Etymology

The name derives from the Norse "Bradogue Steyn" or "Broad Stone", due to the Bradogue River crossing the road to Finglas at this location.^[3] "Bradogue" itself means "Young Salmon" in Irish.^[4]

Beginnings

In 1845, the Royal Canal was purchased by the Midland Great Western Railway Company (MGWR) with a view to using the land alongside the canal to construct a railway line to the west of Ireland. The line was constructed in stages and by 1848 reached Mullingar. Similarly, Broadstone station was worked in tandem with opening in 1847 and final completion 1850. The MGWR developed locomotive and carriage works around the station.

Designed by John Skipton Mulvany, the structure was built between 1841 and 1850, and the colonnade was added in 1861.^[5] Broadstone Station is constructed of granite in a neo-Egyptian style.^[6] Regarding the architectural merits of the station, historian Maurice Craig described it as "the last building in Dublin to partake of the sublime... Its lonely grandeur is emphasised now by its disuse as a terminus, and the melancholy quarter of high-and-dry hotels close beside it. It stands on rising ground, and the traveller who sees it for the first time, so unexpected in its massive amplitude, feels a little as he might if he were to stumble unawares upon the monstrous silences of Karnak or Luxor".^[7]

During the construction of the permanent roof in the late 1840s it was damaged by a severe gale but complete disaster was averted by the earlier timber structure over which it was being built.^[8] The 475 feet (145 m) by 120 feet (37 m) two span roof is said to have been basis of the design for the larger span at Liverpool Lime Street.^[1] With the construction of the colonnade in 1861, trains arrived to the east side platform and passengers exited through the colonnade. Trains departed from the west side platform where there was a booking office and waiting rooms. The four middle tracks were used to stable rolling stock in the interim. The building at front of the station was used as the headquarters building for the MGWR and did not contain a passenger entrance.^[1]

With Galway projected to become the main port for transatlantic passenger traffic between Europe and North America, the MGWR successfully competed with its rival the Great Southern and Western Railway to reach it first in August 1851. A special fourth class was introduced by the MGWR for poor migrants from the west going to Britain for work. The line, which branched out to serve Sligo, Westport, Achill and Clifden, was also used to transport large numbers of cattle.

It was about this time that the majority of the houses in the area were constructed as dwellings for workers on the railway. Most of the houses were built by the Artisan's Dwelling Company, which built many similar estates in Dublin and elsewhere, and houses of this type are now frequently described as Artisan cottages, regardless of their origin.

In 1856, Broadstone Garage was the site of the murder of station clerk George Little. His body was discovered in his locked office on Friday 14 November 1856, when he didn't check in for work.^[9] The story of the murder and the subsequent trial are told in the novel, The Dublin Railway Murder, which was published in 2021.^[10]

Joseph Howley, a member of the Irish Volunteers in Galway, was shot dead by a special unit of the RIC known as the Igoe Gang at the station on 4 December 1920 during the Irish War of Independence.^[11]

Closure

The station was closed to public traffic on 18 January 1937 with MGWR services redirected to the more central Westland Row (Pearse). While the old MGWR main line was able to access the Dublin loop line to Amiens Street via the North Liffey line Newcomen Bridge junction, this was not available to heavier engines such as the Woolwich Moguls due to weight restrictions over the lifting bridge over the Royal Canal. The alternative route via the Drumcondra link line would have required reversals to the Glasnevin and Drumcondra junctions so the connecting line was also remodeled at the same time to allow direct through running.^[12]

After closure to passengers, the complex was used as a steam depot for Dublin, and then fully closed in 1961.

This building was one of Dublin's six original rail termini, the others being Westland Row (now Pearse Station) Amiens Street (now Connolly Station), Kingsbridge (now Heuston Station), North Wall and Harcourt Street (now a bar and nightclub complex).

Notes

Sources