Kieran’s our City, Our Town Article, 10 January 2013

“Technical Memories (Part 39) –Guiding the City’s Future”

“In this world of change, no city can remain for long in a stationary condition. Either it must be in a state of expansion, alteration or deterioration…it is the highest degree desirable that there should be in existence a wisely prepared town plan, which will not only guide its future growth, but also so control its existing mass that no change can be made except by way of improvement (Cork: A Civic Survey, 1926)”

In December’s column, I highlighted the work by the committee of the Crawford Technical Institute in heading up the compilation of the report Cork A Civic Survey in 1926. In this survey, three clearly dilapidated housing areas of Cork are mapped out- one west of Shandon Street, the north western corner of the city centre island, and the property to the south west of St Finbarr’s Cathedral. All three except parts of the northern area were older parts of the city. The survey noted that there was not that much dilapidated property in the island to the east of North Main Street but those houses should be cleared out at the earliest opportunity, and no housing rebuilding under taken in the area. The space should be fully allocated for shopping and business purposes. The survey also questioned whether residential rebuilding should take place in the low lying and flood prone neighbourhood of Henry Street and Grattan Street.

In the city there were 12,850 houses inhabited by 15,469 families, giving according to the total population about five persons in a family and an average of six persons per house. A large proportion of the population was crowded into tenements and small houses. The number of tenements was 719 with 2,928 families. The tenement population was around 8,675. Nearly one-ninth of the total population lived in tenements and on average 12 families could live in a house meant for one family.

In the Civic Survey classification, under first class tenement structures 2,499 people or 839 families lived in 194 houses, which appeared to be structurally sound; they were not in good repair but were capable of being put in good repair. Under second class tenements, 6,114 people or 2,038 families lived in 512 houses, which were so decayed or so badly constructed as approaching the borderline of being unfit for human habitation. Under third class tenements 222 people or 61 families lived in 13 houses unfit for human habitation, and incapable of being rendered fit for human habitation. In the small house category, there was 9,649 people living in 2,329 second class houses. There were 211 people living in 54 third class houses.

The survey acknowledged that the redistribution of people was so large that it might naturally take years to accomplish (which it did). It was hoped that the progress would be more rapid than in Liverpool where it took 20 years to demolish and rebuild a similar number of houses. One of the chief aims of the survey was that the rebuilding should not be done piecemeal as a series of isolated schemes, but as part of a general scheme of town planning and redistribution of the population.

The survey outlined that one of the opportunities was the availability of land on the south of the river for re-housing as well as for an extension of the city bounds. During the compilation of the Survey, the City Commissioner Philip Monahan as well as his city engineer Stephen Farrington and Cork architect, Daniel Levie engineered and designed the start of a new slum clearance programme. Capwell Road comprised 148 houses of short terraces of four houses set at 16 houses per acre. The homes were mainly four-roomed. In the summer of 1925 the Capwell site was acquired by Cork Corporation by deed of transfer from Richard Morgan. By Christmas 1925 20 men were employed on relief work for 2/3 weeks clearing the site, preparatory to the actual building. On 14 May 1926 11 tenders were received for the Capwell development, ten from local builders and one from a Dutch firm of builders. Fifteen of the houses were built by the Cork Builders Worker’s Guild and 144 were built by Messrs. Meagher and Hayes. By 25 February 1928 the scheme was complete and money was deposited towards purchase of the Capwell houses. Under the housing scheme £14,000 had been received. The 148 occupiers are listed in a document in the Cork City and County Archives. The money received from Capwell was devoted to the development of another housing site at Turners Cross and the announcement was made that it was expected that tenders for the building of 150 more houses would be invited.

The architect for the Turners Cross developments and those to come that were connected with Cork Corporation, Daniel Levie played an active part in the Cork Civic Survey of 1926. He was a member of the Munster Fine Arts Council for many years. He was also a founder member of the Cork Rotary Club. His firm’s collection of drawings was subsequently acquired by the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, and is now in the Cork City and County Archives.

To be continued…

Caption:

673a. Civic Survey map of heavy slum areas in Cork, 1926 (source: Cork A Civic Survey, 1926)