We pass by them every day.

But if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Cork’s impressive collection of interesting buildings, a new online guide could be an excellent place to start.

Cork-based writer and researcher Tom Spalding has just unveiled his Guide to Cork City’s 20th-Century Buildings: An Architectural and Social History, 1900-2000 and it’s a joy to scroll through.

Compiled by the historian, who specialises in architecture, with help from Cork City Council, statutory bodies, residents and local businesses, the project was funded by a Heritage Council grant and is fully searchable.

For the first time, it provides readers with a chronological table of significant developments, the names of the designers and contractors (where available) as well as 500-word descriptions and illustrations of 114 key structures built between 1900 and 2000.

From parks to Penney’s 

The chapters take readers all over the city, featuring obvious landmarks such as the President’s and Lord Mayor’s Pavilion in Fitzgerald Park and the Honan Chapel in UCC as well as some more unusual picks, such as the former Baker’s Bicycle Shop on MacCurtain Street and and Penney’s (the former Munster Arcade) on St Patrick’s Street.

A number of Cork pubs are also featured, including Arthur Maynes, a former pharmacy on Pembroke Street, The Castle Inn on South Main Street and Callanan’s Bar on George’s Quay, which both retain a variety of original features.

“This important publication is intended as a snapshot in time and a guide to the best and most interesting of Cork’s twentieth-century architecture, as it is today.” Spalding explains in the preface.

“Beginning with a red brick social housing scheme constructed in 1900 it moves across time and style taking in pubs, cinemas, houses, civil engineering projects, public buildings, churches and convents to build a complete overview of the design of the century. There are examples of every major architectural style accompanied by a lively text which also explores some of the lives lived in these buildings and the background to their development.”

“Cork City can be considered a free, open-air museum of architectural and design history accessible to anyone with curiosity and an observant eye. This guide will introduce you to 114 twentieth-century buildings, monuments and locations in Cork and help you to learn more about this interesting city.”

Check out the Guide here.