Page 117 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

GREYSTONES ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL VOLUME 8

and cart to the front of the shop. The hotel is white-painted and
the sign, also painted, now reads ‘Railway Hotel’. A crafted
facade rising to the bottom of the Oriel window wraps the corner
on the ground floor. The standard trees lining the street on either
side are noticeably larger and additional houses have been built
on both sides. There are no longer grass verges. Derek has
dated it 1901 and the caption reads ‘Church Rd. Greystones, Co.
Wicklow’.

What’s puzzling is the Lawrence serial number; it also reads
481.W.L.

The earlier image has clearly been reproduced from a
postcard in Derek Paine’s possession, because it seemingly no
longer exists in the Lawrence Collection. The second image
does, catalogued as from the ‘Royal Collection’, and can be
accessed online. [13] It seems to me that the first of the
Greystones images in Derek’s book was most likely published as
a postcard from the original 481.W.L. plate in the Royal series,
and the second was re-photographed using the same reference
number at a later date.

Coincidentally, there is another photograph in the Royal
Collection that also appears to be a later duplication from the
same time as the McFarland’s photo. Numbered 480.W.L. (see
below), it is a general view of Greystones looking east from
Jones’ Hill - the hill at Greystones Golf Club that many people
will be familiar with - and takes in the Grand Hotel and a
steamship out to sea.

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