They’re building a new tram line in Dublin. As part of the works, they’re backfilling old Georgian cellars.
It’s a little odd to think of these old vaulted cellars under the road for centuries. They are all that remain of once grand houses long since pulled down and replaced by unlovely corporation flats. Many of the flats themselves are now boarded up and abandoned.
The Irish Georgian Society is displeased.
I can’t help but remember when Mr Waffle and I were dumbfounded many years ago in Canada by a chance to inspect grain silo number no.2 which was preserved as part of Montreal’s industrial heritage. Mr. Waffle feels that this is better than a cellar but I am unconvinced.
So is this
a) wanton destruction of Dublin’s Georgian heritage or
b) necessary for progress after all they are only cellars for God’s sake.
Your views in the comments, please. Ah go on.
Well, I’d probably be with the Georgian Society. . .but mostly I’d find it upsetting that the houses were torn down in the first place. So maybe, since they are just cellars as you pointed out, I would hope for preserving one good example, a sort of cross section, with cellar and cobbled road. Just one for historical purposes, and then fill up the rest for progress.
I agree with Kara
I thought from the headline that you were in favour, having read it as ‘cellar infill succeeds’. Do you know if it would be possible to make the tramlines safe without destroying the cellars? I would say that’s ot to be the overriding consideration. If the cellars can take the weight of a tram then keep them.
Oh Kara, what a good suggestion – I wonder are they going to do that, must bestir myself and find out.
Ken, I think the problem is that they can’t, unfortunately.