Rushbrooke, County Cork
| Rushbrooke | |
| County Cork | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Houses on Carrig View, Rushbrooke | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W782664 |
| Location: | 51°51’0"N, 8°19’0"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
Rushbrooke is a populated area on the western side of Cobh on Great Island in Cork Harbour, County Cork. It is in the townland of Ringacoltig (from the Irish Rinn an Chabaltaigh meaning 'Headland of the navy').[1]
History and development
The area is named after Frederica Harriet Rushbrooke and her son and daughter who were granted lands under the 'Midleton Act' (1850). This followed the suicide of the 5th Viscount Midleton, George Alan Broderick (1806-1848), who died by inhaling charcoal on 1 November 1848. Succession to the titles and estate was court challenged and ultimately settled by Private Act of the House of Lords.
Land in Surrey and Ireland were settled on the Rushbrookes from the estates of Earl Broderick/Viscount Midleton, who became known as the 'most wretched man in the world' by his aristocratic peers. Much disapproved of was his association with Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, the renowned Roman Catholic architect and father of E W Pugin who later designed Cobh Cathedral. Even more disapproved of was his unorthodox relationships.
Rushbrooke contains a number of noted examples of Victorian houses, several of which are listed buildings. A number of newer housing estates have been built in the Rushbrooke area in more modern times.
Industry
Rushbrooke has a long tradition of ship and boat-building. The docks at Rushbrooke were founded by Joseph Wheeler and became the home of the former Dutch-owned Verolme Cork Dockyard which once employed over 1,100 people in shipbuilding.[2] Many large ships were built and launched from Verolme. This included a number of vessels, such as LÉ Eithne, which were built for the Irish Naval Service which has its headquarters nearby. The dockyard closed in the mid 1980s with major job losses, and was subsequently redeveloped into a commercial and small industries park - while Cork Dockyard Holdings Ltd continues with ship and boat repair.
Sport
Rushbrooke has the oldest tennis club in Ireland, the Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which runs a number of tournaments each year.
Transport
Rushbrooke has a railway station on the main Cork to Cobh line, located close to the Cork Dockyard Commercial Development. Rushbrooke station opened on 10 March 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974.[3]
References
- ↑ an Chabhaltaigh/Ringacoltig Rushbrooke, County Cork: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ P.G. Martin (January 1963). "The Development of Shipbuilding in Cork Harbour". The Quarterly Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200714104027/http://www.marciadalton.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Shipbuilding-in-Cork-Harbour.pdf.
- ↑ "Rushbrooke station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
