The “Building Parson” - The role of Reverend David Hall in the solution of Ireland's early twentieth-century housing problems

Abstract

The analysis of the role of decision makers in the creation of the urban landscape, often Government or local authorities, lends to suggest a powerful, monolithic and impersonal body at work. However, sometimes just one person can be the catalyst for a whole new way of doing things. This paper is concerned with the work and influence of a man whose role in the solution of Ireland's housing problems has been almost forgotten, yet his impact was profound. The work of the first operational public utility society in Ireland is examined, indicating some of its links to the garden city movement. It is argued that the influence of this St Barnabas public utility society, and its founder, the Reverend David Henry Hall, was far greater than might be suggested by the small number of houses which it built. It is also suggested that the role of public utility societies as agents in housing provision throughout Ireland was far greater than has been heretofore recognised.