History of St. Anne's Park, Raheny/ Clontarf

TBarry

Hey all,

I'm currently doing a project for college on local history and I've chosen to study St. Anne's Park.

I'm looking for a bit of background history about the location. I live just down the road from it but I can't seem to find much in my local library on it, apart from one publication.

I know a little about the Guinness' and how they occupied it for some time, but I'm more interested in the follies that still stand there today. Like the clock tower and the garden beside it, the old archways, the balcony-like building that sits beside the stream (as far as I recall you can still see some tiling there), temple-like building beside the duck pond and of course the mansion that once stood at the end of the mile walk.

I only began my research a few days ago and I seem to have come to a halt already. If there's anyone out there who knows of more publications or has any information about the area, please let me know.

Thank you

jos28

I reckon your first port of call should be Raheny library, they have a local history section. While you are there, check out a book called 'Green Fileds gone forever' by Douglas.S Appleyard. I think there is something in that about St Annes.
There is always a tour of the park during Heritage Week. It might be worth your while to contact the person doing the tour. She should be able to give you loads of info
http://www.heritageweek.ie/index.php/whats-on/event-search

donaghs

Seen this? http://www.tirnanog-caife.ie/red-stables/history-of-saint-annes-park-and-the-red-stables/

http://www.archiseek.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=7286

The old house, Thornhill looks quite similar to another Guinness house, Farmleigh beside the Phoenix Park.

Interesting fact also, from Wikipedia about the coastal tram line that ran from the city through Clontarf to Howth:

"Much of the line construction was straightforward, allowing for the challenges of building at the water's edge, but there were difficulties with Lord Ardilaun, the Guinness heir, whose estate of St. Anne's ran to the coast where the line was to be laid. At the time, there was no coastal road, and Lord Ardilaun sought multiple conditions in return for removing objections to the project. He received most of what he sought, including the provision that the trams would not stop along the margin of his property, and line construction proceeded. The line opened on 26 July 1900."

pedroeibar1

donaghs wrote: »

The old house, Thornhill looks quite similar to another Guinness house, Farmleigh beside the Phoenix Park.

Thornhill was pulled down ca 1850 by Benjamin Guinness, so that makes it too early to have been a design of James F Fuller, architect of Farmleigh, who also designed Ashford Castle for Guinness. St. Annes was by Millard and then Benjamin's son Arthur (1st and las Lord Ardilaun - the title comes from an island in the lake infront of Ashford Castle) doubled its size using a design of Fuller's which was completed by George Ashlin.

There is a large entry on St. Annes in Bence-Jones' book (Burke's Guide To Country Houses Vol I Ireland.
Not sure if that Wiki info is correct, the sea road was there for a long time befor that, the driveway actually crossed over it i.e. the road always had come through the grounds

I also have a suspicion that Fuller and Guinness did not get on well together; in his autobiog. the former mentions a 'titled person' for whom he would not work again after some disagreement.

Locanfetzava

Dose anyone remember that outdoor art exhibition in St Anne's Park that got smashed and burnt to pieces by vandals in the late 70's?

donaghs

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Thornhill was pulled down ca 1850 by Benjamin Guinness.

I see. What did they call the house that burned down in 1940's and later demolished? Was it on the same site?

tayto lover

There was a garda shot and killed in that park in the 1980's as he chased bank raiders. I was passing awhile later and there were loads of garda searching.

PS

I didn't do it.

pedroeibar1

donaghs wrote: »

I see. What did they call the house that burned down in 1940's and later demolished? Was it on the same site?

I’m no expert on Clontarf but I believe that St. Annes was built on the same site as Thornhill and the name changed at that time. The St. Annes name comes from a ‘Holy Well’ in its grounds. In the era of Thornhill the estate was much smaller, about 50 acres; it was Benjamin Lee Guinness who acquired extra land, bringing the size to about 500 acres with entrances from the Howth Road, Mt. Prospect Ave and Raheny Lane.
When it burned down during the ‘Emergency’ it was supposedly full of gasmasks (my grandfather lived in Clontarf, I got the stories from him).

tayto lover wrote: »

There was a garda shot and killed in that park in the 1980's as he chased bank raiders. I was passing awhile later and there were loads of garda searching..

The murder was Garda Reynolds, 1975, murdered in cold blood by supposed ‘patriots’ the Murrays, escaping bank robbers who were subsequently tried for capital murder. They were in one of the IRA groups, (Fianna Eireann? . They got off the capital charge on appeal, as the unarmed garda they shot in cold blood was not in uniform, but were found guilty of ‘common murder’. A big deal was made about it at the time. They nearly were the last people to be hanged in Ireland.

CiaranP

There is some great information above! As jos28 mentioned, 'Green Fields Gone Forever' is a great read;-
there is also a book specifically about Saint Anne's Park, with some great photos.
I got a copy at the Rose Festival last year - I'll post the title of it later!
You should check http://www.rahenyheritage.ie/ too - they meet once a month near the library, and will definitely give you a huge amount of information on the Mansion and Follies.

chughes

I got a book in the Raheny library about St Anne's. It's called :






St Anne’s The Story of a Guinness Estate by Joan Ussher Sharkey.


It's well worth reading.

CiaranP

chughes wrote: »

I got a book in the Raheny library about St Anne's. It's called :

St Anne’s The Story of a Guinness Estate by Joan Ussher Sharkey.
It's well worth reading.

Thanks for that, chughes - that's the book I have, a great read for anyone who knows or is interested in the park