Projects and Projections

This chapter emphasizes a major theme in Dublin's eighteenth-century history: the battle to control and develop urban space, to mitigate the effects of growth, and to adapt new concepts of urban form. The chapter begins with narrating the baroque urban planning led by the first Duke of Ormond that had profound consequences for the Irish capital. It then discusses the first development agency in any Irish city, the Ballast Office, which was given responsibility for 'cleansing' and deepening the channel into the harbour and up to the Custom House, and for providing better protection for shipping in the bay outside. The chapter introduces Luke Gardiner, the first secretary of the Ballast Office, and explores how he became the most formidable property developer in the eighteenth-century city. The chapter also traces the beginning of the physical evolution of the capital city and environment for urban investment. Next, the chapter highlights a great scheme of urban improvement and speculative development in Waterford, Cork, and Limerick. It also mentions John Beresford's single-minded energy and strategic grasp in most of the metropolitan improvements.