Recently we picked up a copy of the Lord Mayors Guidebook for the year 1942. It’s a piece likely to appear here time and time again, a treasure trove of classic Dublin advertisements, history, war-time precaution and more besides.
One of the real gems comes from an article entitled The City’s Housing Records. The piece notes that ‘since the Housing Acts of 1931 and 1932 became law not less than 17,000 new dwellings have been built within the city boundaries by the Corporation,by Public Utility Societies and by private enterprise’.
The below piece on Mary Aikenhead House is fascinating. It notes that the buildings were the first in the city to be provided with specially planned Air Raid Precaution basement shelters. Did any other flat complexes follow? Are the A.R.P shelters there to this day? Notice too that the front balconies are said to be “large enough to take single beds for sleeping in open air”, a reference to the T.B problems of the day?
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
Great post, the last record we have here in Glasnevin Cemetery of someone starving to death in Dublin is from Mary Aikenhead House in 1953. The cause of death for a 4 year old child is written “for want of food”. Sad stuff
Priceless.
It’s only when I looked at the picture that I realised that these are the James’s St. Flats up by the hospital. My grand-uncle’s family lived in No.6 James’s St. on two occasiions. Once before he was married (1901) and then after his second marriage (1934). The “happy” couple had to leave the flats in 1938 as they were being demolished to make way for the flats.
You mention TB. The grand-uncle’s first wife and his daughter both fell victim to that scourge of the time.
Small world.
Look forward to more revelations from the guidebook.
For another souvenir of 1942 (well indirectly) see here:
http://photopol.blogspot.com/2010/05/lucky-lumps.html
I know there’s an air raid shelter still under Fr. Matthew square off Church street.
Apparently there’s two (disused) air raid shelters in Merrion Square.
My Grandmother Grandfather Amelia and James Noone lived in Mary Akinhead House with their 5 children Terrence Jimmy Sheila Margaret and Josephine Noone for a while in the 1940/50’s I recently made a visit to Dublin to see the flats for myself, and was welcomed by some of the residents. What a lovely bunch of people they were.
Were these Flats designed by the Architect Herbert Simms the Dublin City Housing Architect – He designed Chancery House. These flats have all the hallmarks of a Simms design – He died in 1948
Click to access Simms_Brochure.pdf