The Four Courts by James Gandon

James Gandon (1743 -1823) is today recognised as one of the leading late 18th century, early 19th century architects to have worked in Ireland. His better known works include The Custom House, the Four Courts and lastly King's Inns in Dublin. four courts, Dublin - my image, no c/r This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. ... four courts, Dublin - my image, no c/r This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The south facade of the Custom House by night The Custom House is a [neoclassical] 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. ... The Four Courts (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna in Irish) in Dublin is the Republic of Irelands main courts building. ... The Kings Inns or formally the Honorable Society of Kings Inns (HSKI) is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of the Republic of Ireland. ...

Early life

Gandon, born in 1743 in London, was of French Huguenot descent. From 1749 he was educated at Shipley's Drawing Academy;^[1] here Gandon studied the classics, mathematics, arts and architecture. On leaving the drawing academy he was articled to study architecture in the office of Sir William Chambers, Chambers was an advocate of the neoclassical evolution of Palladian architecture, although he later made designs in the Gothic Revival style. However, it was Chambers's palladian and neoclassical concepts which most influenced the young Gandon. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Huguenot was applied to a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, historically known as the French Calvinists. ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... Drawing involves the choice of one or more tools from a wide variety and the choice of a support appropriate to that tool in order to make marks. ... Raphaels fresco The School of Athens An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership. ... Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ... The Arts is a broad subdivision of culture, comprised of many expressive disciplines. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The central courtyard of Chambers Somerset House in London. ... An advocate is one who speaks on behalf of another, especially in a legal context. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ...

In 1765, Gandon left William Chambers to begin practice on his own. His first commission was on Sir Samuel Hillier's Wolverhampton estate. Gandon's new practice, whilst successful, always remained small. Circa 1769 he entered an architectural competition to design the new Royal Exchange in Dublin. The plan chosen was by Thomas Cooley. However, Gandon's design was selected as second, hence, this competition brought him to the attention of the politicians planning to redesign Dublin. During the following years in England, Gandon was responsible for the design of the County Hall in Nottingham. Between 1769 and 1771, he collaborated with J Woolfe on 2 additional volumes of Vitruvius Britannicus, a book of plans and drawings of Palladian revival buildings by such architects as Inigo Jones and Colen Campbell. During his English career he was awarded the Gold medal for architecture by the Royal Academy, London in 1768. Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. ... An Estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The term Royal Exchange can refer to: The Royal Exchange in London The Royal Exchange in Manchester The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... County Hall County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, that was used as the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council (GLC). ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Palladian revival: Stourhead House, South facade, designed by Colen Campbell and completed in 1720. ... Inigo Jones, by Sir Anthony van Dyck Inigo Jones (July 15, 1573–June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant English architect. ... Palladian revival: Stourhead House, South facade, designed by Colen Campbell and completed in 1720. ... This article refers to an art institution in London. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Designing The Custom House

The south facade of the James Gandon Custom House by night

Declining an invitation to work in St. Petersburg from a member of the Romanov family, Gandon, aged 38 in 1781, accepted an invitation to Ireland from Lord Carlow and John Beresford to supervise the construction of the new Custom House, Dublin. The original architect Thomas Cooley (who had narrowly beaten Gandon in the competition to design The Royal Exchange) had died and Gandon was chosen to assume complete control for building and revising the plans. It is said that so opposed to the Custom House and its associated taxes were the Irish people that Beresford (the Revenue Commissioner) had to smuggle Gandon into the country, and then keep him hidden in his own home for three months. The south facade of the Custom House by night The Custom House is a [neoclassical] 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. ... Download high resolution version (2262x861, 1116 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2262x861, 1116 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... West facade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) (Pronounced fa-sa-de) is generally the exterior of a building — especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... The south facade of the Custom House by night The Custom House is a [neoclassical] 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... The House of Romanov (Рома́нов, pronounced ) was the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country for five generations from 1613 to 1761. ... John Beresford (March 14, 1738 - November 5, 1805) was an Irish statesman, was a younger son of Sir Marcus Beresford, who, having married Catherine, sole heiress of James Power, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, was created Earl of Tyrone in 1746. ... A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state (for example, tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements). ...

This conspicuous commission, however, proved to be the great turning point in Gandon's career. Dublin was to become Gandon's home, and its architecture his "raison d'etre" for the remainder of his life. This city, which in Gandon's lifetime was to grow to become the fifth largest city in Europe, was undergoing vast expansion, mostly following the Palladian and neoclassical designs already popularized in the city by Edward Lovett Pearce and Richard Cassels. Unfortunately though, for Gandon, so hated was the symbolism of the Custom House that the stigma of being its creator was to taint the appreciation of his work throughout his lifetime. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A villa with a superimposed portico, from Book IV of Palladios I Quattro Libri dellArchitettura, in a modestly priced English translation published in London, 1736. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... Sir Edward Lovett Pearce (1699 - 1733) was an Irish architect, and the chief exponent of palladianism in Ireland. ... Irish Palladianism. ... Social stigma is severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms. ...

