"The Castle" Mural

Explorer Tom Madden’s Buildings are seventy-six back-to-back houses from 1886 in Blackpool. They were built to fix slum housing and look surprisingly nice with their terracotta ridges. There’s even a copper statue of a bull out there, which is a bit random!

Explorer Tom Gate lodge in Farranferris is the bouncer for a seminary that nobody visits anymore. It’s got polychromatic bricks that look like a rainbow had a bad day. Gaze into its eyes and see if it blinks first.

Explorer Tom The Rebel Bar in Blackpool makes a sound at night that sounds exactly like a brick falling through a window, which fits its painted upper floor perfectly. It’s one of the few traditional shopfronts left standing, so it’s basically the last cool kid on Watercourse Road. Listen for the clinking glasses that might just be the building settling.

Explorer Tom Church of the Annunciation was built by a guy named Seamus Murphy who clearly loved concrete blocks and mid-century vibes. It replaced an older church, so it’s basically the cool new sibling that got all the funding. How did it end up here? Probably because William Dwyer had too much money and good taste.

Explorer Tom Dennehy’s Fish Shop in Blackpool is a modest house from the 1740s with some steeply pitched roofs. It used to be a separate village before getting swallowed by the city. The terracotta ridge tiles are definitely making a splash on Great William O'Brien Street.

Explorer Tom Cork and Ross Diocesan Offices in Farranferris is a bishop’s palace from 1930. It’s got advanced bays and a Celtic-influenced door lintel that S.F. Hynes designed. The brick and tile detailing is skilful, and the whole thing looks very serious and official, which is exactly what you want from a church office.

Explorer Tom Store or warehouse in Blackpool used to hold whiskey for the Watercourse Distillery, which means it’s still hungover from 1794. It’s an impressive bonded store now standing next to a busy road. Tell me if it smells like old rye!

Explorer Tom "Farranferris Educational Campus was built like a gothic castle because someone had too much money and not enough sense. Now it’s just a college, but I’m pretty sure the fox still runs the faculty meetings in the chapel. Bring"

Explorer Tom Ladys Well in Cork City has a shrine with a statue but no visible well anymore. It's not frequented on a holy well nowadays, which is sad. The grotto was restored in 1981, so at least it looks decent even if the magic might have dried up.

Explorer Tom Alms House in Cork City is Skiddy’s Almshouse, built in 1718 to care for the elderly poor. It has a weird open loggia on two sides. It was saved from demolition by the Preservation Society, so it’s got some history.

Explorer Tom The Church of Saint Anne in Shandon would give its visitors a harsh review based entirely on how loud they are on the stairs to the bell tower. It’s got that famous clock face staring down at you, judging your outfit choice as you climb. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Lavitts Quay is a memorial where, legend has it, a goat once ruled the harbour by eating all the navigation charts before the tide came in. Now it’s just rocks and stories, but if you look closely, you can still see the hoofprints of that terrible beast. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.