Survey Data
Reg No
50910018
Rating
National
Categories of Special Interest
Archaeological, Architectural
Previous Name
Stanihurst's Tower
Original Use
Town/city walls
In Use As
Town/city walls
Date
1200 - 1875
Coordinates
315339, 233829
Date Recorded
21/08/2015
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Mural tower and city wall, built c. 1220, tower modified later and rebuilt c. 1850 as five-sided bastion. Snecked limestone walls with dressed limestone quoins and rendered rounded coping. Stretches of snecked and coursed limestone city wall abut to east, with significant batter to base of south elevation; rubble limestone city wall to west with upper sections rebuilt in red brick. Granite War Department marker and granite city wall marker with inset plaque to south face. Wall and bastion line north side of Ship Street Little, terminated to east by arched entrances to Castle steps and Ship Street entrance and bridge to Dublin Castle complex.
Appraisal
A rare, though modified section of the medieval defences of Dublin, this tower is strategically located to the west of Dublin Castle. Stanihurst’s Tower was named for James Stanihurst, who owned an adjoining building. Originally a D-shaped mural tower on the Anglo-Norman wall circuit it was remodelled in the mid-nineteenth century and was subsequently known as Coles's Bastion. Constituting one of the most complete stretches of the medieval town defences, this tower and the adjoining walls are of significant archaeological and architectural importance.