Kent (Cork) Station Signal Box - To Go?

[Georgeconna]

Hi all,

 

I friend of mine spotted a planning notice in one of the local rags advising of the request to Demolish the Signal box in Kent Station. I imagine this is the one at the east end of the station?

 

Any truth in this at all?

 

Sad to see another part of this station disappear.

 

cheers

 

George

[Glenderg]

Yeah, it's true. They're trying to convert it, and do all sorts of awful to it. It looks like Iarnrod Eireann's Conservation Architect has never read the ICOMOS or Venice Charters on conservation, but that's nothing new.

 

Cork City Council's Planning Search is equally useless, so I can't give you a reference number to look it up

 

R.

[Weshty]

Some Venice Charter background for us non Frank Lloyd Wright hicks

 

Conservation

 

Article 4. Maintain it on a permanent basis.

 

Article 5. Use it for a socially useful purpose and don't change the lay-out or decoration of the building.

 

Article 6. Keep the traditional setting, without new construction, demolition or modification altering mass and colour.

 

Article 7. Don't move the monument from its original setting/context unless absolutely necessary

 

Article 8. Remove decoration only if it's the sole means of ensuring its preservation.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Weshty
summarise

[scahalane]

That would be a real shame..I better get a move on and model it.

[minister_for_hardship]

I have it on good authority that it is the disused one on Plat 5 that is planned for demolition, not the one at the eastern end.

[rebelred]

It's the old Cabin that was on Platform 5/ The Loop. It's already gone & is suppose to be put back once the work is complete. Cork Cabin is going nowhere in the short term.

[Glenderg]

The idea Is to repurpose it as a swanky cafe bar thing. There are 3D proposals on the planning application, and if I get the doc viewer to work on Cork coco, I'll post them later.

 

It's a piece of original heritage, and deserves better.

[rebelred]

They are wrecking the look of the station between that, the glass barriers, the staff messrooms & the horrid yoke that replaced the canopy on Platforms 1 & 2..

[jhb171achill]

Platforms 1 & 2 look ghastly now, and totally out of place.

 

What does this about-to-be-removed signal cabin look like? It might do for the DCDR?

[rebelred]

I agree. The Cabin is already gone. It was a wooden structure situated in the middle of Platform 5 & jutted out of the wall on the 'Loop side' of the building.it was used as offices until recently. It was painted white with steps leading up to it & the glass was tinted. I don't have a photo of it I'm afraid.

[jhb171achill]

Ah! I know it. It was under the main roof? No, that one wouldn't have suited the DCDR. Pity.

[rebelred]

That's the one

[Glenderg]

http://planenquiry.corkcity.ie/planningenquirylite/Default.aspx?FullFileNumber=17a-1637030&FromList=true

 

[jhb171achill]

I wonder what has been done with the removed woodwork? Has it been retained or burned?

[Garfield]

I wonder what has been done with the removed woodwork? Has it been retained or burned?

 

Probably ended up in a salvage yard...

[minister_for_hardship]

It was in a bad state of decay so I hear.

 

Now if this was anywhere else, there would be at least an effort at reusing some of it, replicating the rest and repurposing it, but this being Ireland we will have a great big newly bricked up void and modern ugliness in a Victorian era building.

We seem to opt for the 'Yellow Pack' method of renovation/rebuilding when dealing with old buildings.

Edited October 18, 2016 by minister_for_hardship

[DiveController]

http://planenquiry.corkcity.ie/planningenquirylite/Default.aspx?FullFileNumber=17a-1637030&FromList=true

 

Kent Station and the goods depot are protected structures. I wonder what parts are included in the goods depot, probably not the remaining signal cabins?

[Mayner]

Kent Station and the goods depot are protected structures. I wonder what parts are included in the goods depot, probably not the remaining signal cabins?

 

Most likely the stone goods store at the city end of the station which may incorporate part of the old passenger station from the 1860s before the present station was built.

