Architectural Styles

Oak Park Arch detail

Architectural detail from the Triumphal Arch at Oakpark. It depicts the upper portion of one set of twin columns with architrave and moulding. The arch also features a dentil, a series of closely spaced rectangular blocks beneath the corona and cornice. The Ionic columns feature volutes which are typical of the style, and plain shafts. The twin columns flank the archway leading to the main entrance drive of Oakpark House former home of the Bruen Family.

Carlow County Library

Oak Park Arch detail
Carlow County Library

Oak Park Arch detail

Architectural detail from the Triumphal Arch at Oakpark. It depicts the upper portion of one set of twin columns with architrave and moulding. The arch also features a dentil, a series of closely spaced rectangular blocks beneath the corona and cornice. The Ionic columns feature volutes which are typical of the style, and plain shafts. The twin columns flank the archway leading to the main entrance drive of Oakpark House former home of the Bruen Family.

Carlow County Library

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Carlow Grand Jury Presentments 1860

The Grand Jury was the most important local body in rural Ireland during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They were empowered to raise money by means of the county rates. They were responsible for the construction of roads and bridges and the upkeep of the lunatic asylums and hospitals. Members of the Grand Jury were selected by the High Sheriff from the leading property owners in the county. In this cover detail from Grand Jury Presentments for 1860 we can see several well-known names from the landed gentry of County Carlow.

Carlow County Library

Carlow Grand Jury Presentments 1860
Carlow County Library

Carlow Grand Jury Presentments 1860

The Grand Jury was the most important local body in rural Ireland during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They were empowered to raise money by means of the county rates. They were responsible for the construction of roads and bridges and the upkeep of the lunatic asylums and hospitals. Members of the Grand Jury were selected by the High Sheriff from the leading property owners in the county. In this cover detail from Grand Jury Presentments for 1860 we can see several well-known names from the landed gentry of County Carlow.

Carlow County Library

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Buildings are generally classified according to their principal function or activity. Public buildings include those for public assembly, where people gather for social or recreational activities. They also include building for public order and safety such as courthouses and jails. They usually incorporate formal architectural detail which defines their purpose.

Country houses were the domestic dwellings of the upper classes and landed gentry. They were designed in important architectural styles reflecting the status of their owners.

The classical architectural style is influenced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Neo-classicism was a style of the late eighteenth century characterised by its regularity and uniformity closely resembling classical antiquity. Within these styles were the classical orders of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian which distinguished the type of column and entablature used. Many of the buildings discussed here display examples of these styles with the courthouses of Carlow and Bagenalstown modelled on the antique.

St. Patrick's College, Carlow

St. Patrick’s College is one of the earlier Catholic colleges founded in Ireland following the relaxation of the Penal Laws. It is situated on land purchased in the eighteenth century. The Catholic cathedral occupies an adjacent plot. The College is built in the form of a large country house. There is a central granite porch with a cornice. Flanking it are two bays and flanking those are advanced ends of three bays each. One of the internal stone staircases is by Thomas Cobden.

Carlow County Library

St. Patrick's College, Carlow
Carlow County Library

St. Patrick's College, Carlow

St. Patrick’s College is one of the earlier Catholic colleges founded in Ireland following the relaxation of the Penal Laws. It is situated on land purchased in the eighteenth century. The Catholic cathedral occupies an adjacent plot. The College is built in the form of a large country house. There is a central granite porch with a cornice. Flanking it are two bays and flanking those are advanced ends of three bays each. One of the internal stone staircases is by Thomas Cobden.

Carlow County Library

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The gothic revival style was an architectural movement of the late Georgian and Victorian eras that sought to revive medieval forms in distinction to the classical styles that were prevalent at the time. The most striking examples of the gothic revival style are Ducketts Grove and Carlow Cathedral.

St. Patrick's College, Carlow is built in the form of a large country house. It is one of the earlier Catholic colleges founded in Ireland following the relaxation of the Penal Laws. Bishop James Keefe made the decision to establish a college in 1782 and Bishop Daniel Delany brought it to completion. Fr. Henry Staunton was the first president of the college. It is situated on land purchased in the eighteenth century. The Catholic cathedral occupies an adjacent plot. A central granite porch with a cornice is flanked by two bays. Flanking those are advanced ends of three bays each. One of the internal stone staircases is by Thomas Cobden.