Fr Matthew Tower, then (Aug 83) and now.

Entrance to what is now the Rockgrove Industrial Estate.

Took advantage of Sunday's sunshine to retrace some steps in the Rockgrove -Factory Hill area. Started at the entrance to the Rockgrove Industrial Estate, formerly the Rockgrove Camp and owned by the Department of Defence in  the 50s and 60s when I was growing up in the area. We would walk, those of us who worked and played in town, from the hill above (Caherlag and Rougrane), down to get the train at Little Island. There was a disused sentry hut (now vanished) behind the gate posts (right) where we would change our footwear, before walking the short distance to the station. That road is now blocked off. More details of those "good old days" here

Fr Matthew Tower Aug 83 C6, a photo by CorkBilly on Flickr.

Fr Matthew Tower Apr 2012.

From Rockgrove, I walked over the back road, behind the Island Gate (previously the Dew Drop Inn), towards the Dunsland Garden Centre. Shortly before the Dunsland entrance, I went up Tower Hill, now well populated with houses but still an working an agricultural area when I took the photo of the mid 18th century tower in 1983. The tower, as you can see in the older photo, was in ruins, after years of neglect.

For many years now, it has been restored, is gated and has a house attached at the western side (both photos are of the eastern side).