Making an Irish Free State City – The public services challenge
Published in the summer of 1926, Cork, A Civic Survey was a bold document giving an insight into an array of topics, which the column has been exploring during this summer. In the public buildings and open spaces chapter, commentary is given on the city’s public buildings and open spaces. Many of the comments and calls are also consistent ones over the past century.
Against the backdrop of a lack of a City Hall and the reconstruction of buildings on St Patrick’s Street after the Burning of Cork, the Civic Survey noted a need for some groupings of the public buildings of Cork into one or more centres. The survey notes of this need: “This is a matter of the earliest importance to be dealt with in the development plan. There would appear, however, to be great possibilities for the association of appropriate public buildings both from the point of view of monumental appearance and practical use.”
The Civic Survey outlines that the destruction of City Hall had raised the whole question of a civic centre for Cork with many suggestions for a location. The most ambitious location, according to the Survey, was on the south side of the river, facing the Grand Parade on what is today’s terms is the former tax office site on Sullivan’s Quay.
On this site the survey notes that at this location its “expanding form appears to invite a climax, and connected to it by a wide bridge. The neighbourhood of the Grand Parade, in fact, has been the subject of so many such proposals that it looks as though this, the geographical centre of the city, should also become the administrative.”
On the matter of the need for more open spaces, the Civic Survey advocated for a compiling a list of lands, which would appear to be suitable for this purpose, and which were not wanted for industrial development. With reference to Cork City Park Racecourse (1869-1917), the Civic Survey compilers believed it was a good idea for a Ford factory to be built on it, but calls for a new large open space to be opened up somewhere else in the city and smaller pocket parks to also be created.
“It must be remembered that in handing over the racecourse to industrial development, which in our opinion was a wise proceeding, the city stands to lose a valuable open space which should be compensated for elsewhere; and rather than achieve this through the purchase of a single space, that it should be distributed as closely as possible with reference to the population that requires it, particularly in the neighbourhood of the schools. In the park system which will be prepared, the distribution of comparatively small play spaces should be borne in mind as well as the provision of larger park areas. Just as the low-lying land below the city should be developed for industrial purposes, so the corresponding valley lands above are indicated as desirable for open spaces and for playing fields.”
The Civic Survey publishes a comparative diagram showing that Cork came very far down the list of UK and Irish cities in its possession of open spaces per 1,000 population. Dublin with 5.7 was just above the standard of one acre per 200 people, which was generally recommended as the desirable modern standard. The Civic Survey points out that acreage was not the only criterion, but distribution of open spaces was equally important.
The Civic Survey notes that one of the best open spaces and recreation factors that Cork possesses was its “inimitable river, harbour and creeks”. It also warns away from the destruction of The Marina walk: “One of the most attractive existing park features of Cork is the tree-planted promenade leading towards Blackrock, the Marina. It will be extremely unfortunate if this avenue which, with the wooded slopes of Montenotte on the other side, makes the approach to the city from the water second to none in the world, has to disappear, as industrial development spreads eastwards”.
In one of the Civic Survey’s concluding chapters, it discusses the need for the city’s expansion of its boundary expansion. The borough boundary had not expanded since 1853 by the Cork Improvement Act of the same year. The Civic Survey argued that the 1926 boundary fell far short of including the whole of the residential area.
The Civic Survey called for the need for land to be ceded to the Corporation of Cork by the County Borough Local Authority (in time named Cork County Council). “It would appear almost a necessary preliminary to a Town Planning Scheme that control should be centralised in one authority by extension of the boundary so as to give that authority a certain margin of undeveloped land to operate upon.”
The last chapter of the Civic Survey deals with existing municipal services. The amenities generally associated with city life were provided for Cork partly by the County Borough Local Authority, and partly by private enterprise. The Cork Gas Consumers’ Company distributed gas for lighting and power purposes, whilst the electric transport and power and lighting was provided by the Cork Electric Tramways & Lighting Company, Ltd. The street lighting was carried out by the last named companies under contract with the corporation.
Cork Corporation administered the water supply, sanitation, street sweeping and domestic scavenging and public baths. The water supply was derived from the River Lee. Immediately above the city on the north west bank of the Lee were situated the filtration and pumping plants. After filtration the river water was raised by pumping to two reservoirs situated at sufficient elevation to deliver water to the city. Sanitation-wise, the effluent was discharged entered the River Lee without purification. The Civic Survey calls for an effective Cork main drainage system to treat the pollution.
The Civic Survey also nods to Cork Corporation providing facilities for public bathing. Open-air river bathing was catered for by the Corporation at a baths, just below the Waterworks (the first one before the Lee baths was opened in 1934). At Eglinton Street, there were two covered swimming ponds with hot and cold shower open to the public – one at a small tariff, and the other free of charge. Bathing was also available at Blackrock Pier.
Upcoming September Historical Walking Tours with Kieran and end of season:
All free, two hours, no booking required.
Saturday morning, 12 September - New tour -: The Western Marshes – The Middle Parish and its Histories, Grattan Street to Western Road. Meet at St Peter’s Graveyard, Grattan Street, opp. Middle Parish Community Centre at 10.30am.
Saturday 26 September: The Historic Peninsula of Mahon. Explore social histories & the stories of some of the former big house estates in the area, meet at Blackrock Garda Station entrance at 2.30pm.