Who Remembers Turner's Cottages?

This picture appeared in the book "Images of Ireland" written by "Derek Stanley".

Click here to link to the Upper Leeson Street Area Residents Association website which has an interesting article about Herbert Park.

This article appeared in the book "The Roads to Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend" written by "Philip Doherty". It would have made my mother laugh to have known the history of the home she was born in.

In its day many famous projects were carried out in Ballsbridge. The framework for the Palm House of Belfast's Botanic Gardens was cast here. Others include the ironwork for Westland Row Station and the Broadstone Station. The conservatories at the Vice-Regal Lodge and Glasnevin Botanic Gardens were also cast here. Perhaps Turner’s most famous work was carried out at the Palm House at Kew Gardens in England. By the age of sixty the works were taken over by his son William.

Around 1876 the works moved to a new site at North King Street. William, however, continued to reside at Hammersmith House until his death is 1888. The house was renamed Melrose and became part of the Veterinary College, where it served as the Principal's Residence. It was demolished is the mid-1950's to make way for an extension to the college.

Turners Cottages were demolished in the early-1970's. Later, as I stood for petrol in the Volkswagen garage across the road, I looked over at the new building on the site and admired it. "That's a fine new building." I said to the old petrol attendant. "And what's good about it” he replied, "Sure what was wrong with the fine houses they pulled down to build it? They scattered a whole community. They don't give a damn about people nowadays!” I smiled and wondered it he was the same man. You just can't win them all!

It was a fine sunny day in the summer of 1970, as I rambled up along Shelbourne Road with a sketchbook under my arm.I turned right into Turner's Cottages and, facing down ‘The Gut’, I began to draw what I considered to be a vanishing part of Dublin life. Children played on the road in the warm sunshine beneath the usual buntings of clothes drying on a line, which stretched from one side to the other. Babies in prams and go-cars were wheeled up to observe my progress by brothers or sisters not much bigger than themselves. An old man rambled up and, looking over my shoulder, asked why I was drawing the cottages. When I explained my reasons he sharply replied, "They should pull the shagga lot down; a bloody kip that's all it is." I was surprised by his sharp outburst to say the least.

Why Turner's Cottages? Where did the name come? Well, Richard Turner (1798- 1881) of No. 4 St. Stephen's Green, was an ironmonger. Around 1834 he moved to a house at Ballsbridge which had been built earlier by a Doctor George Davy, for the sum of £1,400. The elector's fortunes waned, however, and be was forced to sell the property. Turner moved in and set up his works on the site, calling his house Hammersmith. The works were a grand affair, with fine arched entrance gate, surmounted by the Royal coat of arms featuring the lion and sphinx in cast iron. Below this the name Turner appeared. To one side stood Hammersmith House itself which featured cast iron verandas. To accomodate his workers Turner built some houses, which is how Turner's Cottages originated.