FOXROCK

'Foxrock' () is a suburb, formerly a separate village, in Dublin, Ireland, in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, in postal district Dublin 18.

Contents

History

Geography

Recent development

External links

History

Foxrock is named after its developers, Anthony and Edward Fox, who together with William and John Bentley, built the suburb on agricultural lands in the mid 19th century. The site was leased from the then Archbishop of Dublin, Richard Whately, in 1859 with the aim of creating an affluent garden suburb. The development was facilitated by the existence of the Harcourt Street railway line, built in 1854, that put Dublin city within commuting distance. The developers donated a site to the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company for Foxrock railway station, that opened in 1861. In 1862, an advertisement was placed in the Irish Times to sell ''beautiful building sites for mansions and pretty villas''.[1]
The racecourse was opened in the late 19th century, while the golf club opened in 1898
Due to a slower than expected inital takeup of lots, the founder/developers of Foxrock were bankrupted and did not live to see its successful development into a wealthy suburb.[2]

Geography

The three main roads of the original development of Foxrock remain, Brighton, Torquay and Westminster Roads. The boundaries of Foxrock as used by the post office now extend East to take in the lands bounded by Clonkeen Road, Deangrange Cemetery and Newtown Park Avenue. The widened N11 running North-South clearly divides new and old Foxrock.
The village of Foxrock is unusual in the Republic of Ireland as it lacks a pub. Leopardstown racecourse is located at Foxrock and the track is the only one in the greater metropolitan area. In the racing industry, it ranks in importance as second only to The Curragh in County Kildare.

Foxrock has a number of primary schools. It has one secondary school - ''Loreto Convent, Foxrock'' for girls.

Recent development

In recent years, with the enormous growth in the housing market in Ireland, the area has seen much building development, with the large plots of land around some houses being subdivided for development.
The railway line from Dublin Harcourt Street to Bray formerly passed through Foxrock. Although the route has now been reopened as the Green Line of the Luas light rail system, it currently terminates at Sandyford, some short of Foxrock. An extension of the line is under construction but it doesn't follow the old Harcourt Street line through Foxrock, not least because there were houses built on a section of the old track at Foxrock Village in the late 1990s. The original passenger entrance still remains at the entrance to Westwood.
Samuel Beckett grew up on an estate in Foxrock.
:''See also:'' List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

External links

★ Foxrock Local History

★ Foxrock Church

★ Foxrock Golf Club