How Dublin became a city.

The City of Dublin has consisted of a heady concoction of cul-tures that, over time, weaved the urban fabric of the city we live in today. Dublin’s roots lie in Celtic and pre-historic times. Its name, “Baile Atha Cliath”, the town of the Hurdled Ford, suggests its original function as a river crossing location. Es-sentially, Dublin began as a fishing village at the ford of Ath Cliath. A basic pattern could be found near this location where a number of routes converged. The geography of Dublin is what made it an attractive and defendable site for the Vikings, who settled here in 841AD, at the promontory at the junction of the Anna Liffey river and the Poddle river, which they used as a harbor or longphort. (The Poddle has been fully drained since the 19th century) The streets at the time ran at right angles to the Liffey with connecting routes running parallel to the river. This pattern is typical for a Viking town.This locus was the centre of the walled town. Dublin Castle was also located here. The Annals of Ulster tell us that the lo-cal Irish Chiefs drove the Vikings out Dublin shortly after, only for them to return in the 10th century. However this second time, the settling place was deliberately founded and planned, complete with a dynasty and monasteries.The structure of the city was being built and became a nota-ble site for the wider Viking world.As their stronghold developed, it turned into a walled city. The enclosure ran down by Castle St to Cornmarket with lanes north to the river and south to the Poddle. At this site is Dubh Linn (Black Pool, where the name ‘Dublin’ is derived from), which was used a safe harbour for boats.Meanwhile, beyond the city walls a framework of the later city was being laid down. Churches, lanes and an oval monastic enclosure were built, a trace of the latter is still visible today.

Dublin City 1610 Dublin City 2011Diagram shows city centre and suburbs.

1610 vs 1728

Dublin 1756

The city was developing quickly during this time, although still the Liffey has not been bridged in extra locations. There are still many green spaces to be found to the north of river, it is not as built up as the south. In my analysis of historical maps, its apparent that to the back of buildings the garden/green space would have been used for growing food in residential areas. Transport was still mostly by foot at this point in time.

Sackville street is clearly seen to be the widest, it was a popular, busy commercial street. Sackville Mall was an important retailer for 18th century people of Dublin.

The development of Dublin that is emerging at this time is without deliberate plan or aim. The city grew over time around the original Viking settlement. Clusters of buildings seem to pop up around each other with winding streets of access.

Dublin in 1610.Walled town is marked out in grey, this would have been an area of dense population with various com-mercial, religious and commercial services.

The wall that encircles the almost oval shape next to the river is a de-fence feature and also a sign of the times. It was evidently a require-ment to have defences in place.

Note how the whole settlement is based on and physically around water. Water is vital to life. At this point in time waterbodies are a necessity for health, a provider of food source and important in the transport of goods and people.

The city is already showing a type of suburb formed outside the city walls.

The river Liffey is also much wider at this time than it is today.

Dublin 1728Opposite the map of 1610, Dublin in the 17th century is seen to be greatly developed.

The walls have been taken down but a traceof them re-mains in the street formation.

Development of the city grew outwards from the city, clearly divided at this early stage in to north and south sectors.

The river has only been bridged in one extra location. This suggests that the city’s focus remains in a similar location to the framework of the city laid down by the Vikings.

This figure ground image shows narrow streets and a dense built up area.

Shown here is an analysis of the street pattern in 1756.The three different colours represent similar but different types. The orange is a clear linear arrange-ment of streets which barely have a sufficient width for occupants. The streets in red follow the line of the river and run parallel to the Quays. The pink encloses a grid-like congregation of buildings.

In the 17th century, a pattern emerged of piecemeal development dominating the area west of the medieval core.Large and coherently developed private estates were a feature of the area east of the walled city.The overall pattern of development reflects the fragmentary nature of the private estates themselves. The Fitzwilliam estate dominated the south-east.Although Dublin landlords were instrumental in introducing the uniform type of layout as seen in the continental cities of mainland Europe, Lord Aungier brought innovative urban design to Dublin, espe-cially south of the medieval city, for example Aungier St. Straight streets were emphasized forming rational and often symmetrical patterns.

New suburban developments launched by Dublin Corporation and private estates built by landlords on the city’s outskirts did not fuse well with each other. Neither did they merge with the medieval core. This caused excessive traffic congestion in the streets which linked the medieval core and the outer areas. To overcome this problem the ‘Wide Streets Commissioners’ (or more formally known as The Commissioners for Making of Wide and Convenient Streets and Passages’) group was es-tablished. This group was set up by Act of Parliament in 1757 and was a very early example of an urban planning council, which was sponsored by the state through taxes and grants.

The three influential agents that contributed to Dublin’s development were:• Dublin Corporation• Private Landlords• Wide Streets Commissioners

Here, I have highlighted patterns in the urban fabric of both timeframes, 1610 and 1728. There are significant differences between the northside and southside development of 1610. North shows a rectilinear formation of buildings, whereas 1728 displays linear development. The walled town is very clearly the centre of urban life. The centres of 1728 Dublin are marked by red spheres, each represent different types of centres however. College Green being a political locus, the area west to it is a commercial and mixed use centre as is the area around Capel St, north to the river. The pattern of development in 1728 is predominantly linear but scattered with no clear plan, the curved streets highlighted in green shows the lais-sez-faire type of development that emerged.

Dame street to Aungier Street area of Dublin in 1846Patterns of development

Dame street to Aungier Street area of Dublin in 1968Patterns of development

The first new quays of Dublin were built in the 1600’s. Subsequently, the eastward drift began. Higher quality retailing moved from Castle St, High St, Fishamble St to Capel St in the north-east.

