Survey Data

Reg No

50010927


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Architectural, Artistic, Historical


Original Use

House


Historical Use

Hostel


In Use As

Office


Date

1760 - 1770


Coordinates

315711, 235251


Date Recorded

20/09/2011


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Terraced four-bay four-storey house over exposed basement, built c.1765, with full-height bow and two-storey over basement brick return. Renovated and restored c.2006, for use as offices with glass lift core abutting rear elevation. Roof hidden behind rebuilt parapet wall with concrete coping and replacement iron rainwater goods breaking through parapet. Yellow brick stepped chimneystack to south party wall with clay pots. Red brick walls laid in Flemish bond with top floor wall built in machine-cut red bricks laid in stretcher bond. Moulded granite plinth course over painted rendered walls to basement level. Gauged brick flat-arched window openings with granite sills, patent rendered reveals and replacement timber sliding sash windows throughout with ogee horns (concrete sills to third floor), nine-over-six pane to ground and first floors, six-over-six pane to second floor and three-over-three pane to top floor. Round-headed door opening with pedimented Portland limestone Doric doorcase. Nineteenth-century timber panelled door with twelve raised-and-fielded panels flanked by engaged and advanced Doric columns on plinth bases to entablature blocks supporting open pediment housing replacement decorative leaded fanlight with moulded surround and set on lintel cornice. Door opens onto granite platform, bridging basement area, and four granite steps enclosed by wrought-iron railings on moulded granite plinth wall terminated by pair of replacement decorative iron piers supporting decorative iron lantern arch. Basement enclosed by original wrought-iron railings on moulded granite plinth wall with matching gate providing access to a concrete stairs to basement area, and has stone-flag paving. Interior recently refurbished with Rococo plasterwork to stair hall, ground floor bowed room and rear first floor room. Mostly intact joinery to window and door linings including lugged architrave surrounds.

Appraisal

Gardiner Row was laid out in 1768 with many plots developed by architect and developer John Ensor (1715–87). This house has many external features in common with neighbouring houses. The fine classical doorcase provids a splendid entrance feature. The retention of varied and appropriate timber sash windows befits a building of this quality. The finely wrought plinth and steps and the railings provide a typical street edge for a Georgian townhouse. No. 6 has particularly noteworthy Rococo cornices internally. Recent sensitive restoration works ensure that visually this house forms a particularly attractive part of the streetscape, highlighted by a reinstated lantern arch. This grand townhouse has a number of historical associations and was a fitting base for the Irish Craftworkers Union established in 1920. Along with other hotels in the area (e.g. Vaughan's, 29-30 Parnell Square) it was used as a base for the IRA during the War of Independence. It also served as the headquarters of the union founded by Irish craftworkers in 1920 with the assistance of Countess Markiewicz, minister for labour in the first Dáil of the Irish Republic'.