georgian dublin

Most of the shape of present-day central Dublin - the wide streets, gracious squares and elegant public buildings - was defined in the eighteenth century when Ireland was controlled by a prosperous, cultured elite who devoted their efforts to making Dublin the handsomest capital in Europe.
Rich noblemen established palatial mansions in the city, and influential developers, principally Luke Gardiner on the north side and Lord Fitzwilliam on the south, laid out squares and streets of elegantly designed houses to accommodate the population that the nobles' wealth supported.
Characteristic of the Georgian town house is the front door with an arched fanlight window overhead, often with beautiful tracery, and columns on either side. The sash windows are divided into square panes, and first floor windows usually have ornamental iron balconies. The windows on the top floor are always smaller than those below. Generally faced with red brick, the terrace houses stand in contrast to the cut stone and Palladian style of the great mansions of the nobility and institutions.