Great accountsOriginally Posted by Jimmymac
JM & DTW - Kimmage holds a clue in this story too, Caim Uisce (Kimmage) means Clear Water = Poddle. Other placenames that link into the tale are Riversdale and Hazlebrook (both in Kimmage) and there is a housing estate called Watercourse near Orwell Park, Templeogue - and ofcourse, the Back of the Pipes in Dolphin's Barn. Any others I've missed?
Viva La 'Barn
The river which flowed down the Back of the Pipes was called The Slang, apparently.Great accounts
JG's contribution to the "Back of the Pipes" Thread 29 April this year.
Dublin has had an organised system for water supply for almost 750 years. The medieval city was only 20 ha. in extent, and was built on the ridge of high ground between present-day Thomas Street and Dame Street, near the confluence of the Liffey and the Poddle Rivers. The Liffey was tidal far to the west and therefore unusable as a source of water and the Poddle served the needs of the early settlers. By the 13th century the supply was proving inadequate and the City Sheriff was mandated in 1244 to improve the supply. An agreement was made with the Priory of St. Thomas, which owned a weir on the Dodder at Balrothery, to divert water from the Dodder to the Poddle. Under this agreement the flow in the transfer channel would be increased by raising the weir and doing certain other works, for which a fine of 5 marks and an annual rent of 1 mark was to be paid to the monks.
The increased flow of the Poddle was divided at a point just south of present day Mount Argus by a construction known as the Tongue, one-third of its waters being brought in a canal around the Liberties to a cistern near the present Waterworks Headquarters at Marrowbone Lane. From here the water was taken in an open channel along Thomas Street, and then by the 'high pipe' wooden troughs and leaden pipes to a public 'conduit' or fountain near Christchurch.
About 1670 the old cistern at the terminus of the City Watercourse was replaced by a reservoir known as the City Basin, near St. James Gate. From Dolphin's Barn to the Basin, the watercourse was carried on a rampart of earth and stone, from which the area came to be known as 'The Back of the Pipes'.
There are numerous references in the ancient records of the city concerning the upkeep of these works, and in relation to litigation and grants of water to individuals. One of the earliest is a request from King Henry III in 1245 for a supply of water for the King's Hall. The lead pipe which carried this supply was uncovered in Cascade Street in 1787. The rebel followers of Silken Thomas in 1534, according to Hollinshed's Chronicles, "cut the pipes of the conduits whereby (the city) should be destitute of fresh water".
In 1721 the Corporation reconstructed and raised the level of the City Basin at St. James Gate. A 250mm lead pipe was laid to James Street from the Basin, and from this three lead pipes of 150mm diameter were laid into the city, with branches distributing water to about ninety streets. This was the final stage of the development of the Poddle supply.
The Balrothery Weir was reconstructed by Andrew Coffey in the early years of the last century, and the present sluice gates and by pass channels date from then. Following Hurricane Charlie in 1986 major repairs were made to the weir, and it is planned to have this historic structure completely restored as a feature of the Dodder Linear Park, which will also incorporate the reach of the city watercourse as far as Spawell.
By 1735 the supply from the Poddle could no longer meet the needs of the growing city. The Corporation acquired the mills and weirs at Islandbridge and constructed a 'powerful water-engine' to deliver water through two 150mm wooden water mains to the north city, and thereby relieve the supply situation south of the Liffey. No details remain of this interesting installation which, together with the City Basin, served a network of one hundred and eighty-five streets for about forty years.
Doh! talk about missing the Elephant in the Room - it's just been pointed out to me by the other half that there is a 'Poddle Park'!Great accounts
Viva La 'Barn
First post here, so I'd better make it a good'un.
I'll stand corrected on this, I think the river is still just visible - is this the 'missing' section of river that you are looking for? It is behind the new - and very high - school wall. Earlier sections were certainly covered over years ago. Looking at the bing arial photos (can't figure out how to link the url), I think you'll probably be able to get a look at it from the corpo ramp back a bit - the historic 25 inch maps show there was a mill pond in that spot. This is the section that was supposed to be built over in the hotel redevelopment that never happened (yet?). Anyway, if you look at some of the historical layers on the OSI site, and fade them in to each other, you can make out the location many of the culverted Poddlets from Marylands right through Teneterfields to Malpas St. This makes finding the Poddle a doddle.
On the placenames thing, there's Lakelands in Templogue - the lakes in the college grounds are fed with Poddle water (and tested for pollution there) - and on down to the lake at Bushy Park, just above the Dodder. There's also Rushbrook in Willington. Some older, long forgotten placenames give clues also - Cross Poddle is now known as Dean St. (at the top of the Coombe), which is just beside New Row (formerly New Row on the Poddle) and of course, there's a whole host of milling/tanning/maltings placenames scattered all along the City Watercourse/Poddle/Abbey Stream locations.
Last edited by GoldCircle; 01-12-2009 at 21:34 PM. Reason: Shockin' spellin'
Great post,and welcome to the Nutty House,have ye bein waitin long te gerrin ?Fist post here, so I'd better make it a good'un.
I'll stand corrected on this, I think the river is still just visible - is this the 'missing' section of river that you are looking for? It is behind the new - and very high - school wall. Earlier sections were certainly covered over years ago. Looking at the bing arial photos (can't figure out how to link the url), I think you'll probably be able to get a look at it from the corpo ramp back a bit - the historic 25 inch maps show there was a mill pond in that spot. This is the section that was supposed to be built over in the hotel redevelopment that never happened (yet?).
On the placenames thing, there's Lakelands in Templogue - the lakes in the college grounds are fed with Poddle water (and tested for polution there) - and on down to the lake at Bushy Park, just above the Dodder. There's also Rushbrook in Willington. Some older, long forgotten placenames give clues also - Cross Poddle is now known as Dean St. (at the top of the Coombe), which is just beside New Row (formerly New Row on the Poddle) and of course, there's a whole host of milling/tanning/maltings placenames scattered all along the City Watercourse/Poddle/Abbey Stream locations.
It's there all right
Well, I took a saunter down to Sweeney's Terrace and asked the kindly gent at the Corpo ramp was there a river at the back and he said "yes, well, no, well there used to be..."
So, we went up to the back of the ramp (clump of trees to the left of the satelite photo) and the guy in the building next door had knocked the wall, felled all the trees in the marshy remnants of the mill pond in the left of the photo, put in a large pipe - very badly fitted - and cover the lot with hardcore, annexing the land for himself - and ignoring the fact that urban rivers and areas of historical interest are protected. Near where he installed the pipe there was some subsidence, the pipe has dislodged and the hardcore is being washed away - there a hole about 3 feet in diameter, where you can see the water - currently in spate - washing through in an eastbound direction. Dangerous for anyone trepassing.
The clump of trees to the right of the photo still contains an open stretch of river - well below the current land level. You cannot see the water from the ramp, so I went next door to "Mr. Annex" and asked if I could take a look - he was suspicious and hostile and asked what my interest was - I told him it was purely historical. He wouldn't let me go back for a look to the next stretch, which is behind the back of the old Telecom Eireann yard next door.
So, another stretch of the Poddle's Abbey Stream - perhaps 15m - has been extinguished - though a further bit remains just by it - as well as the bit in the White Swan Business Park.
Brill site here by one of our own !Guess who ? Have a gander.
http://www.hidden-dublin.com/
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