Corn Exchange, Dublin Explained

Corn Exchange, Dublin
Native Name Lang:ga
Map Type:Ireland Central Dublin
Architectural Style:Neoclassical, Georgian
Location Town:Burgh Quay, Dublin 2
Location Country:Ireland
Coordinates:53.3472°N -6.2566°W
Groundbreaking Date:1815
Est Completion:1819
Renovation Date:1998
Material:limestone
Floor Count:3
Architect:George Halpin[1]
Main Contractor:Thomas Baker and Robert McCartney (Stonemasons)

The Corn Exchange is a former commercial building and corn exchange on Burgh Quay, Dublin, Ireland. The 19th-century structure, which was subsequently converted to office space,[2] is included in the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Dublin City Council.[3]

History

Earlier corn exchanges

One of the first dedicated corn exchanges in the city was near Thomas Street in Dublin 8 which was completed in 1725. It was a long 2-storey arcaded structure with 13 arches and a central cupola located close to Newgate and the Black Dog jail.[4] This area is today often referred to as Cornmarket but was previously referred to as Newhall Market. In 1816, Benjamin Eaton was recorded as undertaking repairs including a reroofing of the building.[5]

However by the first quarter of the 19th century, the location was considered inconvenient both as it was far from the modern port and because the structure was blocking the movement of goods on the street. The Wide Streets Commission decided that trading should be relocated.[6] In response, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company, to be known as "The Corn Exchange Buildings Company", to finance and commission a new corn exchange for the city.[7]

Burgh quay

A site was selected, at Burgh Quay on the south bank of the River Liffey, which was the furthest upstream that ships could sail after the construction of Carlisle Bridge (now O'Connell Bridge) between 1791 and 1794.[8]

The new building was designed by George Halpin in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £22,000 and was completed in 1817. The building was rusticated on the ground floor and featured five round-headed openings with fanlights, voussoirs and keystones on that floor. The first floor was fenestrated by sash windows with architraves and pediments supported by brackets. The pediments were triangular in the first, third and last bays and segmental in the second and fourth bays. At roof level, there was a modillioned cornice and a balustraded parapet. Internally, the principal room was the main hall, which was long and stretched right back to Poolbeg Street.[9]

The building was also used as a public events venue. The politician and leader of the Roman Catholic majority in Ireland, Daniel O'Connell, held the first meeting of the new Catholic Association in the corn exchange in July 1825.[10] After more meetings in the corn exchange O'Connell secured Catholic emancipation through Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829.[11] He went on to establish the headquarters of the Repeal Association, which sought the repeal of the Acts of Union 1800, in Conciliation Hall, to the immediate east of the corn exchange, in the 1830s.[12] A major meeting of the Repeal Association took place in the corn exchange in October 1843.[13] The movement had achieved such momentum by that time, that the UK Government was forced to sanction prominent people who attended O'Connell's meetings.[14]

The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.[15]

The building was converted into offices in the early 20th century. It fell empty in the 1970s and subsequently became dilapidated.[2] It was acquired, in 1998, by a developer who retained the façade and some other notable features of the building but erected a new apartment structure behind it.[16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: County Dublin, Dublin, Burgh Quay, Corn Exchange. Dictionary of Irish Architects . 2 August 2023.
  2. Web site: Corn Exchange, 12 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, Dublin. Buildings of Ireland. 13 June 2023.
  3. Volume 4 - Record of Protected Structures . Dublin City Council . Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 . 33 . 1022 [..] 12 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 [..] Corn Exchange building (excluding modern buildings to the rear) .
  4. Web site: Archiseek - Irish Architecture - 1727 - Corn Market House, Thomas St., Dublin . 2 August 2023 . 8 May 2012.
  5. Web site: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, THOMAS STREET, MARKET HOUSE Dictionary of Irish Architects - . www.dia.ie . 21 September 2023.
  6. Book: First Report on the City of Dublin. 24. 1836. William Clowes and Sons . 224.
  7. Book: Gentleman's and Citizen's Almanack . 1837 . 252.
  8. Web site: 1816 – Corn Exchange Building, Burgh Quay, Dublin. 2 December 2013 . Archiseek. 13 June 2023.
  9. Book: Wright, George Newenham . An Historical Guide to the City of Dublin Illustrated by Engravings, and a Plan of the City . 1825. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy. 183.
  10. Web site: Daniel O'Connell. A Compendium of Irish Biography. Alfred. Webb. 1878.
  11. Book: Marmion, Anthony. The Ancient and Modern History of the Maritime Ports of Ireland. 1858. 221. W. H. Cox.
  12. Book: Casey, Christine . Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park. 2005 . 457. Yale University Press. 978-0300109238.
  13. Book: Illustrirte Zeitung Leipzig, Berlin, Wien, Budapest, New York . 1. 1843 . 277. J. J. Webber. 9783891313497 .
  14. Book: Mcconville, Professor Sean. Irish Political Prisoners 1848–1922: Theatres of War . 2005. 14. Taylor and Francis. 978-1134600984.
  15. Book: Fletcher, T. W. . 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914 . London. Methuen. 1973. 978-1136581182. 31.
  16. Web site: Refurbishment of Corn Exchange, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. RFPM. 4 August 2023.