Benburb Street
 Benburb Street | |
| Native name | Sráid na Binne Boirbe Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
|---|---|
| Former name(s) | Barrack Street, Tighe Street, Gravel Walk |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D07 |
| East | Queen Street |
| West | Parkgate Street |
Benburb Street (Template:Lang-ga)[1] is a street in Dublin, Ireland.
Location
Benburb Street runs parallel with the River Liffey from Queen Street to Parkgate Street, running along the southern side of Collins Barracks. The LUAS red line runs along the street.
History
The street was originally named as Barrack Street as it was close to the former Royal Barracks. The section closest to Queen Street was known as Tighe Street, but previously known as the Gravel Walk up to circa 1780. Both streets were amalgamated and renamed Benburb Street in 1890.[2] It was named for the Battle of Benburb in County Armagh in 1646.[3]
Historically, the street was associated with sex work due to its proximity to Collins Barracks. This association continued up until the late 1990s.[4]
History of the Benburb Housing Scheme
The housing scheme in Benburb street was the first housing scheme project undertaken by the Artisans and Dwelling Committee of Dublin Corporation in 1884.[5] In 1880, the Dublin Corporation sanitary office took a visit to Benburb street and observed the ‘rotten state’ of the houses along this area.[5] The buildings were decayed, floors were saturated, roofs were beyond repair, and the soil was soaked with foul matter. These houses were occupied by the working-class, and according to the sanitary officer’s report, the working-class deserved better housing, as they were right beside factories such as Courtney and Stephens’ Irons Works.[5] The officer believed that with a suitable range of housing and combination of small shops, this would benefit the whole community.[5] Due to this report, it was agreed by the Dublin Corporation that a housing scheme project would take place in Benburb street in 1884. Together, the corporation and the city architect at the time, Daniel Freeman would work on the housing scheme. He decided to adopt a previous design by an engineer known as Arthur Dudgeon.[5]Arthur Dudgeon designed the Benburb street housing scheme.[6] He was a civil engineer to the Dublin Artisans Dwelling Company (DADC) Plunkett Street Scheme and had a lot of experience from visiting working-class housing schemes in Glasgow and London.[5] Dudgeon done a report in 1883, designing this scheme.
Houses proposed for the housing scheme
There were two spaces available in Benburb street to build houses, an area with a frontage of 240 feet, and another with a frontage of 160.[6] Dudgeon suggested two blocks of dwellings in Benburb and Tighe street.[7] These blocks were to be three to four storeys in height, with the ground floor being used as shops, where there would be a great demand.[6] Floors and roofs were fire-proof for security, but also for longer stability.[7] The people living in these houses were provided with staircases up to the galleries on each floor, providing individual access to the tenements.[6] Dudgeon was against the idea of basements as he didn’t like their tendency to flood.[7] Dudgeon liked the idea of building taller houses. He believed that people liked living in taller buildings, as they had a better access to clean air.[6] Freeman also made many of the rooms bigger than the ones that Dudgeon visited in the UK, as well as improving sanitary conditions in the houses. Freeman proposed that all water supply and dust shoot were provided on the outside of the walls of the houses, and were easily attainable from all blocks.[6] This also meant that if there were sanitary problems, there wouldn't be any foul air or other components getting into the houses. The dwellings weren’t just accommodating families, but also single women and widows, and single men.[7] The men's lodging house contained a wash house, two recycling baths, 15 shops, 66 double rooms, and 50 single rooms.[6] The double room cost 6d a week, while the single room cost between 1s. 6d. and 2s.[6] Overall, it was estimated that this scheme would make £30 profit each year. [6]
Architecture
A modest number of architecturally notable buildings remain on Benburb Street. One example is 79 Queen Street at the junction with Benburb Street, the former Dice Bar. Built as a commercial building, it has a date stone of 1770, but the surviving building dates from approximately 1860 and displays a typical Victorian style.[8] At the corner of Benburb Street and Blackhall Place, there is a small unaltered terrace of two story houses with shops built circa 1870.[9]
References
- ^ "Sráid na Binne Boirbe/Benburb Street". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Clerkin, Paul (2001). Dublin street names. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. pp. 13–14. ISBN 0717132048.
- ^ M'Cready, C. T. (1987). Dublin street names dated and explained. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Carraig. p. 7. ISBN 1850680000.
- ^ Balls, Richard (5 March 1997). "Prostitutes working near museum cause concern over planned public opening". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Cullen, Frank (19 April 2011). "The provision of working-and lower-middle-class housing in late nineteenth-century urban Ireland". Domestic Life in Ireland. 111C: 236–237 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Brady, Joseph; McManus, Ruth (2021). Building Healthy Homes: Dublin's Corporation's First Housing Schemes 1880-1925. Dublin: Dublin City Council. pp. 42–43. ISBN 9780950051260.
- ^ a b c d Cullen, Frank (19 April 2011). "The provision of working and lower-middle-class housing in late nineteenth-century urban Ireland". Domestic Life in Ireland. 111C: 237 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Dice Bar, 79 Queen Street, Benburb Street, Dublin 7, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "James Walsh, 25 Benburb Street, Dublin 7, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 23 November 2021.