Britain Quay () is a street and

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

in Dublin on the south bank of the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...

between

Sir John Rogerson's Quay Sir John Rogerson's Quay () is a street and quay in Dublin on the south bank of the River Liffey between City Quay in the west and Britain Quay. Named for politician and property developer Sir John Rogerson (1648–1724), the quay was form ...

and the confluence of the

River Dodder The River Dodder () is one of the three main rivers in Dublin, Ireland, the others being the River Liffey, Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the River Tolka, Tolka. Course and system The Dodder rises on the northern s ...

and Grand Canal. Originally known as Great Britain Quay, the quay was built in the 1790s as part of the opening of

Grand Canal Dock Grand Canal Dock () is a Southside (Dublin), Southside area near the city centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Cana ...

. The quay was widened in the mid-19th century, with works undertaken to dredge and deepen the riverbed alongside the quay wall in the 1870s. In 1873, Great Britain Quay was recorded as being in length. Part of the working

Dublin Port Dublin Port () is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland. Locatio ...

facilities for several hundred years, the quay was a docking point for coal carrying cargo vessels, and the site of a number of industrial buildings – including a chemical works which was destroyed by fire in the early 20th century. By this time the quay's structures also included a navigation "hailing station" at the junction with Sir John Rogerson's Quay. A

time ball A time ball or timeball is a time-signalling device. It consists of a large, painted wooden or metal ball that is dropped at a predetermined time, principally to enable navigators aboard ships offshore to verify the setting of their marine chron ...

sat on top of this station which, when operated remotely from

Dunsink Observatory The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink in the outskirts of the city of Dublin, Ireland. Alexander Thom''Irish Almanac and Official Directory''7th ed., 1850 p. 258. Retrieved: 2011-0 ...

, signaled that it was 1pm. In the early 21st century this station, by then a protected structure, was demolished by the

Dublin Docklands Development Authority The Dublin Docklands Development Authority () (DDDA) was created by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regeneration in the East side of Dublin, Ireland, along both banks of ...

. This demolition occurred as part of development works at the corner between Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay in preparation for the construction of the U2 Tower, which would have been Ireland's tallest building. That project was later scrapped in the economic downturn, and ultimately

Capital Dock Capital Dock is a 22-storey mixed-use development at the junction of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay in the Dublin Docklands, Dublin docklands. Developed by Kennedy Wilson, the site was acquired in 2012 and construction finished in 2018 ...

was erected on the site (Ireland's tallest building on its completion in 2018). Remaining buildings on the

Record of Protected Structures Conservation in the Republic of Ireland is overseen by a number of statutory and non-governmental agencies, including those with responsibility for Historic preservation, conservation of the built environment and Environmental protection, conservat ...

on Britain Quay include a former

lock keeper A lock keeper, lock tender, or lock operator looks after a canal or river lock, operating it and if necessary maintaining it or organizing its maintenance. Traditionally, lock keepers lived on-site, often in small purpose-built cottages. A lock ke ...

's cottage and the three nearby

canal locks A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a chamber in a permanently fixed position i ...

which separate Grand Canal Dock from the River Liffey. These three locks, named Westmoreland Lock, Buckingham Lock, and Camden Lock, were built in 1796. A public transport bridge (carrying pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport only) had been proposed to connect Britain Quay to York Road across the River Dodder. As of early 2018, the proposed bridge (described in planning documents under the interim project name of the "Dodder Public Transportation Opening Bridge") was in an initial public consultation phase.

References

{{Streets in Dublin city, state=autocollapse Quays in Dublin (city) Dublin Docklands Ringsend

See also

References