LANSDOWN_HOST TIP_HR_SPREADS

LANSDOWNE PLACE
UPROOTING
A N
INSTITUTION
A NOTABLE PAST
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The Royal Dublin Society: 1962 Dublin Horse Show
Fig. 1 — Trinity College Dublin.
Since 1687 and its first physic
garden, Trinity College Dublin
has been a mainstay in the world of
botany and cultivation of medicinal
plants. Despite such an herbaceous
longevity, it must be said that it wasn’t
always plain sailing; by the year of
1806, the original college garden was
in such poor condition it is said to have
comprised of only a single barren fig
James Joyce
W.B Yeats
tree and overrun by rats.
Ballsbridge has been home to countless famous Dublin
residents over the centuries, from James Joyce and
W.B Yeats to Patrick Kavanagh. Master Iron Founder
Richard Turner also based himself in Ballsbridge; in
addition to the railings that still stand at Lansdowne
Place, his world-renowned works include the Palm
House at Kew Gardens and the glasshouse in the
Winter Gardens at Regent’s Park in London.
It was for such reasoning that a move
to greener pastures was deemed a
clear necessity. In July of 1806, the
college took on a 175 year lease from
the Pembroke Estate for an area of
land in Ballsbridge. This area totalled
eight acres and forms the expanse of
land that makes up Lansdowne Place
as we know it today.
Fig. 2 — Historic Ordnance Survey Map of Ballsbridge.Circa 1897 – 1913
Lansdowne Road Stadium: 1977 Ireland Vs France
© Ordnance Survey Ireland/Government
of Ireland Copyright Permit No. MP 007216
The Home of Irish Rugby
Fig. 3 — Greenhouse illustrative cross-section.
In the 1870s, Ballsbridge witnessed the opening of the
Lansdowne Road Stadium which, over the years, became
synonymous with world-class rugby. The stands were
demolished in 2007 and replaced with the now iconic
Aviva Stadium. It still holds the title as the oldest
rugby ground in Europe.
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