Little Denmark Street, Dublin

zagmund · 13-09-2011 1:31pm #1

I'm looking for information on a cabinet making business that was supposed to have been in Little Denmark Street in the early part of the 20th century.

I have it on relatively good account that the street was swallowed up by the ILAC centre, and according to the OSI mapping system there was a Denmark Street there alright - http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,715490,734718,7,9

I can see the family name (Monks) there on the 1901 census with the males in the family listed as cabinet makers, so this much makes sense.

However, based on the enumerators summary these houses were tenements. Would it be likely that tenement buildings would also house cabinet makers works also ?

The reason I'm a little confused is that other parts of the family had property around Hardwicke Street, which backs on to Great Denmark Street. From what I can tell of the area around there, it was slightly more likely to have workshops there than in Little Denmark Street.

I would have to put a good bit of value behind the Little Denmark Street part as it came from the son of someone who would have lived there (under the ILAC), so it's pretty likely he was right.

So, does anyoneo have any suggestions on how to find out information about the location of the workshops of the cabinet makers (it was their own firm as far as I know, rather than working for someone else) ? I've tried google, but it seems determined to tell me about cabinet makers in a different Denmark Street in the UK somewhere.

z

pinkypinky · 13-09-2011 3:08pm

Shane is our resident trade directory person - he may be able to do some look-ups for you. What time period are you talking about? Pearse St library has an almost full run of Thoms up to the modern day.

shanew · 13-09-2011 3:32pm

The Form B1 shows there are no outhouses for 31, so I'd say their workshop was somewhere else. Space would have been quite limited in the house - 5 families, 22 people, with between 7 and 9 rooms. So not as densly populated as many of the other tenements..

Thom's 1906 lists a possible connection :

Peter Monk (no s), furniture manufacturer
31 Denmark Street and 46 Hardwicke Street

the usual format of these entries is work address, home address

Shane

shanew · 13-09-2011 3:48pm

in the street listing 29/30/31 Denmark Street are listed as tenements, with no details, but the Hardwicke street address show some interesting details :

46 Hardwick Street
Mrs A. Monk
Peter Monk, wholesale furniture manufacturer
also at 31 Denmark Street

It looks like Peter moved to Hardwick street sometime between 1901 and 1911..but I dont see any sign of workshops (i.e. outhouses) at either address.

(Little Denmark street is listed as Denmark street with numbers 1 to 39, the other Denmark st is listed as Great with numbers 1 to 21)

Shane

zagmund · 13-09-2011 4:01pm

From what I remember (I'm away from my sources at the moment) Peter would have been the son of the family from Little Denmark Street in 1901.

The father (Nicholas) died between 1901 & 1911 and the family moved up/back to Hardwicke Street where the mothers family had some property.

So all those addresses tie up, but I'm still missing their actual workshops. Does anyone know were there any specific 'furniture' areas of Dublin at the start of the 1900s ? I'm told they sold via shops or a premises (not theirs) in Capel Street, so it sounds like the general area (Hardwicke Street, Denmark Street) is broadly in the correct sort of area.

z

shanew · 13-09-2011 4:36pm

Think Nicholas died in 1902 - he's buried in Glasnevin. Adding bits of his address to the search filter returns the record for '31' and also 'Denmark'

MONKS NICHOLAS DUBLIN. Glasnevin 1902 Burial 53 M

matching death reference :

Name: Nicholas Monks
Registration district: Dublin North
Event type: Death
Quarter and year: Jan - Mar 1902
Age : 53 (est. year of birth 1849)
Volume : 2 / Page: 436

I've had a further look through directories and see Peter and later his son (?) Nicholas at the two addresses but no mention of a workshop/factory address. There is a listing in the trades index for furniture factories, but there are only about 7 entries, and nothing for Monk or either of the addresses. I suspect these are the larger businesses.

Shane

Xotan · 23-12-2011 3:16am

Shane,

I am a memberber of the Monks family in question. I can confirm that they had a cabinetmaking business at 31 (Little) Denmark, which is indeed now covered by the Ilac Centre. As a small boy I recall being brought by my father to the shop, which, if memory is reliable was still working in the late 1940s. However, in reference to the sale of the furniture produced, it was retailed in Tickell's in Mary Street. A pity I was not old enough to take more notice of what my father was saying.

In contrast to what has been said in the thread, it appears that the family did live 'over the shop'. Here is a section of the Glasnevin printout for the Nicholas Monks in question

Record Number 1
Record number: 297680
Surname: MONKS
Firstname: NICHOLAS
ENTRY IMAGE Show entry image

Last address: 31,LITTLE DENMARK STREET,
DUBLIN.
-
-
Buried Glasnevin
Grave: Letter: KA
Figures: 49.5
Section: SOUTH
Date of death 28 Feb 1902
Ceremony type Burial
Age 53
Gender M

If Zagmund PMs me I will be happy to 'talk' to him/her

Xotan · 23-12-2011 3:23am

Further evidence that the family lived in Denmark Street: the text on the headstone in Glasnevin Cemetery

Nicholas & Mary Monks

Erected by Mary Monks, 31 Little Denmark Street in memory of her beloved husband Nicholas Monks who died 28th February 1902 aged 53 years. Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on his soul.

Also the above named Mary Monks who died 2nd December 1915 aged 64 years.
Mother of Good Counsel intercede for her.

Little Denmark Street, Dublin

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