gates/railings/walls

Cast-iron gateway and stone wall, erected c.1870, enclosing gravel area to west elevation of former London and North Western Railway Hotel. Cast-iron spearheaded gate on pair of cast-iron piers with stop-chamfered shafts, chevron moulded heads with ball finials and trefoil details. Gate abuts southwest corner of former hotel fronting onto pavement with short stretch of granite ashlar wall and further cast-iron pier to corner. Low granite ashlar wall encloses entire west elevation to short cul-de-sac with quadrant granite ashlar coping. Break in wall gives access to enclosed area with further stretch of wall laid out on S-curve as cul-de-sac widens to north. Original setts removed or covered in tarmac.

This gateway and stretch of wall was built as part of the London and North Western Railway to replace an earlier hotel called the Prince of Wales Hotel. The rail company had been operating a steam packet service across the Irish Sea and moved its terminus from Dún Laoghaire in 1861 to North Wall Quay. The company bought the previous hotel and opened this hotel in 1890. Occupied by British officers during the War of Independence it became known as the British Rail Hotel and ceased to operate as a hotel during the 1920s. Forming part of a small group of associated buildings, the cluster comprises the former railway station, a wool store and the hotel enclosing a cul-de-sac on both sides and constitutes an historic site of interest that has the potential to be the focal point of the redeveloped Docklands area fronting onto the Liffey.