County Hall, Dún Laoghaire: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Municipal building in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland}} |
{{Short description|Municipal building in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} |
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{{Use Hiberno-English|date= |
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2023}} |
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{{Infobox building |
{{Infobox building |
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| name = County Hall, Dún Laoghaire |
| name = County Hall, Dún Laoghaire |
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| map_dot_label = County Hall |
| map_dot_label = County Hall |
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| coordinates = {{coord|53.2943|-6.1348|display=inline}} |
| coordinates = {{coord|53.2943|-6.1348|display=inline}} |
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| completion_date = |
| completion_date = 1880 |
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| architect = John Loftus Robinson |
| architect = John Loftus Robinson |
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| architectural_style = [[First Romanesque|Lombard Romanesque]] |
| architectural_style = [[First Romanesque|Lombard Romanesque]] |
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}} |
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'''County Hall''' ({{lang-ga|Halla an Chontae, Dún Laoghaire}}) is a municipal facility in Marine Road, [[Dún Laoghaire]] in the county of [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]], Ireland. |
'''County Hall''' ({{lang-ga|Halla an Chontae, Dún Laoghaire}}), formerly known as '''Dún Laoghaire Town Hall''', and before that, '''Kingstown Town Hall,''' is a municipal facility in Marine Road, [[Dún Laoghaire]] in the county of [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]], Ireland. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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After significant population growth, largely associated with the development of the harbour, the township of Kingstown appointed [[town commissioners]] in March 1855.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VSxcAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA17 |title=Minutes of Evidence: Kingstown|publisher=House of Commons|date=5 April 1877|access-date=22 October 2023}}</ref> The commissioners identified the need for a town hall at an early stage although it was not until the early 1870s that a suitable site on the sea front was selected.<ref name=arch>{{cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2009/1879-dun-laoghaire-town-hall-co-dublin/|title=1879 – Dun Laoghaire Town Hall, Co. Dublin|date=17 September 2009 |publisher=Archiseek|accessdate=1 November 2019|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101094700/http://archiseek.com/2009/1879-dun-laoghaire-town-hall-co-dublin/|url-status=live}}</ref> Work on the new building started in July 1878.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5dK3T_DyUxIC&pg=PA41 |title=Town Hall and Courthouse, Kingstown, Dublin|publisher=The Builder|date=11 January 1879|page=41}}</ref> It was designed by John Loftus Robinson in the [[First Romanesque|Lombard Romanesque style]], built in [[ashlar]] stone at a cost of £16,000 and was officially opened on 20 April 1880.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/buildingnewsengi39londuoft/page/92/mode/2upkingstown |title=The New Kingstown Town Hall|publisher=Building News|date=23 July 1880|page=92}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pYNeAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA466 |title= A New History of Ireland |year=1989|page=466|first=W. E. |last=Vaughan|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199583744}}</ref> |
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The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing onto Marine Road. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured, a recessed doorway with [[lancet window]]s, flanked by [[colonnette]]s, on either side. On the first floor, there was a [[balcony]] and an [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]], formed by three round headed windows with [[architrave]]s and coloured [[voussoir]]s flanked by colonettes. The central bay was surmounted by an [[entablature]] carved with the words "Town Hall", and a [[pediment]]. The wings of four bays each were fenestrated by round headed windows with architraves and coloured voussoirs on both floors: the first-floor windows were flanked by colonettes. On the east side, which provided access to a courthouse, there was a four-stage tower, which was {{convert|120|feet}} high. It featured a round headed doorway in the first stage, round headed windows in the second and third stages, and clock faces in the fourth stage, all surmounted by a [[pyramid]]-shaped roof. Internally, the principal rooms were a courtroom on the ground floor and a large assembly room and a board room for the town commissioners, both on the first floor.<ref name=arch/> |
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The building became the home of Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council on its formation in 1899, and was re-named Dún Laoghaire Town Hall in the lead-up to the creation of the [[Irish Free State]] in August 1920.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-07|title=What's in a name? Dun Leary – Kingstown – Dún Laoghaire|url=https://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/news/general-news/what%E2%80%99s-name-dun-leary-%E2%80%93-kingstown-%E2%80%93-d%C3%BAn-laoghaire|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127034536/https://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/news/general-news/what%E2%80%99s-name-dun-leary-%E2%80%93-kingstown-%E2%80%93-d%C3%BAn-laoghaire|archive-date=2021-01-27|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council|language=en}}</ref> The building became the home of the [[Corporation of Dún Laoghaire]] on its formation in 1930.<ref name=arch/> The town hall was also a venure for concerts and theatrical performances: the [[Pike Theatre|Pike Theatre Players]], founded by [[Alan Simpson (theatre director)|Alan Simpson]] and Carolyn Swift performed their first play, ''The Millstone'', in the town hall in September 1951.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9AMHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA64 |title=Cultural Convergence The Dublin Gate Theatre, 1928–1960|first1=Ian R. |last1=Walsh|first2=Ondřej|last2= Pilný|first3=Ruud |last3=van den Beuken|year=2021|publisher=Springer International Publishing|isbn=978-3030575625}}</ref> |
