 South end of Grafton Street | |
  | |
| Native name | Sráid Grafton (Irish) |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton |
| Length | 500 m (1,600 ft)[1] |
| Width | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Location | Dublin,Ireland |
| Postal code | D02 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′29″N6°15′37″W / 53.34139°N 6.26028°W /53.34139; -6.26028 |
| north end | College Green |
| south end | St. Stephen's Green (northwest corner) |
| Other | |
| Known for | Shops,Bewley's Oriental Café,busking |
Grafton Street (Irish:Sráid Grafton) is one of the two principalshopping streets inDublin city centre — the other beingHenry Street. It runs fromSt Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) toCollege Green in the north (the lowest point).
The street, on theSouthside of the city, was developed from a laneway in the early 1700s, and its line was shaped by the now-culverted River Steyne. Initially, a fashionable residential street with some commercial activity, the character of Grafton Street changed after it was connected toCarlisle Bridge and came to form part of a cross-city route. It suffered from dilapidation and prostitution through the 19th century, with several run-down buildings. During the 20th century, it became known for the coffee houseBewley's, mid- and up-market shopping, and as a popular spot forbuskers. It has been assessed as one of the most expensive main retail streets in the world on which to rent.
The street was named afterCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, the illegitimate grandson ofKing Charles II, who owned land in the area.[2][3] His father,Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, died on 9 October 1690 following theSiege of Cork. The second duke wasLord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1721 to 1724.[4]
The street was developed from an existing country lane,[5] connectingCollege Green toSt Stephen's Green, which had been worked on by the Dawson family, after whom the parallelDawson Street is named. It was developed and widened through the early 1700s, starting in 1708.[6] Four years later, the city's governing body,Dublin Corporation, approved development along the street in order to make a "crown causeway".[2][7] Its line was shaped by the short culverted River Steyne, which rises on one side of St Stephen's Green and flows towards College Green and theLiffey nearO'Connell Bridge.[5] Development was largely complete by 1727.[8]
From the beginning, the street held a mixture of residential and commercial development. Advertisements from the 1750s and 1760s describe first-floor apartments featuring a dining room, bedchamber and closet.[9] The theatre managerLouis Du Val lived in Grafton Street in 1733, as did the novelistCharles Robert Maturin's family.[4]
The street was largely rebuilt in the late 1700s,[8] following the completion of Carlisle Bridge (now O'Connell Bridge) in 1758, spanning the River Liffey, when Grafton Street came to form part of an important north-south thoroughfare.[2] Many of the remaining residences were redeveloped into shops, and several taverns were established along the street.[4] This was supplemented by the widening and rebuilding which took place as part of the work of the Wide Streets Commission, from 1841. By the latter part of the 19th century, the street was primarily commercial in nature.[9]
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Throughout the 19th century, Grafton Street became increasingly dilapidated. By 1849, several buildings had broken windows that were patched up with paper.[10] In 1862, theDublin Builder said the street "abounds in old premises in need of doctoring up."[8] During the late 19th century, a number of retail properties were built and several long-standing businesses established their presence on the street, such as the department storesSwitzer's andBrown Thomas. The jewellers Weirs opened in 1869.[11]
The street became known forprostitution during this time; in the 1870s, 1,500 prostitutes were reputed to work the street.[12] This was part of a broader phenomenon − in 1870, there were 3,255 arrests for prostitution in Dublin, compared to 2,183 in London and 1,617 in Manchester. Despite complaints that the street was "impassable to virtuous women", Dublin tourist guides continued to mention it as a fashionable place to visit.[13] By the turn of the 20th century, prostitution had moved to theMontgomery Street ("Monto") area on the northern side of the city,[13] somewhat allowing Grafton Street's reputation to recover.
