Zone 4

4

Werburgh St Dame St

Castle St

5 4

Ship St Little

Bride St Parliament St

7

1

Ship St Great

2

Stephen St Upper Dame St

3

6

South Great George’s St Exchequer St

South Great George’s St Fade St

Aungier St

Zone 4

A The Castle Road - Phase 1

B Ship St Little - Phase 2

C Chief State Solicitor’s Office

D Werburgh St Intervention

E Ship St Little, Upper Entrance

4

Castle St

Werburgh St

B

d

C e A

DUBLIN CASTLE AND THE BLACK POOL PROPOSED EAST-WEST ROUTE RUNS AT THE BASE OF THE SOUTH-FACING WALLS OF THE ORIGINAL CASTLE ENCLOSURE

OVERVIEW IMAGE EXPLORING CONNECTIONS EAST-WEST & NORTH-SOUTH ACROSS THE CASTLE

PROPOSED EAST-WEST ROUTE CONNECTING WERBURGH ST THROUGH THE CASTLE GROUNDS TO SOUTH GREAT GEORGES ST AND ONWARDS VIA EXCHEQUER ST

MODEL EXPLORING THE TOPOGRAPHIC LEVELS OF THE DUBLIN CASTLE SITE (UPPER LEVEL HIGHLIGHTED)

Ship St Little

City

SECTION THROUGH PROPOSED EAST-WEST ROUTE THROUGH CASTLE GROUNDS Castle Territory City

4A The Castle Road - Phase 1

Ship St Little and the Castle Road form an important east-west link through the complex, which tends to be the route taken by visitors moving to and from St Patrick’s Cathedral and beyond. The impressive Castle and Chapel Royal facades form the northern backdrop to the street, with the garden and Chester Beatty Library along the southern side. The River Poddle, crucial for the Castle situating here, runs below this street in a culvert.

Currently, the Ship St Gate is the primary vehicular access into the Castle, serving the Garda Síochána, Revenue Commissioners, Chester Beatty Library and other staff car parking. As an important pedestrian route through the site, any improvements would have a strong impact on visitor experience. Part of the architectural proposals include a new entrance to Upper Stephen St, which could re-route vehicular access, and a new pedestrian entrance from the Lower Castle Yard through to South Great George’s St, which would hugely increase the volume of pedestrian visitors along this street, giving further reason for material improvements. Objectives

•To provide traffic calming to this important east-west route. •To remove parking and reduce the level of parking generally. •To provide a more pedestrian-friendly route through the Castle. •To provide an increased number of trajectories and movements through the Castle precinct. •To encourage more day-to-day usage of the Castle territory.

Opportunities

1. The importance of the Poddle in originally establishing the

Castle at this location cannot be underestimated. Therefore, some form of interpretation and unearthing of the culverted

Poddle below should be expressed on the surface. This can be as simple as a more rough surface treatment on the stone paving. In the plan below, this combines the Poddle route with the likely vehicular route, albeit much reduced at a future stage. This provides smooth walking surfaces on both sides of the street, with the Poddle paving acting as a traffic-calming measure.

2. The Poddle route can be further highlighted and explained using a decorative grille in brass or cast iron. This can be integrated with site interpretaion, signage and drainage flows, where levels allow. Some exposed surface rainwater flowing would be a fitting evocation of the original river. 3. The battered base of the original Castle wall should be accessible where possible, as this evokes a sense of the Castle as the core of the complex. 4. The favourable orientation and the busy nature of this space, with large numbers of visitors passing through and spending time, means that seating provided would be well used. Here, benches are paired along the south-facing side, with the thermal mass of the Castle to the back.

5. The rear of the Castle was painted relatively recently in a selection of colours. As part of the Strategic Framework

Plan proposals to consolidate the core of the Castle, it is intended to replace this coloured render with a traditional lime-based render. The reading of the Castle will alter, as a result becoming more unified, establishing a tonal connection between the later granite-faced additions on top of the Castle terrace and the pre-existing Record Tower, Bermingham Tower and State Apartments.

Challenges

•In the short and medium term, traffic will need to be managed alongside pedestrians. This being a primary pedestrian route through the Castle complex, it will ultimately benefit from minimal vehicle access. Current users and stakeholders at the Castle will need to buy into the re-ordering of the vehicular access and equally be agreeable to a reduction in parking facilities on the

Castle grounds on a phased basis over time. The concept design takes these various eventualities into account, aiming for a layout that will work for the various scenarios.