Rapid growth produced a fragmentary landscape and piecemeal development, evident in these maps. The city’s existing urban fabric couldn’t cope with the increased private and commercial traffic due to economic growth and this caused many problems.

There was an unmistakeable difference between the old and new areas of the city. The old part was characterised by narrow, irregular streets and lanes as well as the enclosing walls, whereas the newer part had wider and more symmetrical streets. There was an indisputable lack of adequate access points between the two. Movement between the core and the suburbs was awkward and problematic. I have highlighted the centres of high monvement and traffic in these maps. The trafftc was predominantly by foot, with the introduction of wheeled cabs, jaunting cars. Improvement and change was needed and Dublin Corporation worked hard at finding solutions and tackling the urban problems. A lot of energy was invested in improving the city. The results included St. Stephen’s Green, the Quays and the Smithfield area.

However, Dublin Corporation was not the only big developers in the city. Private landlords and entrepreneurs of the 17th and 18th centuries shaped much of the city we live in today, especially residential areas. Much uncoordinated development took place on the main routes to the city core, which is evident in my drawings. Individuals built houses or groups of houses with no overall vision or plan put into place which reacted to the surrounding con-text of the area. For example, Lord Aungier, Humphrey Jervis and others.

Suburban areas, south of Dublin city in the Mid-1800’s.The above image shows the scale of the city centre and its outskirts. Suburbs are clearly marked. The cultural difference here is vast. Within such a small county there are stark contrasts in culture, one is urban, commercial and based on trade. The other is agricultural and life would have revolved around how much land one owned and what state one’s farm was in. Land groupings and parishes can be seen.Areas of traffic or movement or dense focus of people is shown by orange spheres. These occur on the joining or crossroads of mainroads, markets would have been held here weekly, bringing a dense focus of people.

The same route is shown on a smaller scale on the next page. This figure ground image dates from the early 1900’s and a clear development can be seen. Ribbon development has taken place, meaning that houses and buildings run in a line either side of the route with little evidence of cluster-like growth of buildings and villages.

Suburbia emerged from 1815 onwards and was a process that benefited landowners, developers, speculative builders and fulfilled psychological and sociological needs for oc-cupants. However, ‘Suburbia’ was detrimental to the urban core and consequences for city residents. Rich and power-ful families and figures moved out of the city to the healthier suburban areas, which became almost elite areas as there was a certan strand of society who lived there for example, protestants were focused in rathmines in the late 1800’s. Meanwhile the rates or taxes increased hugely as the rich people had left, removing a source of income for the city, at one point rates in the city were 3 times as dear than the suburbs.

City centre analysis of urban functions 1846

Functions of buildings are shown:Pink - ResidentialRed - CommercialYellow - EducationalGrey - Religious Orange - Political and Financial Centres.

City centre analysis of urban functions 1968

Functions of buildings are shown:Pink - ResidentialRed - CommercialYellow - EducationalGrey - Religious Orange - Political and Financial Centres.

Suburban route analysis of 1940 leading from Rathfarnham to Edmonstown, location of the future M50 which came to be absorbed by urban sprawl of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The same suburban route shown previously but this analysis leading from Rathfarnham to Edmon-stown dates from 1760. There is sparse develop-ment shown but that which exists is founded on and around the river, expressing the importance of water in life.

1756City Centre

1756City Centre

The previous three maps highlight urban functions.

Dublin 1610The walled town is the urban centre with mixed uses, residential and commercial (red). The Curches are marked in grey, educational marked in yellow and residential marked in pink.

Dublin 1728Commercial buildings marked out in red, which are focused around the river and the centre of the city.Trinity College the educational building of the city is marked in yellow stands proudly in its place to the east of the city centre.and residential areas in pink.

Dublin 1756Dublin is clearly a city of mixed uses, businesses and residents live side by side.Residents were made up mostly of an English population imported to Ireland which was being ruled by the English crown.

Attractive features of Dublin were that it had a seat of parliament, a financial centre, a major port and a focus of trade and industry, these were contributing factors in Dublin’s prosperity.The city was developing fast, now that the Wide Streets Commissioners had money and a mis-sion. Dame St was widened and rebuilt in parts and as a result achieved fashionable pre-emi-nence. Dublin Castle and Tholsel were the political hubs in the walled town but with the creation of new Houses of Parliament of College Green in 1727 a focus was provided for the capital city. This focus lay in the eastern sector and as it was complemented by Trinity College, the east gradually became the new centre of the city. This eastern drift persisted due to the southward extension and commercialization of Sackville St (later O’Connell St) and, crucially, the creation of Carlisle Bridge linking Sackville St with the southern part of the city.

Full

anal

ysis

of t

he 2

011

mod

ern

day

Rou

te B

sho

wn

here

. The

str

eet

patte

rn is

ove

rlaid

on

the

figur

e gr

ound

map

. Im

port

ant g

reen

spa

c-es

are

mar

ked

out a

s w

ell a

s w

ater

bo

dies

.

Full

anal

ysis

of t

he 2

011

mod

ern

day

Rou

te B

sho

wn

here

.

Func

tions

of b

uild

ings

are

sho

wn:

Pink

- R

esid

entia

lR

ed

- C

omm

erci

alYe

llow

- Ed

ucat

iona

lG

rey

- R

elig

ious

O

rang

e - P

oliti

cal a

nd F

inan

cial

C

entr

es.