Pimlico Dublin - Street Name and Area History

PMBC · 04-04-2018 9:38pm #1

I've come upon an ancestor born in Pimlico in 1820s whose parents lived at 32 Pimlico and grandparents before that.
My question is that the street opposite the Pimlico pub?
If so, are the houses there now - redbrick all over that area - from the early 1800s or, as I guess, replacements for tenements.
Finally was that part of Dublin home to woolen workers, hatters, dyer's etc?

As a reversal of the usual process, this ancestor moved from Dublin to the Midlands, probably in the mid 1800s or around 1860.

tabbey · 05-04-2018 1:21pm

PMBC wrote: »

I've come upon an ancestor born in Pimlico in 1820s whose parents lived at 32 Pimlico and grandparents before that.
My question is that the street opposite the Pimlico pub?
If so, are the houses there now - redbrick all over that area - from the early 1800s or, as I guess, replacements for tenements.
Finally was that part of Dublin home to woolen workers, hatters, dyer's etc?

As a reversal of the usual process, this ancestor moved from Dublin to the Midlands, probably in the mid 1800s or around 1860.

Virtually every house in the Liberties has been rebuilt since the 1830s.

The evidence for this is the printed books of Ordnance Survey Name Books to be found in the Dublin City Library & Archive.
Although nominally a list of names and their variants, many streets have great descriptions, including breadth, cleanliness or otherwise, the type of occupiers and most importantly the number of floors/storeys.
In most of the streets in the Liberties, the number of storeys was greater than at present, suggesting that either the premises had a top floor demolished, or more likely, the building was totally rebuilt.

Pimlico is the street that runs from the junction of Marrowbone Lane and Thomas Court to Coombe/ Ardee Street. So far as I know the end at Marrowbone Lane is still a wasteland since demolition of property in the early 1970s, in preparation for the Inner Tangent Relief Road (inner city bypass) which was eventually cancelled. The houses now in Pimlico were I suspect built by the Dublin Artisan Dwellings Company, being adjacent to Brabazon Square etc of DADCo, but I may be mistaken, possibly early Corporation homes.

The people living in this area in the 1830s were described in the Name Books as mostly working in the breweries and engineering works. A generation earlier, there would have been more in the weaving and textile trades. These trades largely died out with free trade from about 1825, due to the repeal of the corn laws. (government opened up trade to more efficient manufacturers in England, so small producers were unable to compete).

PMBC · 06-04-2018 3:39am

tabbey wrote: »

Virtually every house in the Liberties has been rebuilt since the 1830s.

The evidence for this is the printed books of Ordnance Survey Name Books to be found in the Dublin City Library & Archive.
Although nominally a list of names and their variants, many streets have great descriptions, including breadth, cleanliness or otherwise, the type of occupiers and most importantly the number of floors/storeys.
In most of the streets in the Liberties, the number of storeys was greater than at present, suggesting that either the premises had a top floor demolished, or more likely, the building was totally rebuilt.

Pimlico is the street that runs from the junction of Marrowbone Lane and Thomas Court to Coombe/ Ardee Street. So far as I know the end at Marrowbone Lane is still a wasteland since demolition of property in the early 1970s, in preparation for the Inner Tangent Relief Road (inner city bypass) which was eventually cancelled. The houses now in Pimlico were I suspect built by the Dublin Artisan Dwellings Company, being adjacent to Brabazon Square etc of DADCo, but I may be mistaken, possibly early Corporation homes.

The people living in this area in the 1830s were described in the Name Books as mostly working in the breweries and engineering works. A generation earlier, there would have been more in the weaving and textile trades. These trades largely died out with free trade from about 1825, due to the repeal of the corn laws. (government opened up trade to more efficient manufacturers in England, so small producers were unable to compete).

Thanks for that.
From another source I have the ancestor's family as weavers, dyers etc.

shanew · 06-04-2018 1:35pm

Based on the details in Pettigrew & Oulton 1840, number 32 was the 2nd building from the junction with Jackson's Alley and 4 away from the junction with Braitwaite Street - approx.location marked on the 1848 map extract below

The same name is also listed at no. 32 in the 1834 directory.

PMBC · 06-04-2018 9:11pm

shanew wrote: »

Based on the details in Pettigrew & Oulton 1840, number 32 was the 2nd building from the junction with Jackson's Alley and 4 away from the junction with Braitwaite Street - approx.location marked on the 1840 map extract below

The same name is also listed at no. 32 in the 1834 directory.

Thanks for that shanew

shanew · 07-04-2018 9:29am

might be of interest re No. 32 - from 1830 Valuation of Dublin, includes a description of the building

PMBC · 08-04-2018 1:08pm

shanew wrote: »

might be of interest re No. 32 - from 1830 Valuation of Dublin, includes a description of the building

Thanks again.
Tripoli street name lost out and now subsumed into Pimlico - see old 6 in map. My interest is in Whitehead family so I note both mentions. Im going to look in Griffiths and when I can find it Mairin Johnson's Around the Banks of Pimlico Im still enjoying the street names even apart from Engine Alley.
Any other sources of info on families there in late 1790s - looks likely my/these people came from UK and had trade backgrounds (from weavers to butchers) - tenement life, records I read of are from St Catherines and St Pauls (as there might have been a mixed marriage in my interest). Im also going to check 1901 census to see if that name was still there.

shanew · 08-04-2018 7:51pm

a few more small details from directories :

1824 Pigot's - Ths. Whitehead Dyer (woollen) 32 Pimlico (left column - last in the Dyers section)

1812 Treble/Wilsons - just one Whitehead, Thomas, a wool-merchant, 22 Pimlico

1783 Watson's - just one Whitehead, William a shoe maker of 193 Abbey Street
- no Whiteheads on Pimlico, most businesses fabric/cloth related

PMBC · 09-04-2018 3:06am

shanew wrote: »

a few more small details from directories :

1824 Pigot's - Ths. Whitehead Dyer (woollen) 32 Pimlico (left column - last in the Dyers section)

1812 Treble/Wilsons - just one Whitehead, Thomas, a wool-merchant, 22 Pimlico

1783 Watson's - just one Whitehead, William a shoe maker of 193 Abbey Street
- no Whiteheads on Pimlico, most businesses fabric/cloth related

Working atm on the assumption that Thos was father of the later George at the same address and have a baptismal date for Thos of 1794 either St Catherines or St Pauls.
A relative had a contact of a poster on RootsCaht doing family research on Whitehead but haven't been able to re-make that contact.
Also looking for RC family Gilson/Anne Gilson to whom George Whitehad was married - or with whom had children including James baptised 1824/26 all in either St Pauls or St Catherines. Would mixed marriages have shared faith arrangements in such a way in those times? If so, it was very enlightened.

Again thanks

Pimlico Dublin - Street Name and Area History

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