Streets Through Time

Streets Through Time

The area we today refer to as Waterford Cultural Quarter was first developed as part of a great expansion of the city that took place throughout the 1700’s and beyond. To the east of the medieval walls new streets such as The Mall, and suburbs like Newtown were developed. Meanwhile to the west, along with the extension of the quays, a new major thoroughfare was created, known to us today as O’Connell Street.

And it was in the new streets and lanes that branched from this new lifeline that the modern city of Waterford was born. It was here that our power as a centre of trade and industry throughout the Georgian era was established, here that our most iconic businesses were founded; Denny’s, Jacob’s, and Penrose Crystal to name but a few, and it was on these streets and lanes that the people of Waterford found their voice and played their part in the great struggles of their day.

Of course today Waterford Cultural Quarter is the heart of the city’s arts scene; come with us as we retrace long forgotten streets and reveal their secrets and stories, such as;

• How Waterford was almost destroyed by crown forces because a priest insulted a dead Queen.
• How the city’s port and associated shipyards and export industries made Waterford a major international trade hub.
• How a community of refugees fleeing religious persecution became leaders of local industry.
• How banks were established, bought and sold, bankrupted and heisted.
• How the shadow of a jail and a gallows and the associated crimes and injustices lay over the city like a cloud for generations.
• How, while the poor of the city lived in utter destitution, one wealthy citizen could afford to maintain a grand townhouse, with lavish gardens large enough to contain a small deer park within.

And all of this is only to scratch the surface. So come with us through streets, through time… we have a few tales to tell…