusack, Chairman of the MGWR, opened the new dock and formally named it Spencer after the Lord Lieutenant, Earl Spencer, great-great grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.”

So there was some basis to the local historian’s claim however the bridge associated with the development was at the time described as “an ingenious hydraulic bridge” and it was the work of the railway’s engineer Mr Price. The bridge in at the end of Guild Street does not really match the description above.

The available information is confusing. The bridge appears to be referred to as the Sheriff Street Lifting Bridge but also as the Sheriff Street Spencer Drawbridge but it was built in 1941 as a replacement for an older swivel bridge dating from 1873.

A few years ago I came across this; “However, on 17 October 1941 the Irish Times reported on the opening of the new Sheriff Street drawbridge, which had cost £18,000; it was a structure unique of its kind in these islands.

You will find links to buy products from Amazon, Google and other partners. If you click on these links, you’ll find that the URL includes a small extra piece of text which identifies that the click came from my websites. This text is an affiliate code, and it means that I get a small payment if you choose to buy that product. These affiliate links help pay the costs of producing my websites and ensure that the content is free to you.