Would you care to solve a Dublin mystery???

[Quaxer]

Marc

Any address for photo?


Regards       Quaxer

[Marc Mc Namara]

Quaxer - i admire your atention to detail! good points well made.
The photos can be seen at the link
http://www.dublin.ie/forums/album.php?albumid=375

Slan go foill

Marc

[Cog]

Think there is a subtle difference in the shop facade. If you look at all the photos on the link they mostly show more decorative woodwork, especially at the sides at the bottom of each corner.  The old photo is quite plain at the bottom but more decorative at the top, the pictures in the link show the facade at the bottom on both sides to be more decorative at the bottom and plain at the top of each side.  Hoping this makes sense !

Carol

[Oaks and Acorns]

I can see what may be a significant difference between the picture in Reply  #66 and the original building.

If you drop a perpendicular line from the left-hand side of the upstairs windows, on the original photo the line would run through the door openings on the ground floor. On the building in Reply # 66 the same line appears to miss both doors.

If these buildings were built with a single, solid lintel between the ground and first floor, it would be quite easy to re-locate doors, windows etc on the ground floor.

If they were built with individual lintels over each door and window opening, it would be a major structural change to re-locate these features.

Maybe someone with more experience on the architecture of old Dublin buildings would comment

Dara.

[Cog]

This mystery seems to be getting to me almost as much as you Bridget 

Have been staring at the two pictures together and another couple of things come to mind.  If a second story was added afterwards wouldn't the premises next door have been (origianally) the same height ? as it looks the building next door had always had another storey and the brickwork looks too old to have been added later.  Also the height of the windows on the ground floor (if you look at the pictures together) in comparison are at different levels, even if the ledge had been removed.  Just more rambling thoughts.....

Carol

[Quaxer]

Bridget

Dara'scomment led me to look further and I think that the left part of the right hand window sill projects further over the shop door entance tan in the new photo.
Further the projecting flashing/flaunching under the shingle in the older photo (to prevent rainwater splashing on the lower front of the building is not in the same relationship to the adjoining property's sign board flashin in the new photo from Marc.
Again there is no gap on side of the building where the down spout was unless the shop window was expanded to the right (Note also somebody has sealed the gap between the 2 buildings)
Re the roller shutter doors-It would be highly unusual to have such doors as a front door so I suspect that upstairs was used as a store for down stairs business.
I am still convinced that close examination of you photo will reveal text or impression of text that might give a date or name. Ask your local library where you could find a free manifying source or maybe a University .On this if you rouse somebody's interest doors will open for  you.
Regards to all      Quaxer

l

[dublin1850]

The square thing in front of the door - would that be to a cellar (which would rule out some streets)?
Or is it to do with drainage (which would mean the City Council might have an input)?

[Bridget x]

Wow, A lot of very interesting theories put forward in the last few posts.  The only thing I can add is the following. I know my G. Grandparents would have been too poor to have been able to rent the rooms above the shop as a store room; they would not have carried that much stock! I also know they were living in Stafford St at that time so they were not the tenants of the above rooms. I wonder if Marc’s friend could get hold of the number of the look alike shop in Parnell St and we could maybe back track from there. From the first day I set eyes on this old photo I always said I felt the shop was in Parnell or Capel St.
 

[Quaxer]

bridget
Maybe you misunderstood me or I did not express myself so well. I intended to refer to the new photo  supplied by Marc because it had roller shutter doors. which would be highly unusual for a private residence in Dublin and suiable for industrial use i.e. upstairs used for storage in recent times not by your folks.
Good man yourself Dublin1850 !! It could well be a skylight for a cellar so common in the Capel Street area and many other s.(Let us not become glued to Capel Street area as The Rotunda notice is far from conclusive that was the area.
All the best          Quaxer 

Do look at the writing as we need all the clues we can get.