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Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin
Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin
This is an illustration of The Bank of Ireland in Dublin by the artist James Malton. The National Bank of Ireland HQ on College Green, was formerly a Parliament house, one of the first purpose built parliament houses in the world. Three architects have contributed to the building of this structure. Edward Pearce, James Gandon & Francis Johnston. Pearse began the contruction in 1729, then in 1785 and 1797 Gandon constructed the east and west porticos. Later in 1803 when the building was being converted into a bank Johnston built the rounding walls. The building has been built in classical style with its porticos and pillars on the side walls.
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The Customs House (James Gandon)
The Customs House (James Gandon)
This is an illustration of the Customs House in 1817 by James Malton. The original custom house in Dublin was built in 1707 by Thomas Burgh, and was situated further up the Liffey on Essex Quay. There was a significant need for the construction of a new custom house as the old custom house was seen as being unsafe only 70 years after its construction. The New Custom House (here pictured) was designed by James Gandon, a famous architect of the time. With the newly reclaimed land in the dockland area of the Liffey a site was chosen further downstream of the Liffey for the new building. This new site was not concrete and there were fears that the building would sink eventually, however Gandon’'s new construction plans involved using planks of wood to form a base over the marsh on which the building would stand. The building was completed in 1871. It suffered heavily in the Irish War of Independence in 1921, when a large number of public records were destroyed by fire. However, after some renovations to repair the house, it still stands tall along the Liffey.
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Modern Architecture at University College Dublin
Modern Architecture at University College Dublin
Photograph of a typical building at University College Dublin. The modern architecture revolves around geometric shapes, horrizontal metal windows and flat roofs.
Irish Architectural Archives
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Irish Canals
Irish Canals
This is taken from a map of the canals of Ireland in the year 1902. On it can clearly be seen the Grand canal stretching from Dublin to Ballinasloe (the lower of the two lines from Dublin). Work on the Grand Canal began in 1755 by the Commissioners of Inland Navigation. Their aim was to link Dublin with the rivers the Shannon and the Barrow. In 1765 Dublin Corporation took over the project to complete the section linking Dublin with the river Morrell in an effort to supply water to the city basin. In 1772, the project was taken over again by the Company of the Undertakers of the Grand Canal and the canal was opened to cargo boat traffic to Sallins in 1779. By 1791 the canal had reached Ringsend where the Grand Canal Docks were constructed and opened in 1796. In 1804, with the canal now complete to the river Shannon, the first trade boat passed along the canal to Dublin from the river Shannon. By 1835 all work on the main canal-way and its branches was complete.
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Slate roofs
Slate roofs
This is a photograph of slate roof tops in Dublin City. Roofs in Ireland are most commonly constructed of slate. This is a natural material deriving from a geological transformation of the sedimentary rock, shale. The principal characteristic of slate is that it can be split into very thin sheets along the bed of the sedimentation and since it is a rock it provides a surface that is impenetrable to water. Slate is naturally a blue black colour. Its shade can vary greatly according to locality and it is widely found throughout Ireland. Slate of a very high quality is necessary to provide a good roofing material and from the early nineteenth century it was common for the best slates to be imported to Ireland either from Ballachulish in Scotland or from Bangor in North Wales. As with the manufacture of glass, the size of individual pieces of slate becomes larger as methods of extraction were more refined. An older building will usually have smaller slates which will vary considerably in size between those at the top or ridge of the roof (which are small) and those at the bottom (which are large). From the middle of the nineteenth century slates are usually uniformly large over the whole roof.
Irish Architectural Archives
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St. Kevin's church, Glendalough
St. Kevin's church, Glendalough
St.Kevin's church and, in the background, the Round Tower at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow
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Royal Hospital Kilmainham
Royal Hospital Kilmainham
This is a photo of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham from its side. This hospital, known as the 'old man's hospital' was built in 1680 under Charles II by order of the Earl of Ormonde, the Deputy Governor. The hospital was so called because it was used mainly for old and maimed soldiers at the time. The grounds consisted of a few acres of the phoenix park where the hospitaller knights worked from their headquarters. These were an order of men consisting of physicians, warriors, philosophers and lawyers.
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Steel frame of the Savoy cinema in Dublin
Steel frame of the Savoy cinema in Dublin
This is a photograph taken during the construction of the Savoy Cinema in Dublin, showing how the steel is used as the construction frame for the building.
Irish Architectural Archives
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Staigue Fort
Staigue Fort
This is one of the best examples of a cashel even though there are many larger ones to be found around the country. It is called the Staigue Fort and it is situated in Co. Kerry. This structure is almost round and is about 114 feet in diameter. The walls of the fort reach 18 feet high in some places. What is most notable about this cashel is the design in which the ring has been constructed. There is a double series of zig-zag steps up along the inside walls of the fort. These dwellings were used to defend the inhabitants from oncoming attack.
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Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park consists of 1760 acres of land and is one of the largest parks within city boundaries in Europe. Part of the Phoenix Park was used by the hospitaller knights who occupied Kilmainham until they surrendered this land to the English crown in 1541. The residence was used by the governor general but after numerous attacks from Fenian clans, the land was leased out to Sir Edward Fisher who built a residence on the land and named it Phoenix. There are two beliefs as to where the name came from. Some people believe that the house name derived from the irish words Fionn-Uisage, which describes a spring of clear water which is supposed to have been found in the park, while others take the view that the builder of the house called it phoenix to assert a classical quality to it. A number of years later the land was taken back by the crown and used for residence of the crown’s representatives in Ireland, who included the Earls of Essex and Strafford, and Henry Cromwell, brother of Oliver. Upon the arrival of James Duke of Ormond as Lord Deputy of Ireland, a sum of money was provided for to make a deer park by adjoining some of the local farms together and buying deer, partridges and hawks. Following this the park was enclosed in walls so that the deer would not escape from their confines. The park was used for many a hunting party for the royal aristocrats who came to Ireland. About 1738, the Fionn-Uisage house was destroyed by fire and a new building for military guard was erected called the Power Magazine. There is a further nine acres which was organised to play polo on, however this is now used by citizens as a place of relaxation.