History of Delwood, Brompton, Glenville etc ???

py2006

Hi all,

I was just wondering does anybody have any knowledge of the history of that area! Are those areas named after a family, farm or landlord?

There seems to be very little documented history of the whole area of Blanchardstown, Clonsilla and Castleknock and even few photographs!

I just thought if anybody had a grandparent who grew up in the area and remembers what it was like before these estates were built and the reasons for their names.

Thanks in advance.

suey71

I was talking to an old timer last week and he told me that there was a huge fruit farm in the area you are enquiring about and that he used to work there. You'd be talking about the late 1960's and before.

Blanchardstown was known as Little Donegal back then(1960's/70's) because of the amount of people that moved to Blanch from Donegal.

The Estates you mentioned where all built around 1970 by Lynam Sr. (One of the old families of Clonsilla, 15 generations have lived here).
This guy bought up most of the land in Blanch in the 60's and developed it. In the early 80's he bought up most of Clonsilla and waited until the mid 90's to develope it, or at least his children did, into what is now Castlefield, Sorrel, Limelawn and Aspen. I don't think he had anything to do with Mount Simon. My guess is that the family where land rich and cash poor so after selling some land to a developer to build Mount Simon they then had the money to develope the rest of their land.

I heard somewhere that 2 of the family lost money as developers?? and sold their stake's in the company to the other one, but I'm not too sure on this.

As for the history of Blanchardstown and the surrounding area, you should get the book Candle in the Window by Jim Lacey, its in Easons.

I'm not sure about the origions of the estate names that you mention but I think the above author has his own website and if you email him I'm sure he will enlighten you. I cant remember his email address but he writes for either the Northside people magaze or the Blanch Gazette.

I hope this helps.

JupiterKid

There is a real dearth of detailed local history about Blanchardstown and Castleknock generally. There is quite a bit on the history of the area in centuries past, but practically nothing on the modern development of Dublin 15 from a series of rural villages into the huge suburb its is today.

AFAIK Delwood, Brompton, Glenville, Coolmine and Roselawn were all built from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s with Roselawn and Coolmine being developed first and then Glenville/Brompton with Delwood being last. Lynam built many but not all of the estates. I think Tiernan built Brompton and Delwood in the early 1970s.

Roselawn Shopping Centre where Tesco is was opened in 1975. This area was the first part of Blanchardstown to be extensively developed - after this came Corduff (c.1974 - 1980) and then the swath including Hartstown, Huntstown, Clonsilla and Mulhuddart (early to late 1980s) and later on Carpenterstown, Littlepace and Ongar were developed.

If you look at old street maps of Dublin and compare each edition from the late 1960s to the present you can see quite clearly how the Dublin 15 area developed. Firstly around the immediate environs of Blanchardstown and Castleknock, then a series of large "planned" residential areas and then all of these eventually joining up.

Dublin 15 was completely rural until the 1960s.

py2006

Thanks for the info guys! Very interesting! I must get my hands on that book! It sounds really interesting!

I had no idea there was a fruit farm in that area!

2qk4u

I read online that hundreds of years before this the whole area was just forest with nothing living there but badgers and foxes. If I can find it again ill post it.

py2006

2qk4u wrote: »

I read online that hundreds of years before this the whole area was just forest with nothing living there but badgers and foxes. If I can find it again ill post it.

Yes I heard this too! Coolmine woods is what remains of this original forest. It used to extend right to Blanch village

suey71

It was called the Great Scaldwood Forest.

Apart from the said badgers and foxes that lived there and probably still do, wolves also inhabited it.

There where wolves here until about 300 years ago.

All thats left of the forest apart from Coolmine woods is a little area at the traffic lights coming off Clonsilla road and entering Roselawn road.
There is a set of gates there and the trees behind them is the remains of the Great Scaldwood.

py2006

suey71 wrote: »

It was called the Great Scaldwood Forest.

Apart from the said badgers and foxes that lived there and probably still do, wolves also inhabited it.

There where wolves here until about 300 years ago.

