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Cork City Gaol is a former prison, now a museum, located in Cork City, Ireland.

Cork City Gaol
Priosún Chathair Chorcaí
Cork City Jail.jpg
Cork City Gaol is located in IrelandCork City Gaol
Location in Ireland
Location
Convent Avenue, Sunday's Well, Cork
Coordinates
51.899530°N 8.499022°W
Status
museum prison
Opened
1824
Closed
August 1923
Cork City Gaol - geograph.org.uk - 69001.jpg
History Edit
In 1806 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the building of a new Cork City Gaol to replace the old gaol at the North Gate Bridge (the old gaol, which was nearly 100 years old, was on a confined site and was overcrowded and unhygienic).[1] The first site chosen for the new prison was at distillery fields, but this site was later deemed to be unsuitable because it was prone to flooding.[1] A site on Sunday's Well was eventually chosen, its altitude being seen as an advantage for containing "gaol fever" (typhus).[1] The site, its approach roads and perimeters was commenced in 1816 and the building of the prison proper started in 1818.[1]

The building was designed by William Robertson of Kilkenny and built by the Deane family.[1] The famous sculptor John Hogan worked on the building as a draughtsman.[1]

Description Edit
The new Cork City Gaol opened in 1824 and was reported as being "the finest in 3 kingdoms".[1] In 1870, the west wing was remodelled into a double-sided cell wing.[1]


Gaol gatehouse
City gaol Edit
When the prison opened in the 1820s, it housed both male and female prisoners whose crimes were committed within the city boundary. Those who committed a crime outside that boundary were sent to Cork County Gaol, across the river from the City Gaol near University College Cork.[1]

Nineteenth century EditCork City Gaol was designed to replace the old Gaol at the North Gate Bridge in the heart of the city. The old Gaol was nearly 100 years old, on a confined site, overcrowded & unhygienic.



When Cork City Gaol first opened it was reported as being “the finest in 3 kingdoms”. It housed both male and female prisoners who committed crimes within the city boundary. Anyone committing a crime outside the city boundary was sent to the County Gaol, which was located on the grounds of what is now UCC.



In the 1870s a number of changes occurred in the Gaol. The West Wing was remodelled into a brighter, more spacious double-sided cell wing. The Gaol also became “a place of confinement for females only”.



In 1923 all prisoners were removed and the doors of Cork City Gaol never again closed on the freedom of any man, woman or child.



The Gaol was only left idle for a few years – in 1927, Radio Eireann began to broadcast Corks’ first radio station, 6CK, from the centre of the main building. The Gaol was used as a broadcasting station up until the end of the 1950s, when the complex was allowed to become totally derelict until its innovative restoration and reopening to the public as a visitor attraction in 1993.Cork features architecturally notable buildings originating from the Medieval to Modern periods.[44] The only notable remnant of the Medieval era is the Red Abbey. There are two cathedrals in the city; St. Mary's Cathedral and Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral. St Mary's Cathedral, often referred to as the North Cathedral, is the Catholic cathedral of the city and was begun in 1808. Its distinctive tower was added in the 1860s. St Fin Barre's Cathedral serves the Church of Ireland (Anglican) and is possibly the more famous of the two. It is built on the foundations of an earlier cathedral. Work began in 1862 and ended in 1879 under the direction of architect William Burges.

St. Patrick's Street, the main street of the city which was remodelled in the mid-2000s, is known for the architecture of the buildings along its pedestrian-friendly route and is the main shopping thoroughfare. At its northern end is a landmark statue of Father Mathew. The reason for its curved shape is that it was originally a channel of the River Lee which was built over on arches.[45] The General Post Office, with its limestone façade, is on Oliver Plunkett Street, on the site of the Theatre Royal which was built in 1760 and burned down in 1840. The English circus proprietor Pablo Fanque rebuilt an amphitheatre on the spot in 1850, which was subsequently transformed into a theatre and then into the present General Post Office in 1877.[46][47] The Grand Parade is a tree-lined avenue, home to offices, shops and financial institutions. The old financial centre is the South Mall, with several banks whose interior derive from the 19th century, such as the Allied Irish Bank's which was once an exchange.


Cork County Hall
Many of the city's buildings are in the Georgian style, although there are a number of examples of modern landmark structures, such as County Hall tower, which was, at one time the tallest building in Ireland[48] until being superseded by another Cork building: The Elysian.