Important Notice (issued on April 2nd): We have discovered that Dr Avril Foorst is a fraud and her ‘plans’ for the tower should not be taken too seriously. It’s all in the name (and the date) really.
It was always thought that the iconic James Joyce Martello Tower at Sandycove was a solid stone structure constructed from locally quarried granite.
This, however, has proven to be a ‘false assumption’ according to Dr Avril Foorst (Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council’s Chief Architect) who has extensively surveyed the building in advance of her organisation taking responsibility for its upkeep in the near future.
‘We were delighted to discover that the granite was merely a cladding which covered a most wonderful and unique example of early nineteenth century red brickwork ’ exclaimed an excited Dr Avril.
Section of external wall with cladding removed
‘It is now part of our planned development of the tower to remove the granite cladding entirely and to expose the original redbrick. We believe that this will result in a wonderful visual link between the tower and the redbrick facade of the nearby and newly constructed Lexicon Library also controlled by DLR CoCo’.
The tower, with its new red colour, will certainly become more noticeable as a welcoming beacon for tourists and literary pilgrims and offer a relief from its original dreary greyness which was rather bleak – particularly in wintertime!
Joyce enthusiasts have welcomed these plans stating that the new redbrick tower will also form a positive architectural bond with the redbrick buildings of Rathgar, James Joyce’s birthplace.
As cultural projects go, this tower transformation will be a ‘first’ for Dr Avril.
Work commenced on the project today.
Round Room with exposed redbrick
