George's Street Arcade

George's Street Arcade
George's Street Arcade
	George's Street Arcade exterior and entrance in 2018
	Location of the Arcade in central Dublin
Former names	South City Markets
General information
Type	Indoor market / Shopping centre
Architectural style	Victorian architecture
Location	South Great George's Street,; Dublin 2, Ireland
Coordinates	53°20′33″N 6°15′52″W / 53.342618°N 6.264347°W
Construction started	1876; 148 years ago
Inaugurated	1881; 143 years ago
Cost	250,000 pounds sterling
Owner	Layden Family Group
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Lockwood & Mauson
Website
	www.georgesstreetarcade.ie

George's Street Arcade is a shopping centre on South Great George's Street in Dublin. It is a Victorian style red-bricked indoor market of stalls and stores. It opened in 1881 as the South City Markets.

History

South City Market, George's Street, Dublin, 1897

The first purpose-built Victorian Shopping Centre in Dublin was South City Markets, commonly known now as George's Street Arcade. The City Market Company was incorporated in Dublin with a share capital of £200,000 and a loan capital of £50,000, for the establishment, maintenance and regulation of a market on the south side of the city in 1876. In order for the company to require the land necessary to develop the markets an act of parliament was needed and acquired, this gave the company not only the power to acquire the lands but also the responsibility to widen and generally improve the surrounding streets. Noted British architects Lockwood & Mauson^[1] won the contract to design and build the market complex. In 1881 South City Markets was officially opened by the Lord Mayor Sir George Moyers after the development was heavily promoted by wealthy families with substantial property interests in the area. The opening was a grand occasion and was well attended by the invited guests who were entertained to luncheon by the market chairman Joseph Tod Hunter Pim. There were no native Dubliners on the guest list and this went down very badly with the locals and was not forgotten.

1892 Fire

Due in some part to the appointment of English builders and architects, the market was not initially popular with ordinary Dubliners. Tragedy struck the markets in August 1892 when the building was destroyed by fire, there were no fatalities but this was devastating for all concerned with the shopkeepers losing their shops and overhead homes but it was the stall holders who were hit worse by having no insurance on their stock. Some of the original letters from the stall holders to the management detailing their losses still exist. After a flood of public sympathy, a relief fund was established for them and was successful.

Rebuilt

The markets were rebuilt in the same style with a remodelled interior designed by William Henry Byrne,^[2] this time using local labour and craftsmen and on 13 September 1894 were open once again for business. On this occasion, all local dignitaries of any standing were invited and the George's Street Arcade has traded continually since then.