The Bailey of the Alps?
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Where: Leinster, Fingal, Ireland
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When: Unknown
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At fist glance, this image of the Bailey Light at Howth looks as if it is surrounded by vast mountains and rocky slopes. Instead it appears that a very poor effort at old style photo shopping has taken place or that the plate – a fine Royal sized plate has deteriorated dramatically. What a pity, as the Bailey is seen in splendid detail here!
Photographer: Robert French
Collection: Lawrence Photograph Collection
Date: Circa 1865-1914
NLI Ref: L_ROY_00659
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 9097
Photographer: Robert French
Collection: Lawrence Photograph Collection
Date: Circa 1865-1914
NLI Ref: L_ROY_00659
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 9097
robertfrench
williamlawrence
lawrencecollection
lawrencephotographicstudio
glassnegative
nationallibraryofireland
thebaileylighthouse
howth
codublin
fingal
dublinbay
dublin
leinster
ireland
lighthouse
irishlights
commissionersofirishlights
bailey
shippingforecast
icebergs
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cargeofg
Gasometers in the foreground with pipe along the top of the wall to or from boiler house. External iron strapping to chimney stack. In a companion plate ROY_0661 there is a side wheel paddle steamer (service boat? )visible. Landing marked to north side of Light on the OSI 25" Other pipes running along top of wall towards light and a larger on (See note)
Niall McAuley
Before the OSI 25" survey which shows a larger gasometer nearer the camera.
cargeofg
Gas works built 1865 for gas fired lamp patented by John Richardson Wigham.
BeachcomberAustralia
Sometimes Flickr is amazing! Earlier (??) via https://www.flickr.com/photos/tartalom/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/tartalom/7739165542/ And in 2012 via https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8387130679/
cargeofg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia Still after 1865 as there are pully wheels visible for gasometer. But different to ROY_0659 as there is a lattice beam in Sweeneys photo. So maybe the first gasometer built.
BeachcomberAustralia
Lots of relevant dating details here - www.irishlights.ie/tourism/our-lighthouses/baily.aspx ['Vera' is on the telly, and I am engrossed!]
John Spooner
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia That website mentions the fog bell installed in early 1853 after the Queen Victoria had been wrecked in bad weather which made the light invisible. In a notice in Freeman's Journal on Saturday 03 September 1853 about his exhibits at the Great Industrial Exhibition , James Sheridan, whose Eagle Foundry had cast the bell, claimed/stated that the Bailey Light fog bell and the 'Splendid Fog Bell' at the eastern pier of Kingstown Harbour were 'the Largest Bells now in Ireland'.
BeachcomberAustralia
The bell was "removed in 1890" - I cannot see it anywhere (but I am not sure where to look!). Mr Eason was there a little later but he desperately needs flipping - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000047537 (see how the chimney being worked on here/above is complete). And the Dillons steamed past, showing the fog-horns in front and the 1892 "two semi-detached dwellings for Assistant Keepers" on the hill behind - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000524203 catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000524201 (Ed. fixed)
BeachcomberAustralia
Of interest - the Bailey Light was a pioneer in the use of oil gas for illumination. An 1871 article via Trove - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13246903?searchTerm=%2...
BeachcomberAustralia
Hmm! Is that THE BELL right up top under the weathervane? Not apparent on www.flickr.com/photos/tartalom/'s photo or Eason's. ie this photo is before 1890 ...
John Spooner
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia Looks too small to me. A similar bell cast by James Sheridan in 1874, to be used on the Cork coast, was 6 ft high and weighed 6 tons. Its "deep, sonorous, and powerful" tone was calculated to be audible at a distance of 15 to 20 miles. (Freeman's Journal 14th May 1874)
oaktree_brian_1976
symmetry is perfect, almost looks like a painting
suckindeesel
According to the Irish Lights site mentioned earlier: "The cut granite tower was painted white and remained so until 1910 when, on the recommendation of the Engineer to the Commissioners of Irish Lights, it was changed to its natural granite colour" It doesn't look white in our photo, compare with the C. Sweeney photo above where it looks distinctly white. The gasometers are different from the 25" of 1907, their positions being reversed. They changed over from gas to paraffin in 1908, would the gasometers have remained in situ after this time? The gasometers indicate pre 1908, while the granite finish indicates post 1910, confused.
suckindeesel
Is there something odd about the appearance of the lamp optics in our photo? It looks like plain opaque panels.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Wishing you all a very Happy Hallowe'en! As you probably won't be out cavorting because of The Covid, you might have time for some extra curricular investigations over on the Church of Ireland photostream. They have some unidentified lantern slides that may be of interest. And thank you to [https://www.flickr.com/photos/fraserpettigrew/] for letting us know about this. However, this is just optional homework for the weekend. See you all back here, bright and early on Monday...
O Mac
The fog bell house is just visible behind tower so assume taken before 1890 when bell was removed.
suckindeesel
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] There's a strange device on top, just below the weathervane, clearer in catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000041338 , some sort of foghorn?
BeachcomberAustralia
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]]'s fog bell house (square, hipped roof, open on three sides) is seen better in this other Lawrence photo, which must be the same visit 'cos of that chimney being built (see note) - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000041338 The fog bell house is not evident in [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tartalom/]'s, Eason's, or the Dillon's photos. So they should all be after 1890 . . .
BeachcomberAustralia
Aside - I keep thinking they are icebergs!
BeachcomberAustralia
[Another aside] - Via Trove, a gripping contemporary account of the wreck of the Queen Victoria in 1853, including - "Years ago, Mr. O'Connell was nearly lost in a steamer at Howth, and a request was then made that a fog-bell should be attached to the Baily Lighthouse . . . " And this 'Horrifying Spectacle' at the end of the article - " ... the plate in the cabin has been saved by a diver; but the man protests that nothing in the world should induce him to go down a second time, as the scene in the cabin was the most horrible he had ever witnessed. He thought he had entered a wax-work exhibition, the corpses never having moved from their positions since the vessel went down. There were some eighteen or twenty persons in the cabin, one and all of whom seemed to be holding conversation with each other; and the general appearance of the whole scene was so lifelike that he was almost inclined to believe that some were yet living." See - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226522583 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Queen_Victoria_(1838)
O Mac
When my brother was a young apprentice engineer with the Commissioners of Irish Lights he was sent to stores to get a "bag of fog" to test a fog horn. Cruel.. I think the "icebergs" are unfinished sky scraping/cleaning on the plate. A scratched horizon line is visible and the area around the lighthouse has been neatly done.
cargeofg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] "Bags of fog" are on the same shelf as the "striped paint " "long stands" and "left hand thread torque wrench's"
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Let's not forget the glass hammer!
suckindeesel
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] And then there was the "bubble for a sprit level" and "the sky hook" (for supporting things in the air), the bane of all green apprentices.
O Mac
The "skirting board ladder" was another
cargeofg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] A spirit level the one tool you do not need while working on a boat.