I've always been drawn by the Victorian way of life. In Cork City, I love the decorative architecture of the numerous bright red Victorian bricked buildings from the Crawford Art Gallery to the Victoria Buildings on the McCurtain Street to the terracotta design terracing at places such as Summerhill South. There are also many other sites of interest that I been enticed to photograph over the years.

As a researcher, I'm aware that very little work has been completed on the art and architecture and the human side of Victorian Cork. Hence, the story of Richard Barter's Hydropathic establishment provides a type of lens into understanding the values and attitudes of community leaders in the mid to late nineteenth century.

At the outset, the cultural composition of Cork of the nineteenth century was deeply influenced by cultural developments in other Western European cities at the time. The romance arising out of revolutions, such as those that occurred in the 1780s in America and France, bred ideas of human purpose. Society sought for the ideal model of civilization. New ideas emerged and old conventions were questioned. A great debate ensued on every creed, doctrine and institution. The study of natural philosophy grew. This was a term applied to the objective study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science. It is considered to be the precursor of natural sciences such as physics.

A more thoughtful, vigilant, and moral-driven society emerged. Responsibility and philanthropy were maintained but there was more freedom to use the senses and intellect, to enjoy art and to be openly curious and critical about science. Leaders in society emerged to forge a new way and began to question the structure of contemporary society. All aspired to change the static views of pre-nineteenth century society. There was increased industrialisation and subsequent population growth in cities such as Liverpool, Bristol, London, Dublin and Cork. In Cork, large parts of the city were levelled to make way for new municipal buildings, new public spaces.