Medieval to twentieth century Cork

South Gate Bridge and Prison

Image of the South Gate Bridge and Prison in the 18th century, taken from 'Andre Besnard A Tale of Old Cork' by E.H. Wright. Published in Cork by J. Manony, 1889

Copyright Cork City Libraries

South Gate Bridge and Prison
Copyright Cork City Libraries

South Gate Bridge and Prison

Image of the South Gate Bridge and Prison in the 18th century, taken from 'Andre Besnard A Tale of Old Cork' by E.H. Wright. Published in Cork by J. Manony, 1889

Copyright Cork City Libraries

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MEDIEVAL CORK


The Normans led by Robert FitzStephen and Milo de Cogan captured Cork in 1177 and expelled the Ostmen from the city. They began to build stone walls around the city in the early thirteenth century. The wall around the south island was finished first and the wall around the north island, then called Dungarvan, was finished by the early fourteenth century.

The walls were about five metres in height and needed frequent repair. The two islands were joined by a bridge near the junction of Castle Street and the North Main Street. The North Gate Bridge and the South Gate Bridge allowed entrance to the city and there were forts guarding the entrances to both bridges.

Cork city wall

Section of the old Cork city wall in Bishop Lucey Park

Copyright Cork City Libraries

Cork city wall
Copyright Cork City Libraries

Cork city wall

Section of the old Cork city wall in Bishop Lucey Park

Copyright Cork City Libraries

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North Gate Bridge and Prision

Image of North Gate Bridge and Prison in the 18th century, taken from 'Andre Besnard A Tale of Old Cork' by E.H. Wright. Published in Cork by J. Manony, 1889

Copyright Cork City Libraries

North Gate Bridge and Prision
Copyright Cork City Libraries

North Gate Bridge and Prision

Image of North Gate Bridge and Prison in the 18th century, taken from 'Andre Besnard A Tale of Old Cork' by E.H. Wright. Published in Cork by J. Manony, 1889

Copyright Cork City Libraries

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The main street of the city was 645 metres long from the South GateBridge to the NorthGateBridge. Many lanes existed along both sides of the main street. Two castles, the King's Castle and the Queen's Castle, guarded the eastern entrance to the city.


Ships could sail between the two castles and leave cargoes on the quay which was along present-day Castle Street. The coat of arms of Cork shows a ship between two towers which many people think represent the castles although modern historians think this is unlikely. The city largely kept this shape until the city walls were destroyed after the siege of Cork in 1690.


There were also some buildings and churches outside the city near Barrack Street to the south and Shandon Street to the north. A map from 1545 gives a very good picture of what medieval Cork looked like.

1690 map of Cork

A plan of Cork from 1690

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1690 map of Cork
Copyright Cork City Libraries

1690 map of Cork

A plan of Cork from 1690

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Smiths map of Cork 1750

A map of Cork by Smith from 1750

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Smiths map of Cork 1750
Copyright Cork City Libraries

Smiths map of Cork 1750

A map of Cork by Smith from 1750

Copyright Cork City Libraries

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CORK IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Maps of Cork from 1690 show that many buildings had been built in the northern and southern suburbs. The waterway along Castle Street had been partially filled in and the north-east marsh had been drained. There are buildings shown on this marsh. The marsh would have been in the area between Paul Street and Saint Patrick's Street. The city was beginning to grow outside its medieval centre.
 

This growth increased very quickly after the city walls were left to fall down following the siege of Cork in 1690. During the eighteenth century many of the old waterways were filled in and the other marshes drained. Saint Patrick's Street, Grand Parade, the South Mall and other major streets in the city are built over the old waterways.


During work on the Cork Main Drainage Scheme one of the old tunnels carrying the water which still flows under the Grand Parade was exposed. After a number of bridges, including Saint Patrick's Bridge, were built in the late eighteenth century the northern and southern suburbs grew quickly in the areas around Shandon Street and Barrack Street.
 

Smith's map of 1750 still shows Grand Parade and Saint Patrick's Street as waterways but by the time of Beauford's map of 1801 the city looks very like it does today, a central island surrounded by the two channels of the Lee with suburbs to the north and south.

Beaford's map of 1801

Map of Cork by Beauford from 1801

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Beaford's map of 1801
Copyright Cork City Libraries

Beaford's map of 1801

Map of Cork by Beauford from 1801

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Queen's Place

A photograph from the Cork Camera Club collection showing Queen's Place. The houses in Queen's Place were good examples of the houses of the wealthy which later became tenements for the poor.

Cork Camera Club collection, Cork City Libraries

Queen's Place
Cork Camera Club collection, Cork City Libraries

Queen's Place

A photograph from the Cork Camera Club collection showing Queen's Place. The houses in Queen's Place were good examples of the houses of the wealthy which later became tenements for the poor.

Cork Camera Club collection, Cork City Libraries

Enlarge image

CORK IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES

The merchants and businessmen of Cork became very rich during the second half of the eighteenth century. They made their fortunes through brewing, distilling, exporting butter, and selling food, drink, ropes and sailcloth to the Royal Navy. The making and selling of material for clothes was also very important. As the merchants became richer they built large houses away from the noise and dirt of the city centre. They built their houses in Montenotte, Blackrock, Sunday's Well, Summerhill and Wellington Road.. The city now began to grow from east to west as well as from north to south.
 

The poorer people living in the city centre and in the lanes off Barrack Street and Shandon Street went to live in the houses left by the merchants. The houses were overcrowded with many families living in one house. Often there was only one outdoor toilet shared by all the people living in a house. Conditions in these houses were very bad and some of the people became sick because of them.
 

Cork Corporation began to knock down some of these houses in the twentieth century and built housing schemes in Gurranabraher, Ballyphehane, Turner's Cross, Churchfield, Mahon, Hollyhill and other suburbs. That was how Cork came to look like it does today.