The Killester Garden Village in Dublin, Ireland, is the largest Irish WW1 ex-servicemen housing estate on the island of Ireland, with a total of 289 houses. The estate was built from the Garden City concept, purposely for the well-being of these returning Irish Great War veterans who settled here with their families from 1923, in a perfect blend of nature and city. The estate is a semi-rural, low density design with large communal spaces and large back gardens. It was built from 1920-1923 under both British and Irish Administrations. Additions to the estate, including an extra section and a community hall named the Legion Hall, were added on in the early 1930s. The Killester Colony provided 'Homes For Heroes'.
Garden City Type:
Mixed (housing association / municipality / other)
Country:
Ireland
City:
Dublin
Address:
Killester Garden Village
Years of construction:
The start of the Killester Garden Village was constructed by the Local Government Board under British Adminstration from 1920-1922. In 1922 the Irish Free State was created and the transfer of power occurred as the British Adminstration left. The Killester Garden Village was continued to be built up until 1923 when it was completed, comprising of the
The start of the Killester Garden Village was constructed by the Local Government Board under British Adminstration from 1920-1922. In 1922 the Irish Free State was created and the transfer of power occurred as the British Adminstration left. The Killester Garden Village was continued to be built up until 1923 when it was completed, comprising of the three sections The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield and totalling 247 bungalow houses. In 1924 the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust was set up which took over responsibility for the Killester Garden Village as it was a purpose built estate for Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and their families.
1920 Start construction
Originally Killester Garden Village consisted of 247 houses, from the 1930s onwards infill houses were added and a new section of the estate named The Orchard bringing the total number of houses to 289 in the Killester Garden Village.
John Purser Griffith (October 5, 1848 – October 21, 1938) was a civil engineer. He was born at Holyhead, North Wales, the only son of William Griffith and Alicia Evans. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was awarded his Diploma in Civil Engineering in 1868. In 1871, he became Assistant to Bindon Blood Stoney at
John Purser Griffith
John Purser Griffith (October 5, 1848 – October 21, 1938) was a civil engineer. He was born at Holyhead, North Wales, the only son of William Griffith and Alicia Evans. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was awarded his Diploma in Civil Engineering in 1868. In 1871, he became Assistant to Bindon Blood Stoney at Dublin Port, becoming Chief Engineer in 1898. Following retirement in 1913, he worked as a consulting engineer.
He was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland in 1887-1889 and of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1919-20 and was elected a Commissioner of Irish Lights in 1913 and Senator of the Irish Free State in 1922. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways, 1906-1911. He was involved with the Leinster Carbonising Co., about 1909, which hoped to develop on a large-scale, the production of power from peat with recovery of products of tar, and of fertilisers.
Frank Mears (July 11, 1880 - January 25, 1953) was a Scottish architect and urban planner. As assistant to Patrick Geddes, whose daughter Norah he married in 1915, Mears worked on the urban planning Exhibition in Dublin in 1911 and on plans for the estate of Marino in 1914. After World War I, he was asked by John Purser Griffith to design a housing project for ex-military personnel in Killester, Dublin, which the Board of Works began in 1920. He was involved in other housing projects for Dublin in the 1920s, and exhibited a design for a national cathedral at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1923.
