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FOLLOWING ON FROM our piece last week on eight Irish buildings that vanished, disappeared or were demolished, today we are taking a look at nine impressive designs that never got to see the light of day.
The images are all from Archiseek.com, a website dedicated to Irish architecture, particularly historical buildings that either never were or that have now vanished.
From a proposed raised railway along the southern Liffey Quays, Dublin, to a railway terminus in Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo to an unbuilt design for St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, we can but only daydream as to what these buildings might have been like.
Paul Clerkin founder of Archiseek.com takes us one step closer to the structures that never were, through competitions lost, unrealised commissions or unappreciated designs.
So, here are nine spectacular Irish buildings that were never built:
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Say what you like about British rule in Ireland but we have some of our best architecture as a result.
… Apart from the roads, and the aquaduct, and the sewerage system, what have the Romans ever done for us??
I’m fairly sure we would have built nice building if we weren’t under the English, maybe even better since we would had have more money to spend on them
Was just saying that to some non-Irish friends the other day. Grudgingly I have to say!
Doubt it, the Irish greed would have come into play and our only nice structures would have been substituted for cheaper to build no frills but would have still cost the same allowing for bribes etc.
Pity the mayo station did not go ahead, looked great.
Really Chris? Did money from the British Empire not fund most of these buildings we have? Where was the money coming from in Ireland has the Brits not been here? Was the agri export market that big for Ireland back then?
Thomas, actually yes it was. We were one of the major suppliers of food to the British Army during the period. In fact the main reason why crops that weren’t potato were not diverted to feed Irish people during the famine was because of the impact it would have had on British supply lines.
Irish food kept the British Army marching and Irish oak kept the British Navy sailing.
There’s no doubt the British administration left us with some remarkable architecture, but at the cost of never knowing what we could have done as an independent country. Ireland has some fascinating pre conquest architecture such as the round towers, while since independence we have created some great buildings, such as the original Dublin airport terminal, the Department of Commerce on Kildare Street, the Department of Finance on Merrion Row (just to name a couple that spring to mind) Irish architects are currently producing award winning designs internationally. There’s no reason to think we wouldn’t have created some great buildings of our own if we have retained our independence.
There is more to Ireland than Dublin. City hall in Cork could be added to that post independence list, oh wait, that was a gift from the British after independence. We built the ugly Connolly Hall facing the city hall.
“Put a beggar on a race horse and he will ride him to hell” That’s exactly what Paddy did when he got “independence”. For example, Dublin was the second city in an empire that stretched across the globe, beautiful Georgian architecture, parks and streets, look at it now, gaudy and cheap looking. Our infrastructure was second to none with, railways and ports etc. The gombeen mentality soon took hold and the dismantling of our country began…all you have to do is look at cities and countries that retained British architectural structures….they put us in the halfpenny place. A real shame.
Jimmy your assessment is flawed- Dublin was second city of the empire during the Georgian period- when we had our own parliament in College Green. During the period of direct London rule- 1801-1922, Dublin stagnated, with Belfast overtaking it in terms of size and civic architecture. In the twentieth century we were by no means the only country to remove what appeared to be obsolete Victorian infrastructure (like the railways- the UK also removed vast networks of railways). In the last 15 years we have gone to great pains to preserve our architectural heritage. Dublin in that regard is well ahead of many cities in the US for example.
Look at the cities and towns of our country. The beautiful buildings that adorned many of our streets are no longer around. Old railway stations, civic and public buildings left to rot or torn down not ling after “independence”. Ignorance had a lot to do with this, remove anything that could remind us of our former master. I agree, huge steps are being made to preserve our heritage now but unfortunately its 90 years too late for most of our old buildings…that’s my point!
What about the Bertie Bowl
Is it my imagination or does the drawing of the Wellington monument not look exactly like the one that is in the Phoenix Park
The monument was never completed. It was to be a lot taller and have a statute of Wellington on a horse in front. They ran out of funds, so it was capped at its present height.
So I ask what did the English ever do for us?
The streets are safer
Ah sure forget about the penal laws, the landlord and tennant system, and the fact during the famine they comitted genocide, its all ok they left some nice buildings…. Id rather if millions of.irishmen didnt die or emigrate because of their rule than a few buildings built for the elite..
So apart from…Roads,water,education,laws and police forces,[Replace anything RIC with Garda Siochanna as per Garda act 192?]railways,army barracks,Garda barracks,light houses,ports…….
What have the English ever done for us???
You only have to look at Belfast or the Australian cities to see the fantastic buildings left by the British. Today’s buildings dont compare.
can you do buildings that were built in the boom that were a complete waste of money, punches town horse areana you can get horses and spectatators in but not at same time.
What on earth where they thinking about when they came up with that train station for mayo?
Incredible. Imagine what it would have done for the area in economic terms and how it might look now!
Probably shut down and falling apart?
You’ll actually find a lot (most) buildings in Ireland in the past were built with private money, including the railways.
They’d little/nothing to do with the British or Irish Governments.
The Golden age of Irish urban architecture was mostly before the Act of Union too.
There were plenty of Irish architects and money raised commercially from banks, or for railways, hotels etc – on the stock markets / from groups of investors etc
Church buildings were funded by donations.
I think we’re too quick to assume the British arrived over and built stuff, we did most of it ourselves, just under the British administration at the time.
Some of it was British Government funded, especially anything to do with military or public administration but lots of it wasn’t.
The standard of architecture from the WW2 period onwards was terrible. That’s when we saw plenty hideous brutalist buildings go up in cities all over Ireland & Britain!
We should take a bit of pride and ownership of our architectural heritage rather than just assuming it was built by colonial powers!
Remember reading that the plans for mckee army barracks were send to Dublin instead of India as originally planned
BM, there was a consignment of stone meant for India, but there was a problem transporting it, so it ended up being used for the Catholic Church on Rathmines Road. And wasn’t Gandon posted to India, but he fell ill and it was thought the climate would be too much for him so he was sent to Ireland. Lucky for us otherwise the Custom House might be gracing Delhi or Mumbai!
To say “the British left us all these fantastic buildings” is seriously over simplifying it. It might have been under British Rule, and certainly with some direct or indirect funding, but Irish people built them and in most cases designed them too. We had a unique style to ourselves. Sure some landmark building could have been cut and pasted from London, but a Georgian terrace in Cork will have unique features you won’t see repeated elsewhere, and the same goes for all our cities.
Of course we built complete crap in the last century, but do you think we’re unique? Go to England and take a look at the fantastic post war stuff they came up with – Milton Keys isn’t exactly Bath. This has been a global problem.
There is a serious lack of respect for built heritage in the country ill agree though. It doesn’t effect the larger landmark buildings, but our smaller town buildings, houses and cottages. These are real treasures but people have little interest in protecting them. If they don’t knock them, they fill them with PVC, gypsum and other new add ons that totally destroy their character.
Not forgetting the bilberry skyscraper development
the elysian tower in Cork….when ur grandchild ask why she is walking in her bare feet..just point at it!!!
The Bertie bowl?
The Wellington monument was built in the Phoenix Park, it’s still standing. The only part that wasn’t was the statue & plinth in front of it.
All or most of our prisons are British designed-now not fit for purpose…
Fit for purpose surely, just the old human rights craic ruins it
have your say