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A new view of Grand Parade, Cork, c.1860

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c.1860 Composite image of George II statue, Grand Parade.
1845, Skellig Night on South Mall, James Beale
1830, George II statue, South Mall, W.H. Bartlett

The above is a panoramic view of the Grand Parade in 1860, composited from two source images [1]. The wider angle and addition of colour hopefully gives a feel for how the junction of the Grand Parade and South Mall looked over 160 years ago. The statue (of King George II) gave the Grand Parade it's name in Irish 'Sráid an Chapaill Bhuí' or 'Street of the Yellow Horse'.

In 1762, John Van Nost the Younger was commissioned by the Lord Mayor, Thomas Newenham to create the statue. The statue was placed on Tuckey's Bridge, which was in the same location as the Berwick fountain is today [2]. At the time a river channel flowed along the route of today's Patrick Street and Grand Parade.

By the 1780s, the statue had begun to degrade so the Corporation had it painted a bright yellow, and it became known as the Yellow Horse or George-a-horseback. It was represented in several illustrations, including one in 1830 by W.H. Bartlett and James Beale's 1845 painting Skellig Night on South Mall (See above)

By the beginning of the 19th century, the river channel was filled in and replaced with a street. The statue was moved to a new site at the southern end of Grand Parade, near the river, where it stands in the picture.

Over the years, it was poorly maintained, and at one point, both horse and rider were supported by wooden props. These can be seen underneath the horse in the photo. Eventually, in 1862, the statue was torn down by a mob, roughly coinciding with the 100th anniversary of its unveiling. 

Interestingly, a very similar statue of George II which stood in St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, also by Van Nost, met a similar fate, though it lasted until 1937 [4]

The 1937 bombing reported by The Irish Times.

 

For more, see Cork In 50 Artworks, No 28: Statue of George II on the Grand Parade [3]

[1]. Cork Camera Club photograph collection

[2]. Berwick Fountain, NIAH

[3].  Cork In 50 Artworks, No 28: Statue of George II on the Grand Parade, The Examiner, 08 Nov 2021 

[4]. A lost Dublin statue: King George II and St. Stephen’s Green.