Brownen Maher, a City Councillor in the area, tabled an amendment to the City Council’s Development Plan in 2004, in recognition of the historical importance of the housing development which was built by the Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust for First World War soldiers and their families. The area known as The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield
Brownen Maher, a City Councillor in the area, tabled an amendment to the City Council’s Development Plan in 2004, in recognition of the historical importance of the housing development which was built by the Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust for First World War soldiers and their families. The area known as The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield is listed as a residential conservation area in Dublin City Council’s Development Plan 2005-2011. The entire Killester Garden Village of 289 houses is still zoned Z2 in the Dublin City Council Development Plan 2022-2028. Zoning Z2 is defined as the following from Dublin City Council: 'Residential Neighbourhoods (Conservation Areas) – Zone Z2 Land-Use Zoning Objective Z2: To protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas. Residential conservation areas have extensive groupings of buildings and associated open spaces with an attractive quality of architectural design and scale. The overall quality of the area in design and layout terms is such that it requires special care in dealing with development proposals which affect structures in such areas, both protected and non-protected. The general objective for such areas is to protect them from unsuitable new developments or works that would have a negative impact on the amenity or architectural quality of the area. The policy chapters, especially Chapters 11 – Built Heritage and Culture, and 16 – Development Standards, detailing the policies and objectives for residential conservation areas and standards respectively, should be consulted. Volume 4 of this plan contains the record of protected structures. The principal land-use in residential conservation areas is housing but can include a limited range of other uses. In considering other uses, the guiding principle is to enhance the architectural quality of the streetscape and the area, and to protect the residential character of the area. Proposals for live/work units at an appropriate scale with discreet signage will be considered on the basis that the proposal would not detract from, or alter the physical character and fabric of the streetscape.'
100 years ago this year, the largest Irish WW1 ex-servicemen housing estate on the island of Ireland was completed, comprising of 247 bungalows. The Killester Garden Village was the flagship estate for returning Irishmen from what some dubbed ‘the war to end all wars’.
Under the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act of 1919 the British Government started to build housing for the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen in Ireland. The plans started for the Killester estate, which was modelled off the Garden City concept. It comprised of low density, semi-rural housing with large front and back gardens, recreational spaces, woodland, and communal spaces. Construction began in Killester in 1920 for 247 bungalow houses in this concept, while in the background the War of Independence was raging on. The Killester estate, totalling 39 acres, was broken down into three sections: The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield. It was intended that the estate be broke down into military hierarchy, with Commissioned Officers in The Demesne, Non-commissioned Officers in Middle Third and Soldiers and Sailors in the largest section of Abbeyfield. The plan was scuppered when houses were swapped and allocated at a first come, first served basis.
The estate has its own train station, which was built in 1923 and is now Killester DART Station. A bus company was also set up to serve the new community, ironically named ‘Contemptible Bus Company Ltd’ after the ‘Old Contemptibles' who were the first
100 years ago this year, the largest Irish WW1 ex-servicemen housing estate on the island of Ireland was completed, comprising of 247 bungalows. The Killester Garden Village was the flagship estate for returning Irishmen from what some dubbed ‘the war to end all wars’.
Under the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act of 1919 the British Government started to build housing for the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen in Ireland. The plans started for the Killester estate, which was modelled off the Garden City concept. It comprised of low density, semi-rural housing with large front and back gardens, recreational spaces, woodland, and communal spaces. Construction began in Killester in 1920 for 247 bungalow houses in this concept, while in the background the War of Independence was raging on. The Killester estate, totalling 39 acres, was broken down into three sections: The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield. It was intended that the estate be broke down into military hierarchy, with Commissioned Officers in The Demesne, Non-commissioned Officers in Middle Third and Soldiers and Sailors in the largest section of Abbeyfield. The plan was scuppered when houses were swapped and allocated at a first come, first served basis.
The estate has its own train station, which was built in 1923 and is now Killester DART Station. A bus company was also set up to serve the new community, ironically named ‘Contemptible Bus Company Ltd’ after the ‘Old Contemptibles' who were the first British troops who landed in France in 1914. Some local small shops were set up in the estate, as well as a Legion Hall built in 1932, which replaced an old Army Hut which stood on the green in Abbeyfield before the hall was built. This hut was burnt down in an arson attack in 1928. The Legion Hall, which it is locally named, was a community centre for this military housing estate and served as a branch of the Royal British Legion who provided care and support to the ex-servicemen and families in Killester.