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An extensive programme of refurbishment works, involving replacement of the plaster and timberwork, was carried out at a cost of £800,000 to a design by Gerry McEvoy, and completed in June 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/category/environment/2015/0626/710918-restoration-of-dun-laoghaire-town-hall/|title=Venetian Architecture in Dun Laoghaire 1990|publisher=RTE|accessdate=1 November 2019|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101094657/https://www.rte.ie/archives/category/environment/2015/0626/710918-restoration-of-dun-laoghaire-town-hall/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.euscreen.eu/item.html?id=EUS_4D35A96B6A1C4E8DE0893593629FDEB4 |title= Restoration of Dun Laoghaire Town Hall|publisher= RTÉ News|year=1990|access-date=22 October 2023}}</ref> Following the implementation of the [[Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993]], the old post office to the south of the town hall was converted for use as an entrance block for a large extension, erected around a central courtyard, which was designed by McCullough Mulvin-Robinson Keefe Devane and built to the west of the town hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/dlr_county_hall_art_collection.pdf |title= Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Hall & Art Collection|first=Caroline|last=Stone|publisher= Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council|year=2011}}</ref> The complex was renamed County Hall when it re-opened as the headquarters of [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council]] in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1993/act/31/section/9/enacted/en/html |title=Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 s.9 |website=electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB) |accessdate=10 May 2019 |archive-date=30 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530062609/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1993/act/31/section/9/enacted/en/html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building benefited from a further refurbishment, involving extensive changes to the internal layout, undertaken at a cost of €3 million in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/dun-laoghaire-town-hall-revamp-13999239|title=Dun Laoghaire town hall revamp to cost taxpayer a cool €3m|date=5 December 2013|publisher=Dublin Live|accessdate=1 November 2019|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101100136/https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/dun-laoghaire-town-hall-revamp-13999239|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:County halls in the Republic of Ireland|Dún Laoghaire]] |
[[Category:County halls in the Republic of Ireland|Dún Laoghaire]] |
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[[Category:Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council]] |
[[Category:Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council]] |
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[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1880]] |
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Revision as of 22:28, 22 October 2023
| County Hall, Dún Laoghaire | |
|---|---|
Halla an Chontae, Dún Laoghaire | |
 County Hall, Dún Laoghaire | |
  County Hall Location within Ireland | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Lombard Romanesque |
| Address | Marine Road |
| Town or city | Dún Laoghaire |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°17′39″N 6°08′05″W / 53.2943°N 6.1348°W |
| Completed | 1880 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Loftus Robinson |
County Hall (Irish: Halla an Chontae, Dún Laoghaire), formerly known as Dún Laoghaire Town Hall, and before that, Kingstown Town Hall, is a municipal facility in Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland.
History
After significant population growth, largely associated with the development of the harbour, the township of Kingstown appointed town commissioners in March 1855.[1] The commissioners identified the need for a town hall at an early stage although it was not until the early 1870s that a suitable site on the sea front was selected.[2] Work on the new building started in July 1878.[3] It was designed by John Loftus Robinson in the Lombard Romanesque style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £16,000 and was officially opened on 20 April 1880.[4][5]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing onto Marine Road. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured, a recessed doorway with lancet windows, flanked by colonnettes, on either side. On the first floor, there was a balcony and an arcade, formed by three round headed windows with architraves and coloured voussoirs flanked by colonettes. The central bay was surmounted by an entablature carved with the words "Town Hall", and a pediment. The wings of four bays each were fenestrated by round headed windows with architraves and coloured voussoirs on both floors: the first-floor windows were flanked by colonettes. On the east side, which provided access to a courthouse, there was a four-stage tower, which was 120 feet (37 m) high. It featured a round headed doorway in the first stage, round headed windows in the second and third stages, and clock faces in the fourth stage, all surmounted by a pyramid-shaped roof. Internally, the principal rooms were a courtroom on the ground floor and a large assembly room and a board room for the town commissioners, both on the first floor.[2]
The building became the home of Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council on its formation in 1899, and was re-named Dún Laoghaire Town Hall in the lead-up to the creation of the Irish Free State in August 1920.[6] The building became the home of the Corporation of Dún Laoghaire on its formation in 1930.[2] The town hall was also a venure for concerts and theatrical performances: the Pike Theatre Players, founded by Alan Simpson and Carolyn Swift performed their first play, The Millstone, in the town hall in September 1951.[7]
An extensive programme of refurbishment works, involving replacement of the plaster and timberwork, was carried out at a cost of £800,000 to a design by Gerry McEvoy, and completed in June 1990.[8][9] Following the implementation of the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993, the old post office to the south of the town hall was converted for use as an entrance block for a large extension, erected around a central courtyard, which was designed by McCullough Mulvin-Robinson Keefe Devane and built to the west of the town hall.[10] The complex was renamed County Hall when it re-opened as the headquarters of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council in the mid-1990s.[11] The building benefited from a further refurbishment, involving extensive changes to the internal layout, undertaken at a cost of €3 million in 2018.[12]
References
- ^ Minutes of Evidence: Kingstown. House of Commons. 5 April 1877. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "1879 – Dun Laoghaire Town Hall, Co. Dublin". Archiseek. 17 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Town Hall and Courthouse, Kingstown, Dublin. The Builder. 11 January 1879. p. 41.
- ^ The New Kingstown Town Hall. Building News. 23 July 1880. p. 92.
- ^ Vaughan, W. E. (1989). A New History of Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 466. ISBN 978-0199583744.
- ^ "What's in a name? Dun Leary – Kingstown – Dún Laoghaire". Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ Walsh, Ian R.; Pilný, Ondřej; van den Beuken, Ruud (2021). Cultural Convergence The Dublin Gate Theatre, 1928–1960. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3030575625.
- ^ "Venetian Architecture in Dun Laoghaire 1990". RTE. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Restoration of Dun Laoghaire Town Hall". RTÉ News. 1990. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Stone, Caroline (2011). "Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Hall & Art Collection" (PDF). Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council.
- ^ "Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 s.9". electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB). Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Dun Laoghaire town hall revamp to cost taxpayer a cool €3m". Dublin Live. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.