In 1911, KingGeorge V and Queen Mary were led in a procession down Grafton Street which attracted thousands of onlookers. The American chain,Woolworth's, opened a store on the street in 1914.[11]
As part of a wider set of proposals to rename a number of Dublin streets in 1921, it was proposed that Grafton Street be renamedGrattan Street[14] in theReport of the Paving Committee by the Dublin Corporation street naming committee.[15] This new naming scheme was not fully implemented.[14] Among the names retained alongside Grafton Street wereNorth Earl Street andTalbot Street.[16] This new name for Grafton Street had first been proposed by a columnist inThe Irishman newspaper in 1862.[17]
Woolworth's moved to Nos. 65–68 in 1948.[18] The first IrishMcDonald's restaurant opened on the street in 1977. This was followed by the opening of a number of other UK high-street businesses in the 1980s includingHMV,Next,River Island,Miss Selfridge,[11] andMarks & Spencer.[19] In 1987, a major fire broke out on Grafton Street in an employment agency above two shops. The fire quickly spread through the property, causing significant damage and closing the street. Five people were hospitalised for shock andsmoke inhalation.[20]
Several properties on the street were refurbished in the 1990s. No. 70 was extended in 1992, adding a limestone frontage on the ground floor. Numbers 84–86 were rebuilt the same year in apostmodern brick style.[18]
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In 2008, Grafton Street was the fifth most expensive main shopping street in the world, with rental pricing of €5,621/m2/year,[21] and the thirteenth most expensive main shopping street in the world in 2016 at rental pricing of a much lower region of €3,300/m2/year.[22][23]
By the 1960s, Grafton Street had become congested with cars and buses, which caused serious pollution.[19]Pedestrianisation of the street was first trialled in September 1971, for a period of 4 weeks.[24] After many delays, permanent pedestrianisation of most of the street was established in 1982, and the street was then repaved in 1988, with new street lighting also fitted.[10] Objections to pedestrianisation came from councillors and small business owners, who alleged that it would lead to an increase in petty crime and antisocial behaviour.[25][26] The northern end of the street, betweenNassau Street andCollege Green, one side of which is occupied by the walls ofTrinity College, is not pedestrianised.[27]
Grafton Street has had a number of periods of redevelopment in its history, including in the 1860s, 1880s, early 1900s, and 1990s. On some occasions, the demolition of buildings led to the collapse of some of their neighbour's. Altogether, this activity has resulted in a mixture of periods and styles, with few notable interiors or street surfaces extant. Some of the Georgian plot sizes and facades are still visible on some buildings, such as Nos. 31–33 and 63. No. 14 retains the window pattern of an earlyDutch Billy house.[8] At the north end of Grafton Street, surviving largely intact, is theProvost's House, Trinity College, home to the head of the college and the University of Dublin.[2]
The English Grammar School was founded at No. 75 Grafton Street in 1758, by Samuel Whyte, first cousin-in-law of the actor and impresarioThomas Sheridan. Students includedRichard Brinsley Sheridan,Robert Emmet,Thomas Moore andArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. It closed in 1824.[2][19]Hodges Figgis first bookshop was at 104 Grafton Street, opening in 1797. It moved to its current location inDawson Street in 1920.[19]
Bewley's Oriental Café opened on Grafton Street in 1927, on the site of Whyte's Academy,[19][28] and became a popular place to gather and socialise.[29] In 2004, it was announced that Bewley's Grafton Street andWestmoreland Street cafés would close, putting 243 jobs at risk.[30] Following a campaign, the café on Grafton Street, which had closed, was reopened.[31] Subject to a €1m redevelopment scheme in 2015,[32] the café closed again following a collapse of trade during theCOVID-19 pandemic. The then mayor,Tom Brabazon, expressed a hope that it might re-open after the pandemic.[33][34]
The northern end of the street was for many years the location of theMolly Malone statue, a well-known tourist attraction and meeting place. The statue was moved from Grafton Street to nearby Suffolk Street in 2014, to make way for an extension to theLuas tram system, which runs along the northern part of Grafton Street.[35]
A life-size bronze statue of Dublin musician and leader ofThin Lizzy,Phil Lynott, was unveiled on Harry Street, off Grafton Street near the Stephen's Green end, in August 2005.[36] In May 2013, the statue was tipped over by two vandals, who were subsequently arrested.[37] In 2017, it was damaged after being hit by a truck, and spent several months in repair. The statue has become a well-known tourist attraction for music fans.[38] In keeping with the tendency for Dubliners to nickname statues, it is known to locals as the "Ace with the Bass".[39]
Grafton Street is normally lit withChristmas lights during the festive season — in 2022, it was estimated that around 300,000 bulbs were used to illuminate the street. In 2019, a planned "Nollaig Shona Duit" (Irish for "Happy Christmas") light display was cancelled and replaced with "Grafton Quarter" signage, causing controversy.[40]
Since the 1980s, Grafton Street has become internationally known for its street entertainment, particularlybusking.[41] Musicians, poets andmime artists commonly perform to the shopping crowds.[42][43] This was portrayed in the opening scene of the 2007 filmOnce, starringGlen Hansard ofthe Frames, a former Grafton Street busker.[44] In Dublin, street performers must pay for a licence to busk (€30 per year as of 2019, plus €60 if using amplification), and on Grafton Street, each such performance is restricted to a maximum of one hour, and a musician cannot play within a 100-metre (330 ft) distance of that location until the following day.[41][45] Grafton Street has been the traditional home of the "big busk" on Christmas Eve, which aims to raise money for homeless charities.[46]
Grafton Street buskers have included:
Citations
Grafton Street follows the line of the River Steyne and is an ancient thoroughfare that ran to the common land at St Stephen's Green.
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)Bewleys ... controversially closed in 2004, before re-opening a year later in partnership with Café Bar Deli. Since then, it has seen many menu changes – and price increases. It also survived a protracted but now resolved row with landlords ...
Street Performance Permit €30 per year ... Permit to use amplification €60 per year (mention of short-term permits also made)
Sources
Media related toGrafton Street at Wikimedia Commons