From the 1930’s onwards there was a demand for housing for Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and the original Killester Garden Village of 247 bungalows was expanded in the early 1930’s, with infill houses created and a new section to the estate added called The Orchard. These were two storey houses were built by the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust, which was set up in 1924 and continued to build and maintain ex-servicemen’s housing throughout the Irish Free State. The trust was made up of representatives from Dublin, Belfast and London.
In 1924 a very unknown event to the general public occurred in Dublin, with the first British Minister to visit the new Irish Free State visiting to meet the new Government. Mr F.O. Roberts was the British Minister of Pensions and a part of a visit was dedicated to visiting the Killester Garden Village and meeting and chatting to the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and families living here. Mr Roberts was well received here in Killester; his visit to meet the Government was to discuss pensions for the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen which in the end were paid to all.
The Killester Garden Village was well ahead of its time when built in the early 1920s as it was based on Ebenezer Howards Garden City Concept. This concept was to create new (suburban) towns of semi-rural, low-density houses with large recreational spaces and affordable housing. Its vision was a perfect blend of nature and city.
This concept was the perfect housing model for the Killester veterans, as many of these ex-servicemen suffered with ‘Shell-shock’ from the battlefields, something we now call PTSD. Many of the veterans here in Killester also suffered with physical disabilities from the frontlines. The Killester Garden Village provided a unique place for the ex-servicemen and their families, being a quiet and peaceful area surrounded by nature – a nice environment compared to the trenches of the Somme or headlands of Gallipoli.
In 1923, the estate was a mixture of detached bungalows and semi-detached bungalows in three styles.*
The Type A bungalow was semi-detached and had a floor area of 675 square feet. The ground floor comprised a living room (178 square feet), a scullery kitchen (86 square feet), and a bathroom/toilet (35 square feet). The first floor had two bedrooms measuring 152 square feet and 110 square feet.
The Type G bungalow was also semi-detached and had a floor area of 841 square feet. The ground floor comprised a living room (172 square feet), a scullery kitchen (95 square feet), and a bathroom/toilet (44 square feet). The first floor had three
The Killester Garden Village was well ahead of its time when built in the early 1920s as it was based on Ebenezer Howards Garden City Concept. This concept was to create new (suburban) towns of semi-rural, low-density houses with large recreational spaces and affordable housing. Its vision was a perfect blend of nature and city.
This concept was the perfect housing model for the Killester veterans, as many of these ex-servicemen suffered with ‘Shell-shock’ from the battlefields, something we now call PTSD. Many of the veterans here in Killester also suffered with physical disabilities from the frontlines. The Killester Garden Village provided a unique place for the ex-servicemen and their families, being a quiet and peaceful area surrounded by nature – a nice environment compared to the trenches of the Somme or headlands of Gallipoli.
In 1923, the estate was a mixture of detached bungalows and semi-detached bungalows in three styles.*
The Type A bungalow was semi-detached and had a floor area of 675 square feet. The ground floor comprised a living room (178 square feet), a scullery kitchen (86 square feet), and a bathroom/toilet (35 square feet). The first floor had two bedrooms measuring 152 square feet and 110 square feet.
The Type G bungalow was also semi-detached and had a floor area of 841 square feet. The ground floor comprised a living room (172 square feet), a scullery kitchen (95 square feet), and a bathroom/toilet (44 square feet). The first floor had three bedrooms measuring 147 square feet, 118 square feet, and 83 square feet.
The Type E bungalow was detached and had a floor area of 1007 square feet. The ground floor comprised a parlour (121 square feet), a living room (162 square feet), a scullery kitchen (89 square feet), and a bathroom/toilet (55 square feet). The first floor had three bedrooms measuring 160 square feet, 107 square feet, and 80 square feet.
In 1923, the estate contained 38 Type A bungalows, 176 Type B bungalows, and 32 Type G bungalows. There were 73 dwellings in The Demesne (13 being detached), Middle Third had 49 dwellings (11 being detached), and Abbeyfield had 125 dwellings (3 being detached). Unfortunately, the available documentary evidence does not facilitate breakdowns of the number of Type A and Type G bungalows in each of the sections.
