K.C.R area
The Kimmage Cross Roads (KCR) is a junction of the Kimmage Road West, Kimmage Road Lower, Terenure Road West and Fortfield Road.
One of the long-established houses in this area was Kimmage Lodge, which is beside the Orchard and St. Annes housing estates. Finola Watchorn, in her book “Crumlin and the Way it Was” describes some of the nearby houses as follows: “Kimmage Lodge was a huge Georgian house, situated to the rear of the present Glenanne Apartments at the Kimmage Cross Roads. For many years, it had been the home of the Davy family (Rev. Humphrey Davy was Rector of St. Mary’s Church, Crumlin Village from 1867 to 1913) who had previously lived at the Glebe House in the Village. Brooklawn was another large house which stood at the Kimmage Cross Roads near the present Ravensdale Park. The Poddle River flowed through the grounds of this house. Another large house was Wainsfort on the Fortfield Road, and on the same road, Fortfield Lodge, which marked the Kimmage boundary, which … extended from Harold’s Cross Green up to this house. … During the early 1930s, the KCR Petrol Station at Kimmage Crossroads was built by my grandfather, P.J. Watchorn. Around the 1920s, the local public house on the Lower Kimmage Road was owned by Eddy O’Byrne. It was later named The Cumann Inn (owned by Mooneys) and later again named The Argus Arms.”
Finola Watchorn in her book “Crumlin and the Way it Was” noted that one of the mills on the Poddle was Farrington’s Mill: “This flour mill was situated near Kimmage Crossroads, near the site of the present Glenanne apartments. Around the 1920s, a Mr. Farrington had a turbine at his mill and was the first person to have electricity in the area. When the Electricity Supply Board came into operation, he was forced to stop using the turbine”.
The Glenanne Sports Club which was formed in 1943, having previously been known as the Graftonians, occupied the grounds of what is now St. Annes housing estate. The website of Glenanne Hockey Club https://www.glenannehockeyclub.com/about-us states that the club premises were on the grounds of St. Anne’s, a small “big house” estate running from the KCR up to the back of Kimmage Manor (at the back of the Shell Petrol Station) and which the historic river Poddle ran through. The river was banked high up to 15 to 20 feet giving the premises a glen like appearance, hence the name. In 1970 the club lost its grounds as the land was sold for building.
Association with Poddle
After flowing through the grounds of Kimmage Manor, the Poddle travels underground through St. Anne’s Estate and emerges near the KCR junction before going underground again to cross the junction and emerge at Ravensdale Park.
What the Newspapers Say
- The proposed development by Hibernian Trust Ltd. for an 11.5-acre site adjacent to Kimmage Road West faced local opposition, particularly concerning the potential impact on the area around St. Anne’s. Residents from nearby neighbourhoods protested against the plans, citing concerns over the loss of Glenane Sports Club’s grounds and the destruction of trees. A major point of contention was the plan to culvert the Poddle River, which would alter its natural course by diverting it through a new culvert before returning it to its original path. This change, alongside other developments like those in Rathfarnham and Knocklyon, sparked significant local debate.
- On January 10, 1974, St. Anne’s Estates, Ltd. faced refusals from both Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council for their development proposal at Kimmage Road West. The 10-acre site, bisected by the River Poddle, was planned for three blocks of flats with 108 units. The objections included concerns about the Poddle’s proximity and the site’s zoning as public open space. The refusal came despite the developers’ efforts to address the issues and their willingness to involve the Minister as an arbitrator. The dispute highlighted ongoing conflicts between the authorities and developers over land use and planning.
