BROADSTONE GATE AND PLAZA – ENTRANCE TO GRANGEGORMAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
The RX0 camera that I used today is not much bigger than a matchbox and as the screen is about the size of a stamp composing images is close to impossible especially if there is strong sunlight.
Life has frozen and this looks like an area abandoned by humans at present.
It should be noted that this project was already badly delayed before the current lockdown.
The Broadstone Gate will provide a key access to the Grangegorman site once complete and is being developed as part of the Luas Cross City works. It will be finished as a public plaza and the access will provide a major linkage between Grangegorman and Dublin city. The plaza is situated off Constitution Hill on the site of the old royal canal at the former Great Weatern Railway Station commonly known as Broadstone, and will mark a prominent entrance to the Grangegorman urban quarter.
The Broadstone site, which borders Grangegorman on its east side, was subject to a Part VIII planning process in 2014 in order to facilitate the site development and gate access.
Under the Grangegorman Masterplan, the primary urban path through Grangegorman – St Brendan’s Way will link with the Broadstone Gate which when completed will reach as far as Prussia Street. The link with Broadstone can also be seen as an extension to the 18th century historic spine of Dublin City which covered Dublin Castle across Grattan Bridge, along Capel Street/Bolton Street, Henrietta Street [where I live] and King’s Inn.
NORTH BRUNSWICK STREET – OLD RICHMOND HOSPITAL BUILDING
This could be described as being in Grangegorman, Smithfield or Stoneybatter.
The Richmond originally formed part of a complex of three hospitals – the others were the Whitworth and Hardwick – collectively known as St Laurence’s.
The building in my photographs was constructed in the 1890s to replace a former convent that had been there since 1807. I do not know why, but the hospital did not open until 1901 with the two wings of the U-shaped complex accommodating all of the wards. There was one window for each bed. The double loggias at the ends of the wings allowed sheltered access to fresh air for patients
In 1994, the Richmond and Whitworth hospitals were converted into business centres and a self-storage facility.
In 1996 The Richmond was leased by the Government for use as District courts. The building housed five of the Dublin District Courts until the opening of the new Criminal Courts of Justice.
In January 2014 it was announced that the building had been acquired by the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) for use as an education and event centre. However, it appears to be unoccupied at present with some construction work ongoing.
In July 2016 I came across the following statement by the INMO – “I now wish to confirm that the refurbishment works, on the Richmond Building, will commence shortly and will take a little under six months to complete. The refurbishment works are designed to provide the Organisation with an Education and Event Centre that will allow us to greatly expand the full range of professional, educational, industrial relations and other courses that we provide to members on an ongoing basis.”
THE BROADSTONE GATE AND PLAZA – DUE TO BE COMPLETED IN SUMMER 2020
I have been tracking this development for many years because I live at Henrietta Place which is a laneway off Henrietta Street.
In May 2016, the boundary wall dividing Broadstone and Grangegorman was removed, creating a historic pathway joining the two sites for the first time. The true story is slightly different as the routs is a temporary with limited hours which to not match normal working hours. The Grangegorman Development Agency said on its website: “The Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe TD officially opened the new link between Grangegorman and Constitution Hill this morning, Friday 16 November. This new link, while temporary, is historic, as it is the first time the Grangegorman site will link directly to the north inner city.”
“It will be possible to walk from the campus to Bolton Street in 9 minutes” … I have some issues with this as the entrance to Kings Inns Park is closed at weekends and on holidays. If the gates are open the Broadstone tram stop is the nearest to my apartment but if the gates are closed it takes much less time to walk to the Lower Dominick stop.
The Luas Stop at Broadstone opened in late 2017 and, to be honest, I was under the impression that the public space are would have been completed at the same time.However, according to the online project plan works to the Plaza are ongoing and due to be completed by summer 2020.
The Broadstone Gate will provide access to the Grangegorman site once complete and is currently being developed as part of the Luas Cross City works. It will act as a public plaza and will provide much needed linkage between Grangegorman and Dublin city.
The plaza is situated off Constitution Hill on the site of the old royal canal at the former Great Western Railway Station commonly known as Broadstone, and will mark a prominent entrance to the Grangegorman urban quarter.
The Broadstone site, which borders Grangegorman on its east side, was subject to a Part VIII planning process in 2014 in order to facilitate the site development and gate access.
Under the Grangegorman Masterplan, the primary urban path through Grangegorman – St Brendan’s Way will link with the Broadstone Gate which when completed will reach as far as Prussia Street.
The link with Broadstone can also be seen as an extension to the 18th century historic spine of Dublin City which covered Dublin Castle across Grattan Bridge, along Capel Street/Bolton Street, Henrietta Street and King’s Inn.
MARIAN STATUE [INSTALLED IN 1953 AT BROADSTONE STATION]
This is a large concrete statue that looks down on a busy road and it is part of a bus garage complex. Currently the statue is railed off and the gates are locked.
I am not sure if the statue will remain as it is when the new Broadstone Plaza [Grangegorman Gate] has been completed but it would be nice if the could remover the railings.
I suggest that you read the following study of Marian Statues in Dublin