In anecdotal accounts and some publications, it has been recorded that only officers were allocated dwellings in The Demesne, with Middle Third being for Warrant Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, and Abbeyfield being for the other ranks. It has also been suggested that all the detached bungalows were allocated to commissioned officers. The research carried out by Michael Nugent and Nigel Henderson shows that, even in 1925, there was a mixture of officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and other ranks occupying bungalows in each of the segments.
The Killester estate had a huge mix of ex-servicemen living here, some British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force). The majority of the Killester ex-servicemen were serving before WW1 and a handful had served in the Boer War! Interestingly enough one Killester ex-servicemen, Alexander John Walker, was an Antarctica explorer before the war, serving onboard the Scotia on the Scottish expedition of 1902-1904 led by William Speirs Bruce! There were also a about a dozen Killester ex-servicemen who joined the new National Army from 1922, one for example was a Patrick Barrington, who served with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in WW1, then joined the National Army and was based at the Curragh Camp. There was also one Killester ex-servicemen, the battle-hardened Regimental Sergeant Major Samuel Leech, who the National Army sought as an military advisor. Daniel McAuliffe, another Killester ex-servicemen, was alleged to be in the IRA during the War of Independence and even assisted Sam Maguire in raiding British Army depots. Killester mainly remained unscathed during both the War of Independence and Civil War, apart from one notable incident: the killing of Anti-Treaty Volunteer Michael Neville, a native of Co Clare, by the National Army in 1922, near the Killester Graveyard.
So far we have found three Killester ex-servicemen awarded the Military Cross, one the Military Medal and a handful being awarded Distinguished Conduct Medals, Distinguished Service Medals
The Killester estate had a huge mix of ex-servicemen living here, some British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force). The majority of the Killester ex-servicemen were serving before WW1 and a handful had served in the Boer War! Interestingly enough one Killester ex-servicemen, Alexander John Walker, was an Antarctica explorer before the war, serving onboard the Scotia on the Scottish expedition of 1902-1904 led by William Speirs Bruce! There were also a about a dozen Killester ex-servicemen who joined the new National Army from 1922, one for example was a Patrick Barrington, who served with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in WW1, then joined the National Army and was based at the Curragh Camp. There was also one Killester ex-servicemen, the battle-hardened Regimental Sergeant Major Samuel Leech, who the National Army sought as an military advisor. Daniel McAuliffe, another Killester ex-servicemen, was alleged to be in the IRA during the War of Independence and even assisted Sam Maguire in raiding British Army depots. Killester mainly remained unscathed during both the War of Independence and Civil War, apart from one notable incident: the killing of Anti-Treaty Volunteer Michael Neville, a native of Co Clare, by the National Army in 1922, near the Killester Graveyard.
So far we have found three Killester ex-servicemen awarded the Military Cross, one the Military Medal and a handful being awarded Distinguished Conduct Medals, Distinguished Service Medals and Meritorious Service Medals. We also identified a total of 38 different Service/Corps/Regiments. Of these, ten different Irish units have been identified and a total of 70 men have been identified as serving with these units.
Twelve of the Killester ex-servicemen had been Prisoners of Wars (POWs) during WW1 in German Camps. One ex-serviceman Thomas Croke was captured in 1914 by the Germans and only repatriated in 1919! He suffered with paranoia for the rest of his life in Killester. Another ex-servicemen was held captive at a camp on the Baltic sea. The whole ideal of the Killester Garden Village was built purposely by its visionaries to aid in the recovery and well-being for these Irish WW1 ex-servicemen, especially those who suffered with insanity, paranoia , schizophrenia, alcoholism and physical disabilities. The estate was an idyllic and peaceful place with a strong sense of community and common bond for these veterans and families to live and settle after the war, although the effects of war was still carried with the ex-servicemen for many years after it ending in 1918.
