Silk to Sacks
The Dublin Tenements
DUBLIN CITY
Dublin hasn't always looked the way we see it today. It was once a medieval city, full of winding narrow lanes. The Liffey, far from being a feature, was more of a dumping ground, a sewer, for all the properties that backed onto it.
During the reign of King Charles II, along came the Earl of Ormonde with some very specific instructions to redevelop the Dublin landscape. And in conjunction with the 'Wide Streets Commission' 18th century developments were carefully controlled.
The committee decided that on the North side of the river, narrow streets must be merged and widened. This created Sackville Street, or O'Connell Street as it is now known.
As the quays were developed, Ormonde insisted that the houses face the Liffey, with a street to run along each quay. If not for his vision, and wisdom, we may still be looking at a large smelly toilet rather than the feature which is now pleasant enough to walk along side.
Housing was constructed, with strict rule on the style, design and location, and one of the earliest social developments to appear was Henrietta Street.
Below, the courtyard of The Kings Inns, Irelands oldest School of Law and also the oldest educational establishment. Constructed just over 50 years before Trinity College, the entrance sits at the top of Henrietta Street at an angle to the cul-de-sac.
Two houses in Henrietta Street were demolished to make way for the Law Library which sits on the south side facing numbers 9 and 10.
