Analysis: One of the main characters in the new Netflix series, Edward Cecil Guinness' philanthropic work had a major impact on housing in Dublin
By Linda King, IADT
In the late 1980s, I was a student at the National College of Art and Design on Thomas Street in Dublin. Like many of my friends, I regularly visited the Iveagh Market on Francis Street to buy second-hand clothes or 'materials’ I could mould into college projects. By then, the Market was already a crumbling hub of (mostly) women selling clothes on the main floor, while the perimeter of the building was subdivided into units selling bric-a-brac: like small shops within a prototype shopping centre.
The Market was part of a suite of facilities built by the Guinness Trust (known as the Iveagh Trust from 1901), established by Edward Cecil Guinness in 1889. His initial donation was £250,000 and his instruction was that it be used for the ‘erection of dwellings for the labouring poor’ in London and Dublin.
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From RTÉ Archives, Maggie O'Kane reports for RTÉ News on the Iveagh Market in Dublin's Liberties in 1986
The Guinness Trust, London and Dublin Funds, built housing and accompanying facilities in high-density areas of both cities, where poor quality and insanitary housing was commonplace and municipal authorities struggled to provide alternative solutions. Despite the name, Guinness Trust housing was allocated regardless of employer, but was only accessible to those in steady employment and willing to abide by strict codes of conduct.
In some ways, such a generous expression of civic generosity from a Guinness was not unexpected. The family had a long history of philanthropy and had contributed much to Dublin city including the restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral (1865) and the gift of St. Stephen's Green as a public amenity (1882).
By the late 19th century, philanthropic housing trusts were common-place in London, but this model was unprecedented in Dublin. It was common for industrialists in both countries to invest in semi-philanthropic organisations (providing modest returns), thus indirectly providing quality housing stock from which their workforces might benefit. The Dublin Artisans' Dwelling Company was one such organisation which most Dublin industrialists - including Edward Cecil - invested in and is responsible for the distinctive, red-brick cottages that pepper the city centre.
The alternative was the provision of housing by a parent company: textile manufacturers Pims built cottages at Harold’s Cross (1844 and 1864) and the Great Southern and Western Railway did likewise in Inchicore (1850s). Prior to establishing his trust, Edward Cecil Guinness built blocks of flats at the Bellview Buildings (1872) and Rialto Court (1883), adjacent to the brewery.
The motivation behind such projects was part altruistic, part religious and also pragmatic. High mortality rates in London and Dublin were directly linked to poor housing and sanitation and the continued success of any manufacturing industry required a healthy, thus productive, workforce. By the late 19th century Dublin had some of the worst slums in Europe and had experienced typhoid and cholera outbreaks.
In London, the Guinness Trust London Fund spread its activities across the city to Chelsea, Lambeth, Bethnal Green, Finsbury, Bermondsey and Hammersmith. The Dublin Fund concentrated on the Liberties area, home to many indigenous industries including distilling (Powers), biscuit-making (Jacob's) and of course the Guinness brewery.
The work of the Dublin Fund began modestly: 118 flats in two blocks at Thomas Court (1892) adjacent to the brewery, were followed by three blocks of flats and a bathhouse in Kevin Street (1894-1901) near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. With ‘shared facilities’ (toilets and bathrooms), these were palatial by comparison to much accommodation in the area.
But the jewel in the crown was the complex of buildings in Bull Alley, built between Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral (1901-1915) on land cleared of tenements, street markets, brothels, abattoirs and (ironically) pubs.
The extent of facilities and architectural quality of the Bull Alley buildings far exceeded Guinness Trust activity in London. Designed by highly experienced architects N.S. Joseph and Smithem, who specialised in block dwellings for philanthropic organisations, municipal authorities and the London Fund, 226 flats (with shared or self-contained facilities) over 26 shops were built in eight high-density blocks on Patrick and Bride’s Streets, accommodating 250 families in units of between one room or three bedrooms.
In 1905, Joseph and Smithem added a hostel providing accommodation and facilities for 508 men that were homeless, new to Dublin (Patrick Kavanagh was one such guest) or returning from war (like Liam O'Flaherty). There was also a public swimming pool (1906) with 27 private baths that, like the Market, was handed over to Dublin Corporation on completion; and a public park with park-keeper’s house (1903) beside St Patrick’s Cathedral.
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From RTÉ Archives, Teresa Mannion reports for RTÉ News on a row over the financial cost of the restoration of the Iveagh Baths in 1986
A play centre and childcare facility by Dublin architects McDonnell and Reid completed the Bull Alley complex in 1915. Nicknamed 'The Bayno', its usage declined as people moved to the new Dublin suburbs in the mid-20th century. Built in 1906, the Market, designed by Frederick Hicks, provided a new home for the street traders displaced by the Bull Alley clearance.
By the time Edward Cecil Guinness established the Guinness Trust, he was the richest man in Ireland having inherited the James’ Gate brewery with his brother Arthur on the death of their father Benjamin Lee Guinness. Edward Cecil bought Arthur’s share of the business in 1876 and began turning an already flourishing business into a global phenomenon.
That £250,000 initial donation was a staggering amount of money in 1889 (almost €33.5 million by contemporary calculations). Guinness later added £367,000 (cira €49 million), bringing his total donation to £617,000, or approximately €82 million in today’s terms. The majority of this money, £417,000 (almost €55.5 million) was spent in Dublin.
With the issue of housing rarely out of the media and one history of the Guinness family about to grace our screens in the form of Netflix's House of Guinness, Edward Cecil’s philanthropy deserves acknowledgement. Still operational today, the Iveagh Trust didn’t just build housing units, but also built and supported entire communities. While the promise to make safe the Market building has yet to materialise, the Bull Alley buildings still broadly function for the purposes they were originally intended. The Baths are a fitness centre and the ‘Bayno’ is now Liberties College. Collectively they remain a striking architectural and ideological contribution to the fabric of Dublin city.
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Dr. Linda King is a cultural historian and Senior Lecturer in Design and Visual Culture at IADT
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