1

CONCEPT PLAN

2 3 5 4

EXISTING COLOURED RENDER PROPOSED TRADITIONAL LIME RENDER TO CONSOLIDATE THE CASTLE CORE AREA, CONNECTING VARIOUS PARTS WITH THE SAME OR SIMILAR TONES

EXISTING CAR PARKING

INITIAL CONCEPT SHOWING REMOVAL OF CAR PARKING FOR COMPARISON SKETCH EXPLORING POTENTIAL TO CREATE ADDITIONAL OPENINGS IN THE WALL OF THE DUBH LINN GARDENS, ALONG THE EAST-WEST ROUTE

SECTION THROUGH PROPOSED EAST-WEST ROUTE THROUGH CASTLE GROUNDS

DECORATIVE DRAINAGE RILL WITH INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION, SYDNEY

VAULTED PODDLE CULVERT HIDDEN BELOW STREET LEVEL ENGRAVED METAL PAVING INSERT

CENTRAL RILL WITH ROUGH-SURFACE PAVING SURROUND, LONDON

CONCEPT VISUAL

4B Ship St Little - Phase 2

The existing Ship St Little entrance is used by pedestrians flowing through the Castle and moving in the direction of St Patricks Cathedral to the south west or alternatively to the Liberties / Christchurch district to the north west. This entrance provides one of the most intensively used vehicular access points to the Castle territory. Used largely by current employees of the OPW, Revenue Commissioners and the Garda Síochána housed on the site, the entrance is shared with pedestrians.

The entrance provides vehicular access to most facilities on the site that lead off this main east-west axis. The route, used also for parking, gives access to other surface car parking adjacent to it. The long-term ambition of the Strategic Framework Plan is to reduce the amount of parking provided on the site and to open this east-west route largely to pedestrian usage. This can be achieved by re-locating the main vehicular entrance to Upper Stephen St (reviewed in the latter part of this section of the report), where an opportunity exists to serve most of the existing facilities and the Garda unit, where medium-term vehicular access will be required. The east-west route will be handed over to pedestrian usage, although the intention is for the surface to remain partially shared, so that provision for some minor degree of vehicular access is maintained. Opportunities

1. City wall restored where possible, with new battlements walk along the top. 2. The sloping public path on Werburgh St opens out into the Little

Ship St turn to encourage the flow of pedestrians along this key entrance route. Amphitheatre steps manage the level difference between the two streets and provide a well-oriented seating space. 3. Vegetation in the form of street trees, lawn and decorative planting enlivens the hard context, and emphasises the contrast between “outside” and “inside” the Castle walls. Potential for a reinforced grass surface to also allow for temporary events. 4. The decorative grille indicating the current Poddle route can be employed here as a sensitive junction between the historic City wall, and the proposed seating terraces, touching it lightly. 5. The cobbles outlining the roadway are narrowed to widen the pavements and to greatly increase the capacity and appeal of this key entrance / exit to the Castle complex. Challenges

•Some of the property along this wall may not be in OPW or

DCC ownership, so would need to be strategically acquired in advance over time.

•Much of the historic wall is in very bad condition, so it will need to be treated carefully, and a view taken as to what level of repair and rebuilding is acceptable.

1

CONCEPT PLAN

2 3 4

5

CONTEMPORARY ELEMENT “FLOATING” BESIDE HISTORIC WALL

DUBLIN CITY WALLS AS SEEN ALONG COOK ST OUTDOOR STEPS CREATING INFORMAL PUBLIC AMPHITHEATRE

REINFORCED GRASS SURFACE

CONCEPT VISUAL

4C Chief State Solicitor’s Office

The existing building forming the corner at Ship St Great and Ship St Little currently belongs to the OPW and is used by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office. The building may need to be replaced, if not brought up to twenty-first century standards at some point in the future. A potential opportunity arises to provide a better relationship with the new public space proposed as an enhancement to the entrance to the Castle from Ship St Great. Public or cultural facilities could possibly be provided to stimulate the public space at ground level, while the upper levels could possibly be used as adjunct office space for the Castle. Objectives / Opportunities

•To enhance the new public space proposed in front of the

Castle entrance on Ship St Little. •To activate this space with activities related to social and cultural uses.

•To provide up-to-date office space to support activities in the Castle.