Interestingly enough two of the wives of Killester ex-servicemen were nurses in WW1; they worked in what was known as Voluntary Aid Detachments, so it was not only the men serving in WW1 but the women also!
The Killester Garden Village had its very own ‘Officer In Charge’ for the estate. Captain James De Lacy MC, formerly of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, lived in 21 The Demesne and was the Superintendent of the estate. His roles included dealing with any issues in the estate, be it maintenance, rent or family issues, being a link to the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust and that he would help in any events in the estate like the British Minister visiting. He was awarded his Military Cross for gallantry when he was put in command of a Battalion when all senior officers were killed and he went forward to the enemy in harm’s way, killing three of the enemy.
11th November 1923 saw the first Armistice Day ceremony take place in 1923, with a huge turnout by the Killester community. The ceremony took place on the greens at Abbeyfield and Middle Third in Killester, with the ex-servicemen under the control of Sgt Major J. A. McBrien, formerly of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. He marched the men onto parade, the officers fell in, including Capt De Lacy. The event included the Last Post, one minutes silence, Reveille and a speech by the guest speaker Major Byran Cooper TD, who served in WW1 and was then elected to Dáil Éireann as an Independent TD. His speech was quite emotive and resonates with today in some ways:
“For it is no small thing we have accomplished. Together with our Allies, we have broken the strength of the greatest military power that the modern world has ever known – an Empire whose purpose was solely directed to securing supremacy in war.
And wherever the battle was fiercest, there was the Irish soldier to be found. Irishmen stood in the gap at Mons, Irishmen shattered the power of Turkey in Gallipoli and Palestine, Irishmen were foremost on the blood-drenched steeps of the Somme, and Irishmen North and South stood side by side victorious on the ridge of Messines.
Turn where you will, read what history you choose, no one can say that in the day of battle – Irishmen did less than their duty.
And now that the day of battle is past and we are in civilian clothes again, our duty is not at the end. We have come back to a world which was utterly changed, wherein the old landmarks have vanished, but the old orders stand. ‘’Look to your front’’, ‘’hold your head up’’, obey the orders of those in authority: above all, have courage. That is what Ireland needs to-day and if we are strong enough to do that we shall once again be rendering a supreme service to our country, and Ireland will have the cause to be proud of us not only as soldiers, but as citizens.”
(Major Byran Cooper MC TD, Armistice Day, Killester 1923.)
The event was also attended by two National Army Buglers who played at the event in remembrance of the Killester veterans fallen in WW1. An interesting time it was in Ireland, having the Civil War rage on the same year.
During ‘The Emergency’ in Killester the ex-servicemen and now their sons played a part in both supporting the Defence Forces or in supporting the Allied Forces. An Air Raid Precaution unit (ARP) and Local Defence Force (LDF) was set up during WW2, both serving to protect the community of Killester and surrounding areas in case of bombings or invasion. A story passed on from an elderly resident who remembers the unit jokingly said that the ARP unit in Killester was the best trained in Ireland due to them all being WW1 veterans!
Another factor of WW2 in Killester was that many of the original WW1 ex-servicemen and now their sons went on to serve and fight in the British Forces in support of the Allied Forces. Tragically some of their sons did not return to Killester WW2.
As the Killester Garden Village is in its centenary year – 100 years since the completion of this Great War veterans housing estate, which is a flagship and prime model of housing – the Killester Garden Village Committee plans to mark the centenary with a Community Day on Saturday 26th August. Here we hope to launch the Killester Centenary Book, which will comprise of the first full and detailed history of all the original 247 WW1 ex-servicemen and families. This project is currently being researched by Michael Nugent and Nigel Henderson, who are two WW1 researchers from Northern Ireland. Alongside this research and publication project our committee is currently engaging with Dublin City Council in an effort to create a small community garden at the green in Abbeyfield in the estate. This will also mark the centenary in creating a public amenity for all in the community today and have an interpretation signage showcasing our communities' unique and often hidden history in Dublin.
