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 Wicklow Street () is an established shopping street located in Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, pro ...

, and St. Andrew's Street on its northeastern end to the junction of Johnson Place and

Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English record producer best known for his work with the Smiths, the Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...

on its southwestern end.

History

The street was laid out in 1676 by William Williams and was part of Dublin's 17th-century expansion beyond its medieval walls. The street has one of the largest and most complete groups of 18th-century merchants' houses in the city. However, M'Cready claims the street is named after

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

. Number 12-13 on the street was built as the headquarters to the

Dublin Artisans' Dwellings Company Dublin Artisans' Dwellings Company known as DADC was a semi-philanthropic private enterprise established to build better quality housing in Dublin. History The Dublin Artisans' Dwellings Company (DADC) was founded in June 1876 in response to ...

21st century

In 2012, the street was rebranded as being the centre of Dublin's "Creative Quarter", an area noted for its "independent design stores, fashion outlets and cafes". The UK's Academy of Urbanism has noted that the street has transformed "from the bustling heart of the rag trade to a well-known spot for retail entrepreneurs, start-ups and those in search of a good night out".

Powerscourt House

The street is dominated by Powerscourt House, the former

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, 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 o ...

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 ...

. It was constructed in the 18th century for

Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt (24 December 1730 – 8 August 1788) was an Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protest ...

, 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 the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

. The townhouse was the Wingfield family's urban residence when they were visiting from the

Powerscourt Estate Powerscourt Estate (), located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying . The house, originally a 13th-century castle, was extensively altered durin ...

Enniskerry Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 2,008 at the 2022 census. Location The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

. Designed by Robert Mack, it dates from between 1771 and 1774. The court at the rear of the building was created with the addition of three brown-brick office buildings from 1809 to 1811. The townhouse was purchased and redeveloped as a shopping centre between 1978 and 1981 and is now known as the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.

Gallery

File:Metro Cafe South William Street D02.jpg, Metro Cafe, South William Street File:Pink restaurant.jpg, Pink restaurant, South William Street File:South William Street D02.jpg, South William Street, looking southwest

References