WHITAKER SQUARE AND ROPE WALK

WHITAKER SQUARE AND ROPE WALK THE TROPICAL FRUIT WAREHOUSE

STREETS AND LANES OF DUBLIN ADELAIDE ROAD IN DUBLIN ANGLESEA STREET IN TEMPLE BAR ARBOUR HILL ROAD DUBLIN 7 ARDEE STREET - CHAMBER STREET ARD RI ROAD AUGHRIM PLACE OFF OXMANTOWM ROAD AUNGIER STREET BACK LANE NEAR CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL BEDFORD ROW IN TEMPLE BAR BENBURB STREET BIRD AVENUE IN CLONSKEAGH BLACK HALL PLACE WHERE THE LAW SOCIETY IS BASED BLACKHALL STREET BLOOMFIELD AVENUE OFF THE SOUTH CIRCULAR BOW STREET DUBLIN 7 BRIDGEFOOT STREET BURGESS LANE BRUNSWICK STREET NORTH CAMDEN STREET CAMDEN ROW CARMAN'S HALL CATHEDRAL VIEW COURT CHANCERY PLACE - CHANCERY STREET - WEST CHARLES STREET CHARLEVILLE ROAD RATHMINES CLANBRASSIL STREET UPPER A QUICK VISIT TO CLARENDON STREET 26 JULY 2020 CLYDE LANE CLYDE ROAD IN BALLSBRIDGE COOK STREET - AUGUST 2020 CROSSTICK ALLEY - CATHERINE STREET IN THE LIBERTIES OF DUBLIN DAME LANE DEAN STREET - NEWMARKET AREA OF DUBLIN DOMINICK STREET DORSET STREET DORSET STREET LOWER DORSET STREET UPPER DRUMCONDRA ROAD UPPER THE DOORS OF DUBLIN - FITZWILLIAM PLACE FISHAMBLE STREET - TEMPLE BAR AREA OF DUBLIN FLEET STREET IN THE TEMPLE BAR AREA FOSTER PLACE FRANCIS STREET FRANCIS STREET - JUNE 2020 FRANKFORT AVENUE - RATHGAR DUBLIN 6 FREDERICK STREET NORTH - 22 MAY 2020 GLASTHULE ROAD DUN LAOGHAIRE GARVILLE AVENUE - BRIGHTON SQUARE TO RATHGAR ROAD NORTH GEORGE'S STREET - DOORS OF DUBLIN LOWER GRANGEGORMAN 13 JUNE 2020 GRAND CANAL STREET ON A REALLY WET DAY GREEN STREET OFF NORTH KING STREET LOOKING DOWN HARCOURT STREET FROM ADELAIDE ROAD HAROLD'S CROSS ROAD HENRIETTA STREET HENRIETTA PLACE HENRIETTA PLACE - APRIL 2020 JEROME CONNOR PLACE PENCIL SHAPED BOLLARDS AND THE FRANCIS STREET SCHOOL ZONE ON JOHN DILLON STREET - ST NICHOLAS PLACE - CLARENCE MANGAN SQUARE KILDARE STREET KINGS INNS STREET KING STREET NORTH LAMB ALLEY - WHERE THERE IS A SECTION OF THE OLD CITY WALL LIBERTY LANE OFF CAMDEN ROW LINDSAY ROAD LITTLE BRITAIN STREET DUBLIN 1 LURGAN STREET OF NORTH KING STREET MANOR STREET - AUGUST 2020 MARY'S ABBEY MEATH STREET AND NEARBY MOLESWORTH STREET MOLESWORTH STREET [AS IT WAS IN APRIL 2017] MOUNT STREET UPPER - DOORS OF DUBLIN NICHOLAS STREET - BETWEEN ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL AND CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL NORTH CIRCULAR ROAD NEW BRIDE STREET NICHOLAS STREET O'CONNELL STREET ORMOND PLACE OXMANTOWN ROAD PARNELL STREET - DUBLIN'S CHINATOWN RANDOM IMAGES OF PEARSE STREET APRIL 2017 PETERS PLACE - NEAR HARCOURT STREET TRAM STOP RATHMINES ROAD LOWER RICHMOND HILL RATHMINES ST PETER'S LANE IN PHIBSBOROUGH SAINT LUKE'S AVENUE OFF DEAN STREET SITRIC PLACE SITRIC ROAD SOUTH RICHMOND STREET THOMAS STREET THOR PLACE TOWNSEND STREET VIKING ROAD AND VIKING PLACE WESTERN WAY - BROADSTONE AREA YARNHALL STREET OFF BOLTON STREET STREET PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2019
WHITAKER SQUARE AND ROPE WALK [THE TROPICAL FRUIT WAREHOUSE AND ASSOCIATED VISUAL LOCAL HISTORY]

I suspect that not many people are aware of this courtyard but I visit it a few times year in case there is anything of interest - one never knows. Anyway, today I noticed an interesting visual history of the docklands on the hoarding around the Tropical Fruit Warehouse development.

The space shown in my photographs is behind the Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane which can be accessed via Rope Walk which connects East Hanover Street to Sir John Rogerson's Quay [there was until recently a locked gate at the Hanover Street end of the lane]. Rope Walk [not to be confused with Ropewalk Place in Ringsend] runs parallel to Lime Street.

A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropewalks were in the open air, while others were covered only by roofs. Ropewalks historically were harsh sweatshops, and frequently caught fire, as hemp dust ignites easily and burns fiercely.

The court yard is named Whitaker Square and it is home to The Economic and Social Research Institute. It is amusing to see that the ESRI has received one Google Review and they received only one star.

The institute was founded in 1960 by a group of senior academics and public servants, led by T. K. Whitaker, Secretary of the Department of Finance. While conducting an economic study of Ireland, Whitaker became aware of the necessity for an independent research organisation to conduct analysis of data using up-to-date quantitative techniques in order to make the data useful for public policy makers. The US-based Ford Foundation provided seed funding to establish the Economic Research Institute in 1960. In 1966 the remit of the institute was expanded to include social research and the name changed to Economic and Social Research Institute. The first Director of the institute was Roy C. Geary, Irish statistician and founder of the Central Statistics Office.

The Tropical Fruit Warehouse development is described as follows: "Designed by Henry J Lyons Architects this cutting-edge scheme will deliver over 80,000 sq. ft. of unique river front offices and will include a new 6 storey office block at the rear overlooking an existing public square. The original warehouse building will be sensitively restored and the design incorporates the addition of two floating, fully glazed office floors which will cantilever over the protected structure providing panoramic views over the River Liffey."
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