Dublin Port Chief Engineers

‘Dublin Port Chief Engineers’ written by Dr Ron Cox, Chartered Engineer and civil engineering historian, the book explores the rich history of Dublin Port and the development of the Harbour and Port of Dublin between the years 1828 and 1938, as seen through the work of two inspiring and colourful characters, Binden Blood Stoney and John Purser Griffith. 

As Chief Port Engineer, Blood Stoney bridged the period during which the Corporation for Improving and Preserving the Port of Dublin (commonly known as the Ballast Board) was replaced in 1867 by the Dublin Port & Docks Board, thus paving the way for the acceleration of engineering work leading to the creation of a modern deep-water port to serve an expanding economy. Purser Griffith served as assistant engineer to Blood Stoney at Dublin Port, before taking over as Engineer-in-Chief in 1898. During his time at the port, Purser Griffith was responsible for the introduction of an extensive system of dredging and land reclamation, and the electrification of the port.

The book is designed in a hard bound, large format which takes advantage of the wealth of extraordinary maps, drawings and illustrations created by Blood Stoney and Purser Griffith and digitised by Dublin Port Archive. We used a colour palette from the era along with a selection of fascinating photography from the Dublin Port Archive to build a rich and detailed insight into the inner working of a compelling period of Dublin Port's history.