Rushbrooke is a populated area on the western side of Cobh on

Great Island Great Island () is an island in Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee and close to the city of Cork, Ireland. The largest town on the island is Cobh (called Queenstown from 1849 to 1922). The island's economic and social history has hist ...

Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Ringacoltig ().

History and development

The area is named after Frederica Harriet Rushbrooke and her son and daughter who were granted lands under the 'Midleton Act' (1850). This followed the suicide of the 5th Viscount Midleton, George Alan Broderick (1806-1848), who died by inhaling charcoal on 1 November 1848. Succession to the titles and estate was court challenged and ultimately settled by Private Act of the House of Lords. Land in Surrey and Ireland were settled on the Rushbrookes from the estates of Earl Broderick/Viscount Midleton, who became known as the 'most wretched man in the world' by his aristocratic peers in England. Much disapproved of was his association with

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

, the renowned Catholic architect and father of E W Pugin who later designed

Cobh Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Colman ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Colmán), usually known as Cobh Cathedral, or previously Queenstown Cathedral, is a single-spire cathedral in Cobh, Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and was completed in 1919. Bu ...

. Even more disapproved of was his unorthodox relationships. Rushbrooke contains a number of

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

houses, while several newer housing estates have been built in the Rushbrooke area in more modern times.

Industry

Located on the shoreline of Cork harbour, Rushbrooke has a long tradition of ship and boat-building. The docks at Rushbrooke were founded by

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...

and became the home of the former Dutch-owned Verolme Cork Dockyard which once employed over 1,100 people in

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

. Many large ships were built and launched from Verolme. This included a number of vessels, such as LÉ Eithne, which were built for the Irish Naval Service which has its headquarters nearby. The dockyard closed in the mid 1980s with major job losses, and was subsequently redeveloped into a commercial and small industries park - while Cork Dockyard Holdings Ltd continues with ship and boat repair.

Sport

Rushbrooke has the oldest tennis club in Ireland, the Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which runs a number of tournaments each year.

Transport

Rushbrooke also has a railway station on the main Cork to Cobh line, located close to the Cork Dockyard Commercial Development, Rushbrooke railway station, which opened on 10 March 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974.

References

{{County Cork Towns and villages in County Cork Cobh

History and development

Industry

Sport

Transport

See also

References