Waterford City can boast the finest collection of eighteenth-century architecture in any city in Ireland outside Dublin. This period of Georgian elegance began with the construction in 1741 of the Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace to a design by the celebrated Richard Castle (d. 1751); the palace was completed by the Waterford-born John Roberts (1712-96). Following a sensitive restoration the palace reopened in 2011 as the centrepiece of the Waterford Museum of Treasures, telling the story of Waterford City from 1700 to 1970. Among the many items on display is a panorama of the city painted by Willem van der Hagen (d. 1745) in 1736 for the princely sum of £20! Also the so-called “Penrose Decanter”, the oldest surviving piece of Waterford Crystal dating back to 1789. Of international interest is the Bonaparte Mourning Cross, the last surviving of twelve crosses made in 1812 on Napoleon Bonaparte’s death. Visitors to the bishop’s palace should also enjoy the adjacent Christ Church Cathedral.
Click here to view the Waterford Museum of Treasures website