Section 1 Historical Context
Early Development Maps by Hardiman, Philips and Storey show Shandon castle near the Old Butter Market, with a Z-shaped plan and a rectangular block oriened east to west. Shandon Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an old ringfort. Lord President of Munster resided there circa 1600 and held courts for criminal cases there. In 1183, Philip de Prendergast established Shandon as a separate borough with its own burgesses and during the thirteenth century, suburban Shandon became economically viable. By then, Shandon had three churches and its own leper house associated with St. Mary Magdalene which was first recorded in 1306. In 1229, the Franciscan friary was established on what is now North Mall, continuing in operation until the late 1500’s. During the political crisis and economic decline in Europe and Ireland, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the northern and southern suburbs of Cork were burned, but Shandon is referred to as a functioning manor with free tenants in 1381. However, by 1462, the same suburbs are described as being wasted and destroyed by rebels. The 1545 map of Cork City shows the walled city developing in the reclaimed marshland between North Gate Bridge and South Gate Bridge. Castles and monastic settlements are located outside these main routes within the city and included St. Francis Abbey and fort, Barry’s Castle now known as Shandon Castle. In Story’s map of Cork city, circa 1690, continuous rows of house plots are shown along both sides of Shandon Street, stretching westward along Blarney Street and eastward to the Kiln river. Jean Goubet’s map of Cork, also from around 1690, illustrates the town walls. The ‘City of Cork Survey and Valuation’ from around 1663-64 highlights that in Shandon, the most common types of dwellings were cabins, followed by thatched and slated houses.
Plan of Cork, 1545 (Royal Irish Academy, Irish Historic Towns Atlas)
Map of Cork City, c. 1690 (Source: RIA Irish Historic Town Atlas No. 31 Cork /Corcaigh)
Plan of the town of Cork, c. 1601 (Source: RIA Irish Historic Town Atlas No. 31 Cork /Corcaigh)
Project: Historic Character Assessment Client: Cork City Council
Date:
15/10/2024
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