The 'House of Lord's Entrance' part of Gandon's extension to Edward Lovett Pearce's Irish Houses of Parliament. The great portico is flanked by a curved screen wall

A further reason the new Custom House was unpopular, this time among the city councillors was that it moved the axis of the city. The newly formed Wide Streets Commission employed Gandon to design a new aristocratic enclave in the vicinity of Mountjoy Square and Gardiner Street. The new classical terraces of large residences became the Town houses of members of the newly built and imposing Irish Houses of Parliament situated in College Green south of the river. Gandon also designed Carlisle Bridge (now O'Connell Bridge) over the River Liffey to join the north and south areas of the city. Irish House of Lords entrance. ... Irish House of Lords entrance. ... Sir Edward Lovett Pearce (1699 - 1733) was an Irish architect, and the chief exponent of palladianism in Ireland. ... The Irish House of Commons entrance The original entrance to the building, facing onto College Green. ... Categories: Architectural elements | Stub ... A councillor is a member of a council (such as a city council), particularly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other parts of the Commonwealth. ... The Wide Streets Commission was established by Dublin Corporation in 1757. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Classicism door in Olomouc, The Czech Republic Teatr Wielki in Warsaw Church La Madeleine in Paris Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicist seeks to emulate. ... Leinster House, 18th century Dublin townhouse of the Duke of Leinster. ... The Irish House of Commons entrance The original entrance to the building, facing onto College Green. ... College Green, previously called Hoggen Green, is a three sided square in the centre of Dublin. ... OConnell Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, and joining OConnell Street to DOlier Street and the south quays. ... The Liffey in West Wicklow The Liffey (An Life in Irish) is a river in the Republic of Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. ...

Other Irish works

Gandon's other works in the city included: The Four Courts, the King's Inns begun in 1795 and completed in 1816 by his pupil Henry Aaron Baker, the Rotunda Assembly rooms, as well as many other buildings in College Green and Trinity College. One of his most prestigious commissions, which came in 1785, was to extend Pearce's monumental Houses of Parliament. He also built the (well known today) curved screen wall which links his extension to Pearce's original building. This building is now the Bank of Ireland. His work was not strictly confined to Dublin though. In 1784 he had designed the new courthouse in Waterford. In addition to Gandon's civic and municipal commissions, he also worked on many private houses, in 1792 he designed Abbeville, Malahide, Dublin for John Beresford. The Four Courts (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna in Irish) in Dublin is the Republic of Irelands main courts building. ... The Kings Inns or formally the Honorable Society of Kings Inns (HSKI) is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of the Republic of Ireland. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Trinity College, Dublin, corporately designated as the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... The Bank of Ireland (ISEQ: BKIR_p) LSE: BKIR NYSE: IRE, officially known as the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation on the island of Ireland, one of the Big Four. The bank was formed by an Act of the Irish Parliament in 1782... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Abbeville is an 18th century country house in County Dublin, Ireland, which was altered and enlarged by James Gandon for Rt Hon John Beresford c. ... John Beresford (March 14, 1738 - November 5, 1805) was an Irish statesman, was a younger son of Sir Marcus Beresford, who, having married Catherine, sole heiress of James Power, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, was created Earl of Tyrone in 1746. ...

Criticism and decline

The success of his design and commissions were however not reflected in personal popularity: he attracted huge criticism from his enemies. It was even claimed Gandon was designing buildings to boost his self-esteem. In the 1780's, during the construction of the Four Courts, one broadsheet published daily letters from a correspondent castigating and insulting Gandon and his designs. This further fostered the hate directed against him. In truth Gandon had merely rediscovered what architects from Vitruvius to Thomas Jefferson believed, which was that the Palladian form was eminently suitable for the design of public buildings where huge civic prestige was required. Newspaper sizes in August 2005. ... Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born ca. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

In 1798, revolution broke out on the streets of Ireland, Gandon, an unpopular figure, hurriedly fled to London. On returning to Dublin he found a much changed city. The Irish Houses of Parliament, which had inspired the great period of development, were closed. The 1801 Act of Union had placed Ireland directly under rule from London. One by one the Anglo-Irish aristocracy left their fine new town houses in the city. As a direct result Dublin declined from being one of the great cities of Europe. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 in Irish), or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally, was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against the British dominated Kingdom of Ireland. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ...

Gandon had married Eleanor Smullen in 1770; sadly, he was widowed shortly after his invitation to Dublin, but while they were in London the couple had six children. James Gandon died in 1823 at his home in Lucan, Dublin, having spent forty-two years in the city. He was buried at Drumcondra. It seems that already by the time of his death his reputation was undergoing a re-evaluation, for his tomb-stone reads: - "Such was the respect in which Gandon was held by his neighbours and friends from around his home in Lucan that they refused carriages and walked the 16 miles to and from Drumcondra on the day of his funeral." WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Drumcondra (Irish: Droim Conrach) is a fashionable residential area on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. ...

In the years since his death, Ireland's troubled history has resulted in destruction and damage to much of Gandon's work. The Custom House was shelled in 1921 during the War of Independence and rebuilt using a darker shade of homegrown limestone. The Four Courts was burned by Republican forces during the Civil War in 1922 and, even though it was later rebuilt, much of Gandon's original work is gone and the interior can today only be appreciated from his original drawings. Yet despite this, the stamp of his work is still clearly visible in Georgian Dublin today. Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... Georgian Dublin is a phrase used that has two interwoven meanings, to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin from 1714 (the beginning of the reign of King George I of Great Britain and of Ireland) to the death in 1830 of King George IV...

Notes

1. ^ This prestigious school founded by William Shipley later became the London Art School.