Powerscourt House is the former
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...
of
Viscount Powerscourt
Viscount Powerscourt ( ) is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland, each time for members of the Wingfield family. It was created first in 1618 for the Chief Governor of Ireland, Richard Wingfield. However, this creat ...
and now the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, located on
South William Street, Dublin
William Street South, commonly known as South William Street, (Irish: ''Plás Mhic Liam Theas'') is a street located on Dublin's Southside.
Location
It runs from the junction with Exchequer Street, Wicklow Street, and St. Andrew's Street on ...
.
History
It was constructed in the eighteenth century for
Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt
Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt (24 December 1730 – 8 August 1788) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer.
Biography
Powerscourt was a younger son of Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt and Dorothy Beresford Rowley. He wa ...
.
He was a member of the
Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland.
It was modelled on the House of Lords of England, with membe ...
. The townhouse enabled him and his family to stay there when they were visiting from their
Powerscourt Estate
Powerscourt Estate ( ga, Eastát Chúirt an Phaoraigh), located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its country house, house and landscaped gardens, today occupying . The house, originally a 13th ...
in
Enniskerry
Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census.
Location
The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the ea ...
,
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
.
The House was designed by Robert Mack and dates from between 1771 to 1774, and has been characterised as the "last-gasp
Palladianism
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
on a grand scale on a narrow street". The court at the rear of the building was created with the addition of 3 brown-brick office buildings in 1809 to 1811.
Within a couple of years of the abolition of the
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...
, the viscount sold this Dublin residence since he received his seat now at the House of Lords in London. Many other peers also sold their palatial Dublin residences, which led to an economic and cultural decline of the city.
The government bought the property for £15,000 and between 1811 and 1835 the Stamp Office, where impressed
stamp duty
Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). A physical revenu ...
newspaper stamps, a form of
revenue stamp
A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...
were applied to newspapers, journals and periodical, was located in Powerscourt House.
Shopping Centre
Powerscourt House was purchased and redeveloped as a shopping centre between 1978 and 1981
by Robin Power. The journalist
Frank McDonald described the conversion of the building as "imaginative" and "the city's smartest shopping centre".
Gallery
File:Powerscourt House, Dublin, October 2010 (04).JPG, Main staircase
File:Powercourtl.jpg, Ceiling of staircase
See also
*
Powerscourt
References
External links
*
{{Shopping centres in the Republic of Ireland
Buildings and structures in Dublin (city)
Shopping centres in County Dublin
Richard Cassels buildings