Draw Breath

Good to see that another Calatrava bridge will be erected over the Liffey in the next couple of years. This will bring to at least three the number of new bridges in the past 10 years.

It was not always a desirable thing to have easy access from one side of the Liffey to the other however. Maurice Craig's Dublin 1660-1860 paints a vivid picture of the lengths that councillors went to in the 17 century to keep Dublin as free as possible of bridges. The reason for this was the hefty toll that they achieved from their ferry service.

Around 1674, Humphrey Jervis (who gives his name to Jervis street) got around the planning difficulties by telling the Viceroy, Lord Essex that he would build a bridge and call it Essex Bridge. This bridge would lead to a new road named Capel Street (which just so happened to be the family name of Lord Essex). Plus ca change on the planning front!

Image courtesy of Infomatique