Foxrock
| Foxrock Carraig an tSionnaigh | |
|---|---|
| Suburb of Dublin | |
  Foxrock Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 53°16′00″N 6°10′27″W / 53.2667°N 6.1742°WCoordinates: 53°16′00″N 6°10′27″W / 53.2667°N 6.1742°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown |
| Elevation | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 11,566 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | O219256 |
Foxrock (Irish: Carraig an tSionnaigh) is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown county, in the postal district of Dublin 18 and in the parish of Foxrock.
History
The suburb of Foxrock was developed by William and John Bentley and Edward and Anthony Fox, who, in 1859, leased the lands of the Foxrock Estate from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and Richard Whately, the C of I Archbishop of Dublin, with the aim of creating an affluent garden suburb.
The development was facilitated by the existence of the Harcourt Street railway line, built in 1854, that put Dublin City within commuting distance. The developers donated a site to the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company for Foxrock railway station, which opened in 1861. In 1862, the following advertisement[1] was placed in The Irish Times:
"Beautiful building sites for mansions and pretty villas – Foxrock estate. The improvements recently made on this property, and still progressing, together with its natural attractions render these sites unrivalled for suburban residences. The scenery (green and mountain) from Brighton Road just finished, leading from the hotel at Foxrock station to Carrickmines, is magnificent. The land, being undulating, affords perfectly sheltered positions on Torquay Road, to the railway station at Stillorgan and Foxrock, as well as others elevated and more bracing. The rents required are exceedingly moderate: leases for 900 years are granted. Bricks, stones, lime and sand from the estate are sold at reduced prices to tenants. Stage coaches and omnibuses ply regularly between Foxrock station and Kingstown. Fare 3 pence and 4 pence. There is cheap and excellent shopping at Foxrock market. The railway subscription only £7 per annum. Apply to W.W. Bentley, Foxrock, or Bentley and Son, 110 College Green."
The racecourse was completed in 1888, while the golf club opened in 1898.
Due to a slower than expected initial take-up of lots, the founder/developers of Foxrock were bankrupted and did not live to see its successful development into a wealthy suburb.
Geography
The three main roads of the original development of Foxrock remain Brighton, Torquay and Westminster Roads.
The boundaries of Foxrock as used by An Post extend east to take in the lands to the west of Clonkeen Road, Deansgrange Cemetery as far as Newtownpark Avenue. The N11 road divides new and old Foxrock.
Foxrock borders the suburbs of Blackrock, Cabinteely, Carrickmines, Deansgrange and Leopardstown.
Amenities
Leopardstown racecourse is located at Foxrock and the track is the only one remaining in the greater metropolitan area. In the Irish horseracing industry, it ranks in importance as second only to The Curragh in County Kildare. The racecourse is also home to a golf course, and a stream runs along its southern boundary.
Education
Foxrock has a number of primary schools, and one secondary school for girls only - Loreto Convent, Foxrock.
The preschool-primary campus of the Lycée Français d'Irlande (LFI) is in Foxrock.[2]
Transport
The Harcourt Street railway line from central Dublin's Harcourt Street to Bray passed through Foxrock. A temporary platform opened in 1859 followed by the station on 1 August 1861, finally closing on 1 January 1959.[3] The original passenger entrance remains at the entrance to Westwood.
However, the route has been reopened as the Luas Green Line light rail system, but deviates from the old railway line at Sandyford, some 3 km (1.9 mi) short of Foxrock. The 2011 extension of the Green Line by-passed Foxrock because houses were built on a section of the old track at Foxrock in the late 1990s. The closest stop to Foxrock is Carrickmines, where the line rejoins the old railway route.
Dublin Bus high frequency service 46A links Foxrock Church with the City Centre.
The Aircoach Greystones service to Dublin Airport stops at Foxrock Church en route to the airport.
People
- Samuel Beckett was born in 1906 in Cooldrinagh, on Kerrymount Ave.
- Singer Joe Dolan had a house in Tresillian estate in Foxrock.
- Fictional character Ross O'Carroll-Kelly lived in Foxrock.
- Sir Horace Plunkett, agricultural reformer, whose house was burnt down in 1923 by the IRA during the Irish civil war.
- Muse bassist Christopher Wolstenholme moved to Foxrock with his family in April 2010.[4]
- Miriam O'Callaghan grew up in Foxrock.
- Several members of The Thrills went to school in Foxrock.
See also
References
- ↑ Architectural Conservation Area Character Appraisal
- ↑ Home page. Lycée Française d'Irlande. Retrieved on 18 January 2015. "Collège et Lycée Eurocampus Dublin, Roebuck Road, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14" and "Maternelle et Elémentaire Foxrock Avenue, Foxrock, Dublin 18"
- ↑ "Foxrock station". Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ "Eminem to close Oxegen 2010". The Irish Times. 11 July 2010.
External links
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