Building, Dublin South City, Co. Dublin

Co. Dublin |

Utility Structures

Building, Dublin South City, Co. Dublin

Somewhere beneath the streets of what is now Ranelagh or Sandford, the remains of an Archbishop's hall, a chamber, and a chapel lie unlocated and largely forgotten, recorded only in a single entry noting their ruin in 1326.

No precise coordinates have ever been established. The buildings simply fell, and the ground moved on around them.

The area was part of the manor of Colon in the fourteenth century, according to the historian F.E. Ball, writing in 1903. A great portion of those lands was wooded, which gave rise to the placename Cullenswood, the wood of Colon. The complex of buildings associated with the Archbishop, comprising at minimum a hall, a private chamber, and an attached chapel, was already ruined by 1326. Who caused the destruction, and under what circumstances, the record does not say. What it does confirm is that an ecclesiastical presence of some significance once existed in this part of south Dublin, in a landscape that would have looked nothing like the Victorian red-brick suburbs that eventually replaced it.

Because the site has never been precisely located, there is nothing specific to visit. The modern areas of Ranelagh and Sandford occupy the general territory, and Cullenswood itself is recalled in street names and in the occasional local history. Anyone curious about the area might find value in reading Ball's account directly, or in walking the neighbourhood with the understanding that medieval Dublin extended further into what feels like settled, unremarkable suburbia than most maps suggest. The ruins, if any trace survives below ground, have never been the subject of a dedicated excavation, and their exact position remains an open question.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Building, Dublin South City, Co. Dublin. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Dublin South City, Co. Dublin
,

Ref: DU01521

Nearby Places

House - 16th/17th century, Tobertown, Co. Dublin
House - 16th/17th century, Whitestown, Co. Dublin
House - 16th/17th century, Whitestown, Co. Dublin
Water mill - horizontal-wheeled, Milverton, Co. Dublin

Advertisement