The origins and early development of the Pembroke estate beyond the Grand Canal 1816-1880

Abstract

This thesis studies the formation and early development of tile Pembroke estate in Dublin, between the years 1816 to 1880. Previously the Fitzwilliam estate, the property was left to the Herbert family of Wilton in 1816, at the death of Richard, seventh Viscount Fitzwilliam. Thus it became the Pembroke estate. The chief sources for this study have been the collection of estate papers in the National Archives of Ireland and the entire collection of the Griffith Valuation. This has led to a thesis structure which combines aspects of administration, policy and planning, with the evolution of the buildings, in terms of the dates of the houses and the developers involved. With the exception of a few studies where individual topics have been researched in depth - such as Fitzwilliam Square, by Mary Bryan - little research has been carried out thus far on the Pembroke estate from an architectural perspective. Other studies have been geographical and historical in focus, such as the morphogenetic development of the older districts of Ringsend and Irishtown, by Dr Jacinta Prunty. This thesis is concerned with establishing, through primary research, the historical narrative of the building development and thus explain the evolution of the appearance of the present artifact. While the landlords were certainly interested in the welfare of their estate, the chief protagonists in the building development were the agents. The period of the 1830s and 1840s has been focused on in detail because it corresponds with a time of great plans for development, as well as an unusually detailed record of correspondence on the part of the agent, Cornelius Sullivan (1827-49). While the other major agent during the period of this thesis, John Edward Vernon (1853-84), coincided with a more productive period of building speculation and was more rigorous in establishing a coherent built fabric, the information recorded in the letter books during his agency does not provide the same detail or insight into the day to day administration and progress of building. Throughout the thesis, the developments of the western estate have been studied, separately to those of the east. As it shall be seen, this reflects the different topographies of the two districts, as well as a different attitude towards them by the administration in terms of their development. There are three appendices which aim to help further research in this area. Appendix 1 provides summary lease information, extracted from the letter books, of all allocations of building ground between the years 1827 and 1849. Although it cannot be claimed with certainty that this information is complete, it is the most comprehensive available, in the absence of any regular official record of lease allocation. Appendices 2 and 3 proceed from information garnered from the Griffith Valuation; appendix 2 establishes a provenance, as comprehensive as possible, in terms of the dates and developers of houses on selected roads around the estate, west and east; appendix 3 attempts to establish a profile of the developers involved in building on the estate. Appendix 4 is a chronological analysis of the houses and builder-developers of Wellington and Waterloo Roads.