All thats left of the forest apart from Coolmine woods is a little area at the traffic lights coming off Clonsilla road and entering Roselawn road.
There is a set of gates there and the trees behind them is the remains of the Great Scaldwood.

Fascinating stuff Suey, thanks for that!!! I wonder should Delwood have been called Scaldwood!

holly_johnson

suey71 wrote: »

All thats left of the forest apart from Coolmine woods is a little area at the traffic lights coming off Clonsilla road and entering Roselawn road.
There is a set of gates there and the trees behind them is the remains of the Great Scaldwood.

That used to be a farm owned by a man named Nealon(sp) up until recently enough. The land was sold after he died & Summerfield & then the apartments were built on it.
I was reared a couple of doors down from it & used to play in the haybarns.

My Dad used to work picking strawberries in Porterstown when he was a lad. He's 87 now, so knows quite a bit of the history. Where Carpenterstown is now used to be apple orchards & we used to go picking apples there.

Also my Dads family were market gardeners in Castleknock until 1910 or 11 when there was a big storm & all their glass houses were destroyed. They couldn't afford to replace them, so the land was sold for £200 or so :eek:
This is where Castleknock catholic church is now etc.

py2006

holly_johnson wrote: »

That used to be a farm owned by a man named Nealon(sp) up until recently enough. The land was sold after he died & Summerfield & then the apartments were built on it.
I was reared a couple of doors down from it & used to play in the haybarns.

My Dad used to work picking strawberries in Porterstown when he was a lad. He's 87 now, so knows quite a bit of the history. Where Carpenterstown is now used to be apple orchards & we used to go picking apples there.

Also my Dads family were market gardeners in Castleknock until 1910 or 11 when there was a big storm & all their glass houses were destroyed. They couldn't afford to replace them, so the land was sold for £200 or so :eek:
This is where Castleknock catholic church is now etc.

All the times I passed that spot on the Clonsilla rd and I didn't notice the trees! I must take a look later today!

Any chance your father would know much about Delwood, Brompton Glenville area?

holly_johnson

Well there's very little trees left there now to be honest, like I said, an apartment block was built there. It's really only 1 or two on the road front. I couldn't honestly say if they're old enough to be classed as the Scaldwood forest!

I can certainly ask my Dad about Delwood etc, but to be honest, I wouldn't be too confident. He's from the Strawberry Beds/Sandpits/Castleknock areas moreso than Blanch. I remember the fields there alright, when I was very small (emphasis on the VERY lol). I must ask him if he remembers who owned them before they were developed.

py2006

holly_johnson wrote: »

Well there's very little trees left there now to be honest, like I said, an apartment block was built there. It's really only 1 or two on the road front. I couldn't honestly say if they're old enough to be classed as the Scaldwood forest!

I can certainly ask my Dad about Delwood etc, but to be honest, I wouldn't be too confident. He's from the Strawberry Beds/Sandpits/Castleknock areas moreso than Blanch. I remember the fields there alright, when I was very small (emphasis on the VERY lol). I must ask him if he remembers who owned them before they were developed.

Yea that would be great! Delwood is an usual name! Not very Irish sounding. Perhaps it was a farmers name or something.

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to go back to those times just to see what it was all like!

JupiterKid

@Holly_johnson and suey71 - that's fascinating about the Great Scaldwood forest - I never knew that the small stands of trees around Coolmine formed one giant forest, but then I suppose millenia ago the entire country was carpeted in forest.

I remember before Carpenterstown was developed.:o Most of the housing estates there went up in the 1990s, with Carpenterstown Park (Maple, Sycamore and Cherry roads) being the oldest part dating from the late 1980s. I also remember orchards in and around Carpenterstown.:pac:

Delwood might have been the name of the land before it was developed but I would wager that it was the name given to the housing development when it was built and marketed in the 1970s and might have had nothing to do with the land on which it was built.

I do know that there was a Laurel Lodge house standing on the land that the development took its name from. It's marked on Dublin street maps prior to 1980.

py2006

JupiterKid wrote: »

@Holly_johnson and suey71 - that's fascinating about the Great Scaldwood forest - I never knew that the small stands of trees around Coolmine formed one giant forest, but then I suppose millenia ago the entire country was carpeted in forest.

