Ringsend Park, Dublin South
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RINGSEND PARK, DUBLIN SOUTH Figure 1 View from gate A on the west side of the park. These pathways reflect the original landscaping on this side. GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY Situated between Ringsend and Irishtown, this thirteen acre site was transformed into a park from reclaimed land. A description of the proposed scheme was described in December of 1905: The formation of the proposed new park will be an important acquisition to the inhabitants of Irishtown and Ringsend, once the most over- crowded centre in Ireland, and is certain to add considerably to the value of the property in the district. The work is being undertaken by the Pembroke Urban Council, and in a week or two they will be in a position to invite tenders for the fencing in of the area, which it is proposed to convert into pleasure grounds. The site is close to the Pembroke Technical Schools at Ringsend, and consists of land which has been reclaimed through the operations of the Pembroke and Rathmines Main Drainage Board. The area of the reclaimed portion is about 31 acres, but the entire of this space will not be available as a small portion was set aside for the erection of 100 artisans dwellings. These houses have been erected and are now occupied, and with the 50 erected in another portion of the district from a splendid testimony to the energy and enterprise of the Council.1 The project had been proposed some years earlier and Lord Pembroke (later succeeded by his brother) decided to consider it as soon as the town council had the funds to create the park. As early as 1896, after the opening of the Pembroke Technical Schools, it was touted as the next public project for the area (noted as a gift of Lord Pembroke) when it would provide a convenient short cut for those in Irishtown and Sandymount wishing to attend the schools. The earl granted the land to the council in 1900 at a nominal rent of 1 shilling a year on the condition that some of the ground was used to accommodate new working class housing.2 The contract for the railing of the park was drawn up by March the following year,3 but it was not until November of 1907 that a Mr. Michael Finnegan was appointed caretaker and superintendent of the park.4 In January of 1908, the park was still described as ‘in embryo’ and the council were only then making large scale purchases of shrubs.5 By this stage, the caretaker’s house had been built and was described as ‘a picturesque little residence’, but the correspondent noted that ‘unfortunately the aspect of the new park is bleak, and the soil, if it can be called such, chiefly town debris, hence the whole thing will require some expert handling to make it a thing of beauty, as well as a comfortable recreation ground for young Ringsenders.’6 The writer also felt that the park would never and should never rival St. Stephen’s Green but rather proposed that it should be chiefly given over to football and other popular pastimes, a view which very much corresponds to the way the park was ultimately laid out and the way it is used today.7 Soon after the park by-laws were sanctioned by the Local Government Board and applications to play games were under consideration with the intention of permission being granted.8 By the following June, band promenades were taking place in the evening (7.30 to 9pm), a somewhat unusual hour for a park in a working class area.9 In August of 1909 the council granted permission for football to be played on Sundays.10 1 The Irish Times Dec 20, 1905, 5. 2 Ibid. 3 The Irish Times Mar 12, 1906, 9. 4 The Irish Times Nov 12, 1907, 8. 5 The Irish Times Jan 11, 1908, 19. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 The Irish Times May 18, 1908, 7. 9 The Irish Times June 24, 1909, 8. 10 The Irish Times Aug 10, 1909, 3. Figure 2 View from old formal garden southwards LANDSCAPING The park is an irregular quadrilateral shape – which narrows towards the north west end - and comprises a number of different areas, many of which are given over to sporting activities. An earlier formal garden, rectangular in plan, was located on the north side of the park and was removed (in 2000 – it is still visible on OSI aerial photographs of that year) to make way for a soccer training ground. According to local residents, there were also formal beds along the approach from the west gate on the northern side. According to the present park keeper (who has worked here for 40 years), there was a fountain at the centre of the formal garden. This would match the centralised plan which can be made out from Ordnance Survey aerial photographs (see below). The focal point was a round bed – possibly with fountain, as suggested here – with four axial pathways leading to a pathway round the margins of the rectangle. However, this garden was not an original feature of the park as it does not appear on the 1930s revision of the 25i Ordnance Survey map for the area. This map shows that the earliest formal landscaping was limited to the northwest corner of the park where five pathways extended in a radial fashion from the west entrance (see gate A below). The design was somewhat half-hearted in that it petered out quite quickly. The principal features were a green on the north side (by Cambridge Road), where blocks of flats now stand, and a circular bed (with surrounding paths) linking those paths running east and northeast. The greens between these paths were dotted with deciduous trees, a feature that still defines this part of the park today. A large rectangular playing field was marked out on the south west side of the park but otherwise the area remained open ground defined only by the park railings. The east pathway was the only one that traversed the park entirely, exiting on the Pigeon House Road. The current park keeper has commented (June 2009) that there are no original features left in park and that no original benches were kept – though he never remembers there being many. The park keeper remembers that it used to be known locally as ‘Iodine Park’ because cinders were originally laid down on reclaimed land with only a thin layer of soil and people would scratch and cut themselves on the glass that protruded. Also part of the development of the park is a tapered rubble wall with large granite coping (0.92m high) on the opposite side of the external path on the east side of the park. Figure 3 Aerial view 1995 Ordnance Survey of Ireland showing the post-1930s formal garden on the north side of the park Figure 4 25i map of Ringsend Park from the survey of 1939-40, Ordnance Survey of Ireland, © Ordnance Survey of Ireland/Government of Ireland, Licence No. MNE 0000210 ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES 1. Substantial Park Keeper’s cottage - next to west gate on north side. Large projecting gabled bay, steeply pitched roof continuing into small lean-to from gable. Narrow bay to right of projection. Two tall brick stacks. Partly roll-moulded brick string-course between ground and first floor. First-floor window is in gable- end. Door angled inwards. Small single storey canted-bay on right side as at Herbert Park, though now mostly uPVC. Terracotta tiled roof. Half- timbered section under gables. Rounded terracotta ridge tiles. Some of the original railing survives here. The pedestrian entrance in front of house is original but the double-gate to its right is not. IRONWORK Gates and entrances a) West gate – original wrought-iron double gate and railing. The gates are distinguished by having crozier-like finials and scrolled brackets in the upper corners of the main frame. Both the gate and the accompanying railing have simple spike finials of Figure 5 Lodge at the north side of park – at gate b alternating height. The opening is 3.1m wide. The railing is set into a low wall (0.5m high) of concrete with a high gravel content. The approach to this gate from the main Ringsend Road is through a terrace of Edwardian working class housing on the south side of Caroline Row. There is more recent railing on the north side immediately inside the gate, which fences off blocks of flats. Dimensions: Top point of gate to ground: 2.32m. Top of railing to top of footing: 1.66m. Footing to ground: 0.5m b) West gate on north side of park – original ironwork with similar motifs to gate A. 2.94m wide. 1.83m high (to highest point). Railing on north side of park is 1.76m high including 15cm of concrete footing. c) Double gates into park maintenance area off north road 3.37m. d) Pedestrian gate – East side of north boundary, 1.48 width. 1.81 high. e) Double gate in northeast corner of park, 3m wide. Height of railing on east side is 1.6m. Similar decorative motifs to A. There is a small stone hut just outside this entrance built of bouldered granite with bouldered limestone quoins. Two bay wide. Round-headed window. f) Double gate of wrought-iron 3m wide. Simiar decorative motifs to A. Height of railing from interior here is 1.93m including concrete footing 1.63m. The path on the exterior of the railing rises to footing level here.