History of South Gate · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
South Gate: 27% of homes built before 1919
For South Gate, that is 8 times the typical town’s share, 3.4%. The oldest record dates from 1300. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 199 buildings in South Gate, 2 of them of national importance. For its size that is a lot: 277 for every 10,000 residents, more than in 92% of towns.
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
16
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1300
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
27%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
6 pictures of South Gate today and 2 from before 1950
The set includes 2 of South Gate’s nationally rated places. There are photos of 6 of South Gate’s recorded places so far. From 1870 to 1905, old photographs record South Gate.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Through time
South Gate from 1870 to 1905
2 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1875190019251950VictorianEdwardianRevolutionFree State
From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The map
Where South Gate’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 199, by rating
2 National and International197 Regional and other sites
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
National and International
2 places of national importance in South Gate
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Frankfield Terrace20 on the record
South Terrace19 on the record
George's Quay19 on the record
Cove Street12 on the record
Newenham Terrace11 on the record
Douglas Street9 on the record
Barrack Street9 on the record
Mary Street7 on the record
Union Quay6 on the record
Langford Row6 on the record
Sullivan's Quay5 on the record
Rutland Street5 on the record
Of the 199 records, 180 give a street address.
What’s recorded
In South Gate, homes lead the record (70%)
The latest date on South Gate’s record is 1940. Second on the record: churches and chapels, 14 of them. At the top of the record: Red Abbey and Elizabeth Fort.
Homes139
Churches and chapels14
Public buildings8
Street furniture7
Walls, gates and bridges4
Mills, stations and works1
Other buildings26
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of South Gate’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14991
1500–1799 three centuries41
19th century 1800–1899148
1900 and later to today9
42 of the 199 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Red Abbey, from 1300.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in South Gate
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
16 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
Church5 records
Fortification2 records
Bridge1 record
Bastioned fort1 record
Graveyard1 record
Religious house - Augustinian friars1 record
Leper hospital1 record
Burial ground1 record
Burial (present location)1 record
Excavation - miscellaneous1 record
Burial1 record
Homes by age
New homes are rare in South Gate: 4.1% since 2011, against a usual 5.8%
Most of the houses in South Gate today, over half, were up by 1981. A full 11% of the homes in South Gate went up between the wars, beyond the typical 3.9%. Fewer of South Gate’s homes than usual date in the 2000s: 12%, against 25%.
27%
Before 1919
11%
1919–45
18%
1946–80
27%
1981–2000
12%
2001–10
4.1%
Since 2011
South GateTypical town
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Towns its size
South Gate has the 4th most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 6,700 to 7,600 residents, by buildings on the record.
For its size, South Gate has more recorded buildings than 92% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. All told, the list holds 199 places on the record, 2 of them in the top tier. Of its homes, 27% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. Only 3 of the 16 towns nearest its size have more recorded buildings.
Frankfield Terrace alone has 20 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 70%, are homes. Of the 199 with a date, 148 come from the 19th century.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
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The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
•
Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
•
Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
•
Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
•
The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about South Gate’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in South Gate?
199 buildings on the National Inventory, 2 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in South Gate are of national importance?
Red Abbey and Elizabeth Fort.
What is the oldest building in South Gate?
Red Abbey: the first date on its record is 1300.
Are there archaeological sites in South Gate?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 16 archaeological sites inside South Gate.
How old are the homes in South Gate?
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
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Red Abbey · Photo: HarryLande · CC BY-SA 4.0
Elizabeth FortNational rating (NIAH)
Lough Parish Community CentreRegional rating (NIAH)
St Nicholas ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
St Finbarr's South (church / chapel)Regional rating (NIAH)
Callanan's TowerRegional rating (NIAH)+1See all photos
1870s
1905
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