house

Terraced two-pile three-storey house over raised basement, built 1792 as one of twenty-five, having three-bay ground floor and two-bay upper floors, and with two-storey return to west end of rear. M-profile pitched slate roof, hipped to west end, having rendered chimneystacks with clay pots to east end, hidden behind rendered parapet having render moulded cornice, and eaves course, and with hipped roof to return. Ruled-and-lined rendered walls with cut masonry plinth course above basement. Square-headed window openings with masonry sills, render surrounds and one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows to front elevation, except for replacement timber to basement, six-over-six pane to rear, including round-headed stairs window. Round-headed doorway with carved timber doorcase comprising panelled pilasters supporting frieze and plain fanlight, with moulded render surrounds and fluted corbels, and timber panelled door, contained within flat-roofed porch of c. 1920 with glazed timber door and plain sidelights, and stained-glass margin lights to side walls. Wrought-iron railing on granite plinth to basement area. carparking to former front garden, partly bounded to footpath by decorative cast-iron railings on carved granite plinth wall and replacement metal vehicular gate. Garden to rear.

This house is part of a significant architectural set-piece, Marino Crescent, one of the few Georgian crescents in the city. The façade is enlivened by render detailing to the window and door openings. Though later replacements, the timber sash windows add to the overall architectural character of this composition. The crescent comprises houses of similar parapet heights and fenestration patterns, having larger houses to the centre and west end. It was built in the last decade of the eighteenth century to take advantage of the sea views, prior to land reclamation projects associated with the enlargement of Dublin Port. Charles ffolliot reputedly set out to spite Lord Charlemont, blocking the vista from Marino House, and the houses were locally known as Spite Crescent as a result.