I remember before Carpenterstown was developed.:o Most of the housing estates there went up in the 1990s, with Carpenterstown Park (Maple, Sycamore and Cherry roads) being the oldest part dating from the late 1980s. I also remember orchards in and around Carpenterstown.:pac:

Delwood might have been the name of the land before it was developed but I would wager that it was the name given to the housing development when it was built and marketed in the 1970s and might have had nothing to do with the land on which it was built.

I do know that there was a Laurel Lodge house standing on the land that the development took its name from. It's marked on Dublin street maps prior to 1980.

How can you access the old street maps? They would be interesting to look at.

tskk

We are in Luttrellstown 13 years now and the back gardens were covered in huge cabbages....am sure it used to all be farmland in ye olde times.

If you look up the 1901 and the 1911 census it can give you an idea it the names and the type of workers that would have lived in the area. Mostly farm larbourers I would think.

py2006

tskk wrote: »

We are in Luttrellstown 13 years now and the back gardens were covered in huge cabbages....am sure it used to all be farmland in ye olde times.

If you look up the 1901 and the 1911 census it can give you an idea it the names and the type of workers that would have lived in the area. Mostly farm larbourers I would think.

Yea most of them are farm labourer or road labourer!! I love the way it asks you to say whether your family members are idiots, imbeciles or lunatics!!

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003672734/

tskk

That gave me a great laugh py2006......dont know how I missed that question on the form......maybe I'm an idiot and or an imbecile!!!

BostonB

JupiterKid wrote: »

There is a real dearth of detailed local history about Blanchardstown and Castleknock generally. There is quite a bit on the history of the area in centuries past, but practically nothing on the modern development of Dublin 15 from a series of rural villages into the huge suburb its is today. ...

Probably because the growth of the suburb isn't that interesting.

When I was growing up in the area, there were a good few big old houses dotted around the area, and the villages still had a village feel about them. Now thats all gone, and I'm struggling to think of really interesting modern buildlings, that have gone up. Its all been faceless estates, or bland commerical developments. The exception being the churches. Maybe.

py2006

BostonB wrote: »

Probably because the growth of the suburb isn't that interesting.

When I was growing up in the area, there were a good few big old houses dotted around the area, and the villages still had a village feel about them. Now thats all gone, and I'm struggling to think of really interesting modern buildlings, that have gone up. Its all been faceless estates, or bland commerical developments. The exception being the churches. Maybe.

Yea its all pretty bland alright! I was walking through Leixlip village on Saturday and it really puts Blanch to shame in terms of maintaining the country village vibe and it still has lots of old buildings etc..

Pat Dunne

py2006 wrote: »

Yea its all pretty bland alright! I was walking through Leixlip village on Saturday and it really puts Blanch to shame in terms of maintaining the country village vibe and it still has lots of old buildings etc..

Well you should see the vision that Fingal County Council have planned for Blanch village, the phrase "concrete and glass canyon" springs to mind. Five storey buildings with retail units at street level and apartments above. It's going to be a replica of Tyrrelstown Village.

What is with these so called town planners:eek:

py2006

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Well you should see the vision that Fingal County Council have planned for Blanch village, the phrase "concrete and glass canyon" springs to mind. Five storey buildings with retail units at street level and apartments above. It's going to be a replica of Tyrrelstown Village.

What is with these so called town planners:eek:

Are these plans available online?? Can't see them going ahead at the moment!