Challenges

•The current building may remain in use for a significant period without upgrade.

PHOTOGRAPH OF EXISTING CHIEF STATE SOLICITOR’S OFFICE BUILDING

4D Werburgh St Intervention

The Strategic Framework Plan identifies opportunities along the perimeter of the Castle territories where entrances can be enhanced, made more legible, and integrate the Castle with the local city fabric, blurring the threshold and engaging the Castle more directly with the wider city fabric.

There are certain sites currently lying dormant which, if developed, could enhance the city-Castle relationship and cement a new future for the Castle by providing sites for additional accommodation, thereby liberating space within the precinct to allow for the future plans of the Castle to be implemented.

Additional space will be required for current users and stakeholders, some of which may be realised within existing constructions. However if consolidation and future growth are to be accommodated, additional space will need to be provided.

The fabric alterations and consolidations element of the Strategic Framework Plan focuses on such sites where it seems potential additional space could be provided directly by the OPW on land owned by it. Equally, sites not in the possession of the OPW, but which directly impact on the atmosphere and character of the Castle, need attention and scrutiny so that future developments on these sites do not adversely affect the character of the pre-existing constructions which abut, co-join or address the Castle.

PLAN SHOWING PROPOSED AREAS BOUNDARY, PUBLIC REALM AND ENTRANCE TO THE UPPER LANE ADJACENT TO THE EXISTING CITY WALL

A significant opportunity exists on the site of the former Employment Exchange Building and in its immediate area, both on the upper levels of the city walls and on the lower level forward of the Ship St entrance.

This has been identified as an important anchor site on the edge of the Castle, with potential to provide, on the one hand, much needed additional capacity for stakeholders at the Castle and, on the other, an opportunity to provide a new cultural facility that addresses local needs, in addition to making it a cultural site of importance at the scale of the city.

Additional accommodation provided on this site could liberate accommodation within the existing Castle terraces and ranges, providing for the much-needed expansion of visitor facilities, making more of the existing accommodation available for future uses that will enhance the Castle, change its perception, and forge a new engagement with the city.

An initial study reveals that a significant level of accommodation could be provided on this site. Free access can be provided to newly conserved portions of the city wall at both the upper and lower levels. A new series of public realm spaces can be provided as part of the plan and a new entrance to the Castle precinct provided at the upper level. Opportunity exists to re-configure the entrance from the Castle Steps and, at some time in the future, to open the historic cemetery adjacent to Sts Werburgh’s Church. Future plans propose that the trajectory of the city walls from this location can be traced by visitors by further opening up the sites opposite where the sites of the old wall are known to exist.

SECTION EXPLORING POSSIBLE NEW ALTERATIONS & BUILDINGS AT EXISTING SITE ADJACENT TO THE CITY WALL

ARTISTIC IMPRESSION OF THE NEW PUBLIC REALM AT THE UPPER LANE ALONG THE HISTORIC CITY WALL

SECTION THROUGH CASTLE STEPS EXPLORING CONNECTIONS TO THE CASTLE FROM ROUTES ADJACENT, EXPLORING ACCESS ACROSS THE CEMETERY AT ST WERBURGH ST

4E Ship St Little Upper Entrance

The enhancements to the existing Ship St entrance will be augmented in section as well as in plan. It is envisaged that outside the Castle, adjacent to this entrance, public realm works will be undertaken to enhance the open space in front of the entrance. Details are provided in the landscaping proposition.

At this point, the city wall is legible and intact. The walls will be preserved as part of the architecture of the new entrance space. Due to the topographical character of the site, a proposition is made to access the upper sections of this part of the city walls, and from this point cross over the Castle Steps through the current Security Office building, and enter the Castle precinct at the upper level (at the Upper Castle Yard level). An opportunity is then presented to open the historic burial ground attached to St Werburgh’s Church, embedded within the block.

LOCATION OF SECURITY OFFICE (NOT TO SCALE) Objectives / Opportunities

•To increase the legibility of the Castle. •To engage the Castle with the city walls as a visitor experience. •To open up new opportunities to engage the Castle with the city beyond the precinct. •To increase the possibilities for greater porosity and openess.

Challenges

•The ownership of a portion of land to the south of this wall will need to be resolved.

•Implementation of this proposal will be dependent on security staff and facilities being moved elsewhere.

ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF NEW UPPER ENTRANCE