Turners Cross, Cork

Turners Cross (

Largely residential, one of the key features of the area is the iconic church created by architect Barry Byrne and sculptor John Storrs, the Church of Christ the King. It was commissioned in 1927 by Rev Daniel Cohalan D.D., Bishop of Cork. The church was the first Irish church to be built from concrete instead of brick,^[2] and is one of the largest suspended-ceiling churches in Europe.^[2] Opened in 1931, the church is based on the principles of Art Deco, which makes strong use of symmetric and geometric forms.^[3] Turners Cross is part of the Cork South-Central Dáil constituency.

History

Rocque's map of Cork of 1759 is the first to show significant housing in the Turners Cross area in the areas that are now Evergreen Street (then Maypole Lane) and Quaker Road (then Graveyard Lane).^[4] Previous maps of Cork in 1690 and 1726 show only occasional houses associated with what were then farms on the southern edge of the city.^[5] The oldest housing still existing in Turners Cross now dates from the mid-19th century.

In 1879, the

New housing was continually developed in the Turners Cross area until the 1950s, when there was little remaining spare land in the area.

Sport

Turners Cross is home to

The main primary school in the area is Bunscoil Chríost Rí, which is a Catholic mixed (co-educational) school. The secondary schools in the area are Christ King, an all-girls school, which was originally served by the Presentation Sisters and Coláiste Chríost Rí, an all-boys school, which was served by the Presentation Brothers.

Transport

Road

Turners Cross takes its name from an important junction, where the road from Cork to Kinsale separated from the road to Carrigaline. The road to Carrigaline (passing through Douglas) is now the R851.

The

Although both the Cork-Macroom and Cork, Bandon and South Coast railways previously went through Turners Cross, it is not currently served by rail. The nearest active railway station is Cork Kent railway station.

References