Phoenix Park Conservation Management Plan

History and Description
All the important lodges and accompanying demesnes, which were originally occupied by Park Rangers
or Keepers, were purchased for Government use as private dwellings for the chief officers of state. These
included the Viceregal Lodge for the Lord Lieutenant (now Áras an Uachtaráin), the Chief Secretary’s
Residence (now the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland) and the Under-Secretary’s Residence
(subsequently the Papal Nunciature and now The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre).
The 19 th Century and the Decimus Burton Era
The beginning of the 19 th century saw the Park in a much-neglected state with poor drainage, the roads in bad
order and most of the trees very old and/or in a state of decay. However with the Commissioners of Woods
and Forests taking over the management of the public areas of the Park and the employment of the renowned
architect/landscape architect, Decimus Burton, all this was about to change. Burton produced a master plan
for the Park which included the building of new gate lodges, the removal and levelling of old hedgerows
and shooting butts, tree planting in strategic locations, drainage, the restoration of the boundary wall and
creation and realignment of the Park roads, which included Chesterfield Avenue. This latter project involved
the relocation of the Phoenix Column on the main avenue. Burton’s involvement for nearly two decades
represents the greatest period of landscape change since the Park’s creation by the Duke of Ormond.
Further improvements were undertaken following the transfer of management of The Phoenix Park to
the Office of Public Works in 1860, the first of which included the completion of the outstanding works
associated with the Wellington Testimonial which was commenced in 1818. Two further memorials of
considerable artistic merit were unveiled – one in 1870 commemorating the Lord Lieutenancy of the Earl
of Carlisle and the other an equestrian statue commemorating Field Marshal Viscount Gough which was
unveiled in 1880 – both of which were sculpted by John Henry Foley.
From the 1830s and particularly after the 1860s, sporting and recreational activities became prominent. The
Royal Dublin Zoological Society opened Dublin Zoo in 1830. The Promenade Grounds opened in 1840
(later to be known as the People’s Gardens) and were considerably improved in the 1860s with the addition
of a Head Gardener’s House, rock gardens and horticultural facilities to allow for flower production for
planting in the Gardens. Between the People’s Gardens and Dublin Zoo, a bandstand and tearooms were
built in the final decade of the 19 th century.
Although the military dominated in the Park’s institutions and Park use in the 18 th century, their influence
was lessened somewhat in the 19 th century (though Mountjoy Barracks became the Irish headquarters of
the Ordnance Survey in 1825). The presence of the police become more prominent, as illustrated by the
construction in 1842 of the Royal Irish Constabulary depot near the North Circular Road entrance to the
Park and two police barracks – one at Ashtown Gate and the other at Parkgate Street Gate In 1848 the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests further met their social obligations by providing for the educational
needs of the Park’s children by building a school house and teacher’s residence to the designs of Decimus
Burton.
The 20 th Century
The history and landscape management of The Phoenix Park in the 20 th century is characterised primarily
by replanting of trees and shrubs that took place in the first decade, due to the great storm in 1903 which
was responsible for the demise of nearly 3,000 trees. Another 10,000 trees were planted as part of the 1986
management plan and considerable arboricultural works were carried out on the mature tree population in the
latter quarter of the century.
22
THE PHOENIX PARK CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN