Mind-Bending Historical Greystones Trivia #2

The man of the house, Gareth!

ith the beautiful, firm-buttocked and highly-informative young Gary having unearthed some truly wondrous gems in last month’s round-up of historical Greystones trivia, for Round 2, the boy has found some truly tantalising, titillating and time-warping trinkets for thinkers. And tinkers.

Holy Rosary: The Early Years

Take it away, the achingly articulate and archly Arcadian Mr. Acheson…

That when the La Touche estate leased land to the Holy Faith Sisters to build a convent and school, the lease contained a stipulation that the school be fee paying “lest it should lower the tone of the locality“?

That the new Templecarrig school is built in the townland of Coolagad and not Templecarrig?

That on June 19 1809, persons unknown attempted to burn down the house of the Delgany curate, the Rev. Hosea Guinness?

That Hosea Guinness was the eldest son of brewer Arthur Guinness, and that he left the parish soon after the arson attempt?

That when the new mail coach road through the Glen of the Downs was opened, robberies of the coach and passengers were so common that a police barracks was placed in the Glen in 1822?

That some claim the name ‘Redford’ comes from a bloody medieval battle fought there and that the same claim is made for Sunnybank (Bloody bank) in Bray and the Red Lane in Ballydonagh?

That Ben Hempinstal of Windgates, who died in 1855 aged 71, was one of over 10,000 Irishmen in the British navy at Trafalgar?

That a ten feet tall obelisk was built in 1887 on the south slopes of Bray Head by local landowner William Morris to mark Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and that it was blown up by republicans in 1933?

That the railway runs around the cliffs of Bray Head because Lord Meath gave the railway builders the land for free to avoid the line encroaching on his demesne at Killruddery?

That Jones’ Hill, at the summit of the Greystones Golf Club, is named for landowner Arthur Jones, who also owned the mill at Killincarrig?

That in 1713, ‘John Cullen of the Downes‘ was elected by the Delgany Parish Vestry as constable for Kilcoole?

That the Willow Grove area (formally the townland of Killickabawn) was called that after a house of the same name?

That the first police station in Greystones was Glen Lodge on Church Road which the R.I.C. used from 1901 until 1922?

That in 1897, a group – the Bray & Glendalough Company – proposed an electric railway from Bray, through the Glen of the Downs and Newtown, to Glendalough?

That the Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway Company (with the coastal route) opposed this scheme?

That the ‘old’ flagpole at the harbour was made up from the mast of a tug being broken up at the Hammond Lane dockyard in Dublin?

That the Swan’s Rock sometimes exposed at the South Beach was named for the owner of a nearby coalyard as coal ship would land cargos there?

That Church Lane used to be known as Blacklion Road?

That before the ‘Meath Industrial School for Girls’ moved in 1892 to the purpose-built school at the top of Main Street in Bray, they had been using Belmont House in Templecarrig?

That the C.S.S.M. has run a summer mission at the South Beach every year since 1896?

That Stylebawn House in Delgany is not in Stylebawn townland, whose northern boundary is the Three Trouts river?

That the Old Rectory in Delgany, built in 1725, was sold by the church in 1949 as being too expensive to maintain and heat?

That the cliffs at the top of the North Beach were known as Morris’ Cliffs after a local landowning family?

That the 1911 Irish Coast Pilot published by the Admiralty said that “There is good landing there at Greystones point, at the fishery pier”?

That the Prettybush area may be named for an old coaching inn there on the ‘high road’ from Dublin to Wicklow?

The Clyda (later The Woodlands)

That troops were stationed during the Emergency in the Clyda Hotel (later named the Woodlands) and at one time were commanded by Major Vivion deValera?

That a newspaper account in 1805 states that Mr LaTouche will pay for a lifeboat to be built and kept at the Greystones but it is uncertain that anything ever came of this?

That the R.N.L.I. lifeboat at Greystones opened in 1872 and was removed in 1896?

That in the 24 years the lifeboat was on station, it launched for action only four times – but saved four lives?

That you should never pass a lifeboat collection box without putting money in it?

You can make yourself the hit of your next dinner date with lots more Blasts From The Past right here.