Gaspode

Link in this thread from a few months back

sw15

There is a road naming committee (think it's something to do with the Council) as not too long ago a developer was trying to name an estate 'Canterbury Downs' in Castleknock and it was rejected as not being appropriate for the area. There are loads of great buildings in the area (Dunsink Observatory, Porterstown School, Annfield - I think - near St Mochtas, St Mochtas itself, Farmleigh, Clonsilla Signal Box, Sandpit Cottages, the various churches etc). I remember doing a history course and the lecturer said that if you want to see history look up and look down (eg cobblestones and windows/gables etc) ... if you don't all you'll see are mobile phone shops and takeaways

fingal_guy

The trees on the Clonsilla road, opposite the entrance to roselawn estate are indeed the last remains of the famous Scaldwood, This gate was the entrance to the farm. The House itself has called Scaldwoods House. The farm as it was is where all of springlawn and the snugboro road extension is built. It was an old farm house, with lots of outbildings surrounding an enclosed yard, with an old water pump. I spent many happy Saturday afternoons there, and remember it as "The Farm".
The Name mentioned previously in this thread is correct, but spelt incorrectly.
My Grand Parents lived there. I have many many fond memories of it and of a more rural Blanchardstown or Blanch as it was known.

Finglas Incubus

fingal_guy wrote: »

This gate was the entrance to the farm. The House itself has called Scaldwoods House.

I seem to remember that the gates had 'Scaldwood' written on them as recently as the late 80's.

Does anyone happen to know the history of 'The Thatch' in Clonsilla village (was on the site of Clonsilla Pharmacy), it was done away with in the 80's at some point, a newsagents shop last I remember.

Another one - the big house in Corduff Park (Corduff House?), I remember being close by when it was demolished in the early 80's. I was told that a family called Egan lived there (possibly butchers, the name Malachy Egan rings a bell). I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any more information on the old house.

oblivious

Finglas Incubus wrote: »

I seem to remember that the gates had 'Scaldwood' written on them as recently as the late 80's.


yep, the last wolf in Ireland was killed in that wood, although it was much much lager at the time

Finglas Incubus wrote: »

Does anyone happen to know the history of 'The Thatch' in Clonsilla village (was on the site of Clonsilla Pharmacy), it was done away with in the 80's at some point, a newsagents shop last I remember.

Good old Irish planning i would bet

chucknorris

Finglas Incubus wrote: »

I seem to remember that the gates had 'Scaldwood' written on them as recently as the late 80's.

Does anyone happen to know the history of 'The Thatch' in Clonsilla village (was on the site of Clonsilla Pharmacy), it was done away with in the 80's at some point, a newsagents shop last I remember.

Another one - the big house in Corduff Park (Corduff House?), I remember being close by when it was demolished in the early 80's. I was told that a family called Egan lived there (possibly butchers, the name Malachy Egan rings a bell). I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any more information on the old house.

I have all the photos and information on this for you PM me so I can get it to you.

As a sample here is a photo



Corduff childcare centre sits EXACTLY where this house was.

Finglas Incubus

chucknorris wrote: »

As a sample here is a photo

I'm impressed Chuck. My first memory of the house is of when it was derelict, I remember sifting through the remains when it was knocked and picking up bits of broken crockery / tiles and the like in the wake of the earthmovers. (I grew up in closeby and used to spend a fair bit of time in the park).

My grandfather knew the Egans, he was a butcher himself and said they were in the trade. Would be interested to see more pics and hear your view...

chucknorris

Finglas Incubus wrote: »

I'm impressed Chuck. My first memory of the house is of when it was derelict, I remember sifting through the remains when it was knocked and picking up bits of broken crockery / tiles and the like in the wake of the earthmovers. (I grew up in closeby and used to spend a fair bit of time in the park).

My grandfather knew the Egans, he was a butcher himself and said they were in the trade. Would be interested to see more pics and hear your view...

PM me your email address and I'll give you everything I have.

Bunnyhopper

This can be useful for looking at some old maps (19th-century, I think). Use the Preview Map Series options on the right to select different views. You can see little remnants of old layouts when you compare the modern aerial pictures and the old maps. You can move the Overlay slider to compare. For example, the existing tree line on the greenspace between Broadway and Summerfield estates exactly matches the townland boundary on the old maps.

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/

ciaran76

I used the old maps before and this site is great for it. What I also noticed was that places that I have seen local flooding in say Hartstown or Ongar/Littleplace there were Ponds there in the past.

Not sure if its a coincidence or just there is something behind it but its something I have noticed. Yes I am a geek.:o