A few day's later the Irish Army demolished what was left in a controlled explosion.lick here to add your text.
And so Nelson's Pillar was no more and then came the great debate, what would replace it ? .
The answer came in 2003 when the Spire was Born
Photo of O Connell St 1916 Rising
Photo taken from the top of Nelson's Pillar of O Connell St 1950
Nelson's Pillar Dublin Built 1808 Distroyed 1966
Nelson’s Pillar O’Connell Street in Dublin,
It had been erected in honor of a British admiral, Horatio Nelson, who in 1805 defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.
The statue was built by a Corkman with local materials and stood in O'Connell Street from the early 19th century until the middle of the 20th.
The pillar was an important feature of the landscape of Dublin, cohesive with the architectural style of the surrounding buildings that are National Treasures drenched in---history. Nelson's Pillar afforded citizens and visitors who climbed to the top a bird's-eye view of the city.
But on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising on March 8, 1966, Nelson’s Pillar was destroyed in an explosion that is blamed on or claimed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Then in 1998, the Dublin Corporation set aside 4 million Irish punts for a new statue to celebrate the millennium on the site of Lord Nelson's Pillar. The Royal Institute of Architects joined the Corporation in finding "a symbol for Dublin for the 21st century." and the Spire was born.
When the design for the "Spire of Dublin" was selected, and the site was being excavated to remove the remains of Nelson’s Pillar, workers found a time capsule buried under the pillar. The capsule was opened later under laboratory conditions and contained artifacts of Lord Nelson's time. Those who had placed the container there had not expected it to be found for 1,000 years.
The new Spire of Dublin is a very long, thin needle into the sky. It's as modern as tomorrow's news.
Nelson’s Pillar the good old Day's
But I put the question ? What had the city lost on that famous day in 1966, a statue that ment little or nothing to the man in the street.
I think not the City had lost it's heart for Nelson's Pillar was part of Dublin and Ireland ,
If you came to Dublin for a day out,''Meet you at the Pillar'' was now a thing of the past''
The signs on the buse's read ''The Pillar'' it was everywhere. I still miss it.
But below I recall the good old day's when the Pillar was at the height of it's glory and some photo's of that bad old day when we as kid's said goodbye to the Pillar for ever.
Irish Dance Dress Canada present's the Story of Nelson's Pillar Dublin
''All Trams stop at the
Pillar''
So this was life in Dublin , everything revolved around Nelson's Pillar
''See you at the Pillar'' became the catch phrase, on all trams buse's destination read Nelson's Pillar so here is a few images of that famous monument that stood in Dublin's O'Connell Street ( Sackville St ) for nearly 100 years
But on 8th March 1966 Nelson's Pillar was no more, Dublin said goodbye to the Pillar
As it came crashing down in a heap of rubble, blown to bits by person or persons unknown.
Smoking Permitted Upper Deck
Dublin was the first city in the world to have a roofed upper-deck tram service,but most trams remained uncovered.
Smoking was permitted on the open deck upstairs,but not ''Inside'' as the lower saloon was called . The only exception to this was the Howth Tram which had a special partition inside to allow smokers their pleasure on the extra-long journey.
Dublin Traffic , a comic postcard which was posted in Dublin on 19 May 1907,
At that time trams and horse - drawn vehicles were still the main form of transport. However the motor car was becoming more popular.
The speed limit for cars was 20 mph.
Nelson's Pillar and The General Post Office 1915
The GPO built in 1818 at a cost of 50,000 pounds.
The Pillar built in 1808 at a cost of 6 ,850 pounds
A telegram boy ,on the left from the GPO coming down Henery St with Nelson's Pillar in the backround. 1920
Below a telegram from 1922 Notice from the GPO instructions on how to use the phone 1914
To give you some idea of what money was worth in 1914
A
LABOURER EARNED
Six in the family 14s,6d per week,
Rent a room 2s,6d Weekley
Fuel and lighting 1s
Daily diet consists of tea , bread, butter, dripping.potatoes and on Sundays, the principal meal consists of bacon and cabbage.
.
A few day's later the Irish Army demolished what was left in a controlled explosion.
And so Nelson's Pillar was no more and then came the great debate, what would replace it ? .
The answer came in 2003 when the Spire was Born
The Dublin Spire was the winning entry in an architectural competition to provide a replacement for Nelson's Pillar which was blown up in 1966. After a planning appeal and a High Court case, the Spire finally got the go ahead. It was erected between December 2002 and January 2003
The column to the memory of Nelson, which was one hundred and thirty-four feet high, was erected in 1808, the foundation stone having been laid by the Duke of Richmond, Lord Lieutenant, on the 5th of February in that year. William Wilkins of Norwich designed it, but the statue of Nelson is by an Irish sculptor, Thomas Kirk, R.H.A. Nelson's Pillar was erected by public subscription and cost £6,856. It was blown up in 1966 in the middle of the night, but the head of Nelson has been preserved by the Dublin Civic Museum.
The Dublin Spire is one hundred and twenty metres tall, making it by far the tallest structure in Dublin city centre. It is three metres wide at the base and tapers to a 15 centimentre wide beacon at the top. The top section is perforated and lit by small LEDs.
Curiosity over find of capsule at Nelson's Pillar May 2001
-A "time capsule" buried under O'Connell Street in Dublin for almost 200 years has been uncovered under the site formerly occupied by Nelson's Pillar.
The find, which has been described by the director of the National Museum, Dr Pat Wallace, as significant and unexpected, was made by archaeologists working alongside a team excavating the site in preparation for the erection of the Millennium Spire, or Monument of Light.
The stone-and-metal box was found late on Tuesday and was excavated yesterday under the supervision of staff from the National Museum of Ireland.