 

IE and various developers have been floating around schemes for commercial developments for the past 20 year

 

 

The present signal cabin is a fairly modern standard GSWR/GSR/CIE design and unlikely to be of historical significance.

 

 

Perhaps a group of enthusiasts might like to buy it and restore it as a club house, if Cork ever goes over to power signalling

Edited October 19, 2016 by Mayner

[minister_for_hardship]

Most likely the stone goods store at the city end of the station which may incorporate part of the old passenger station from the 1860s before the present station was built.

 

IE and various developers have been floating around schemes for commercial developments for the past 20 year

 

 

The present signal cabin is a fairly modern standard GSWR/GSR/CIE design and unlikely to be of historical significance.

 

 

Perhaps a group of enthusiasts might like to buy it and restore it as a club house, if Cork ever goes over to power signalling

 

A fragment of the old Penrose Quay station building survives, now boarded up. The building to the LHS of the tunnel portal also dates from that time.

[Noel]

I don't know any specifics on this, so I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but it does seem a real shame. I thought in recent years Ireland had progressively revised planning regulations to preserve our architectural and industrial heritage.

[minister_for_hardship]

I don't know any specifics on this, so I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but it does seem a real shame. I thought in recent years Ireland had progressively revised planning regulations to preserve our architectural and industrial heritage.

 

In Cork itself, a Queen Anne house was gutted, a hole cut in the wall and some sort of glass box effort bodged onto the side in a 'sensitive redevelopment'. It is now a Starbucks. Many Celtic Tiger era redevelopments were more drastic, just the façade of the old building was all that was retained.

An art deco era tiled shopfront was painted over in the Superdry outlet, formerly the Moderne, contrary to planning regulations, which surprisingly raised a lot of public ire and the paint was eventually stripped off revealing the tiles once more.

[jhb171achill]

When did the last relics of Summerhill station go? Is there still a buried platform there, I wonder?

[minister_for_hardship]

When did the last relics of Summerhill station go? Is there still a buried platform there, I wonder?

 

One local had uncovered rails, red bricks and pieces of masonry (granite I think) over the years from the trackbed. He reckons there's a lot more rails still down there that were never lifted, just covered in earth and debris.

 

There doesn't seem to be any extant station building on the osimapviewer c.1900 map, but the rails can be clearly seen. Was connected up until 1927 or so iirc.

[jhb171achill]

Yes, I think I heard years ago that the tracks were never fully lifted. I would be interested in information on what that station actually looked like.

[minister_for_hardship]

Yes, I think I heard years ago that the tracks were never fully lifted. I would be interested in information on what that station actually looked like.

 

Tidbits of info here...

 

http://www.corkcoco.ie/photographs/ColmCreedonCollection/Cork&YoughalRailwayAlbum.pdf

[scahalane]

Wow minister that is some collection..thanks for the link.

[minister_for_hardship]

The rest of the scanned online collection of Colm Creedon's scrapbooks can be viewed here...

 

http://www2.corkcoco.ie/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1391429S67J2P.44415&profile=hip&uri=link=3100009~!290032~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!horizon&term=Colm+Creedon+collection&index=SERIES

[Noel]

Tidbits of info here...

 

http://www.corkcoco.ie/photographs/ColmCreedonCollection/Cork&YoughalRailwayAlbum.pdf

 

Thank you very much for the link to that incredible photo archive and notes.

[Georgeconna]

Flipping heck I enjoyed that link. Thanks for Sharing.

[minister_for_hardship]

How I understand the works is that the portion of the cabin outside of the overall roof is life expired and will be removed and the portion that is inside the roof retained and the void bricked up.

Not so bad, the bit outside looked rather shack-like anyway.

 

In other news, the old dorms on Water Street (and nearby billiards/reading room) are no more.

[scahalane]

In other news, the old dorms on Water Street (and nearby billiards/reading room) are no more.

 

Ya I got a photo of them last week as loftus moved in to demolish. Shame, but at least I managed to model them last year.