Iveagh House
| Iveagh House | |
|---|---|
 Main façade of Iveagh House | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | St Stephen's Green,Dublin, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′12″N6°15′34″W/ 53.336538°N 6.259376°W |
| Current tenants | Department of Foreign Affairs |
| Completed | 1736 |
| Inaugurated | 1939 |
| Renovated | 1862 |
| Owner | Government of Ireland |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Richard Castle |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Benjamin Guinness |
| References | |
| [1] | |
Iveagh Houseis aGeorgianhouse which now contains the headquarters of theDepartment of Foreign AffairsinDublin,Ireland. It is also sometimes used colloquially as ametonymreferring to the department itself.
History
[edit]Iveagh House was originally two houses, nos 80 and 81St Stephen's Green.No 80 was designed byRichard Castlein 1736 forBishop Clayton.It was later the home of barrister andMaster of the RollsJohn Philpot Curran.[2]
After both houses were bought byBenjamin Guinnessin 1862 he served as his own architect, combined the two houses and produced the building as it now stands. On thePortland stonefacade pediment he placed his parents' arms: on the left theMilesianlion, with theRed Hand of Ulsterabove, for theMagennisclan ofCounty Down;and on the right the arms of the Lee family, Dublin builders from about 1700. The building has nine bays, with the central three broken forward and pedimented. The interior of the building is hugely elaborate and decorative, with a staircase and ballroom lined with alabaster. The staircase also has ornate ironwork, marble columns and circular roof lights.
The building was donated to the Irish state by Benjamin Guinness's grandson,Rupert, Lord Iveagh,in 1939, and was renamed Iveagh House. The original Iveagh House is still a part of theIveagh Trustnearby.
TheIveagh Gardensat the back of the house were given toUniversity College Dublin(UCD), byThe 1st Lord Iveaghin 1908, in connection with the formation of its campus onEarlsfort Terrace.The gardens have since been transferred to theOPWand are now used as a public park. The conservation and restoration of the Gardens commenced in 1995 and to date most of the original features have been restored, for example the Maze in Box hedging with a Sundial as a centre piece. The restored Cascade and exotic tree ferns all help to create a sense of wonder in the 'Secret Garden'.
External links
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"Iveagh House".dia.ie.Retrieved20 August2024.
- ^"Iveagh House, 80-1 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, DUBLIN".Buildings of Ireland.Retrieved8 February2022.