Its contents are still a mystery but it may be opened this morning. It is believed to contain artefacts from the era. Britain was at war with Napoleon at the time; Nelson died victorious at Trafalgar in 1805 and work on the Pillar began in 1808.
The box was taken by trailer to the Collins Barracks branch of the museum, where it will be x-rayed before being opened.
Dr Wallace said the opening "has to be done under the strictest laboratory conditions. The head of our laboratory will be doing it. It will have to be done in proper temperature in case anything in it disintegrates".
The capsule is around 2.5 feet long and 1 foot 6 inches wide, according to a Dublin Corporation spokesman. He said he understood the walls of the box were four to six inches wide and the box itself around 14 inches deep.
"There is a limestone lid on it about three inches thick. Underneath that limestone lid there is what looks like a metal layer, greenish in colour and it appears to be sealed to the edge of the granite box. Underneath that we believe there is a casket.
"As far as the Corporation is concerned it's a city of Dublin treasure. We don't know what if anything there is inside it yet.
"Obviously this is a very exciting find and we are looking forward to seeing what's in it. We hope that if there is something interesting and fascinating in it that the people of Dublin city will get to see it".
Dr Wallace said a series of accidents had brought the capsule to light.
"The people who deposited it thought it would be there for 1,000 years or more because Nelson's pillar was built to last that long, so there have been two accidents involved in its discovery - the first being the blowing up of the monument in March 1966 and the second being the excavations for the replacement monument," he said.
-
Man detained in connection with bombing of Nelson's Pillar 1 September 2000 21:49
Gardaí have detained a man for questioning in relation to the bombing of Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin in 1966. The man, who is from Walkinstown, is being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State act. He is being questioned at Store Street garda station and can be held for up to 24 hours.
Photo of O Connell St taken from the foot of Nelsons Pillar looking down to Parnell St 1916 Rising
British Army outside G.P.O Dublin 1916 Rising
Photo of O Connell St 1916 Rising
Photo taken from the top of Nelson's Pillar of O Connell St 1950
Above Sackville St,now O'Connell St in all it's glory 1830
Nelson
Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson,
Born 29th September 1758 Died 21 October 1805
He was an English admiral famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, where he lost his life. It was as a result of these wars that he became the greatest naval hero in the history of the United Kingdom,.. His love affair with Emma, Lady Hamilton, the wife of the British Ambassador to Naples, is also well-known, and he was honoured by the Dublin landmark, Nelson's Pillar.
Nelson at the Battle of Trafalga 1805
Several day's after the Battle The Times newspaper was able to report the outcome .
Their joy that England had won was tempered by the knowledge that the country had lost its most beloved naval commander .
Nelson Head
From the top of the Pillar
Now on display in the Civic Museum Dublin
This is a copy of the front page of TimesTimes
newspaper reporting The Battle and the
Death of Nelson.
Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) by John Hoppner.
The Royal Naval Museum
Admiral Lord Nelson struck down on the deck of HMS Victory at Trafalgar
HMS Victory
In Dublin 100 years ago
every street corner had
an Old Adeertisment
Coleman's Mustard
In Dublin 100 years ago
every street corner had
an Old Adeertisment
Player's Navy Cut
''See you at the Pillar''
Tram Fares 1939 Southside
From the Pillar
Sackville Street to Haddington Road ... 1d
Merrion Gates ... 2d
Blackrock ... 3d
Kingstown ... 4d
Dalkey ... 5d
Return fare Dalkey / Nelson's Pillar ... 8d
Tram Fares 1939 Northside
From the Pillar
Sackville Street to North Strand Rd ... 1d
Fairview Park ... 2d
Clonarf ... 3d
Sutton ... 4d
Howth ... 5d
Return fare Howth / Nelson's Pillar ... 8d
View's of Nelson's Pillar through the years
O'Connell Bridge and Street ,1910 The O'Connell Monument is in the centre with Nelson's Pillar in the distance. Trams cross the bridge on their way to the Pillar.
So this was Dublin from 1808 and that was Nelson's Pillar as it was in its hay day but on March 8th 1966 the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising ,Dublin said goodbye to Nelson's Pillar
What was left of Dublin's Nelson's Pillar on a crisp morning in March 1966
The Spire .photo taken from Henery St Dublin
The Spire .photo taken with G.P.O on left.
Severed head of Nelson's statue returns to Dublin Sep 10, 2005
The granite head of Horatio Nelson, severed from its statue by a republican bomb almost 40 years ago, has gone on show at a new home in Dublin.
In 1966, his statue was toppled from Nelson's Pillar, the 120ft column which had stood for 150 years in Dublin's main street.
Most of the 13ft statue has long disappeared, but the head has been kept at several venues. It has now been put on display in Dublin City Archive, near its original location in O'Connell Street.
Its destruction was regarded at the time as a nocturnal jape by IRA members acting without the sanction of the organisation. No one was hurt and damage to property other than the pillar was minimal. The stump was blown up by the Irish army, local traders complaining that the second explosion had caused more damage than the first.
After the pillar was destroyed, much debate followed on how to replace it, but it was not until two years ago that a stainless steel spire, 130m high, was erected on the site. The pillar had stood in the city centre since 1808, surviving the huge damage to the street caused by the Easter Rising of 1916.
Michael Collins
British Army outside G.P.O Dublin 1916 Rising
Rare Photo of O Connell St taken from the foot of Nelsons Pillar looking down to Parnell St 1916 Rising
G.P.O Dublin 1916 Rising in ruins.
Foot Note
So that was my Dublin ,Photo's of the Pillar,Dublin City and the Advertising Signs from every Street corner.
They say ''No true Dub would ever set foot on the top of the Pillar''
Well I did on a sunny summers morning in 1963 .and what a thrill.
