house

Attached three-bay four-storey former house over basement, built c. 1790 as part of terrace of eight (Nos. 80-87), having bowed rear elevation occupying two western bays, and with flat-roofed two and three-storey extension to rear of eastern bay. Now in use as offices. Pitched slate roof to front, behind reconstructed Flemish bond brown brick parapet with granite coping, and two hipped roofs to rear perpendicular to street, curved over bow, and higher eastern roof shared with neighbouring property. Chimneystacks to west party wall, shouldered brown brick chimneystack to west with terracotta pots. Concealed gutters and replacement uPVC downpipes. Flemish bond brown brick walls, tuck-pointed to ground and first floors, with moulded granite plinth, and having ruled-and-lined painted rendered walls to basement. Slightly camber-headed window openings, diminishing in height to upper floors, with plain reveals, soldier arches and granite sills, and having exposed granite block-and-start surrounds to basement. Timber sliding sash windows, three-over-three pane to top floor, six-over-six pane to basement with wrought-iron grilles, and one-over-one pane elsewhere to front elevation; rear elevation east bay has three-over-three pane window to top floor and top of round-headed stairs window visible below; tripartite windows to bow, three-over-three pane to top floor, six-over-six pane to ground and second floors, and nine-over-six pane to first floor. Round-headed recessed doorcase with moulded architrave, Ionic columns, fluted frieze and moulded entablature, plain fanlight and eight-panel timber door with brass furniture. Granite platform with cast-iron boot-scrapes and five granite steps. Basement area enclosed by wrought-iron railings with decorative cast-iron posts on moulded granite plinth. Timber panelled door to front basement level. Yard to rear.

No. 83 Merrion Square is one of the more modest houses located on the south side of this architectural set-piece. Its façade is enlivened by an Ionic doorcase and its bowed rear elevation provides additional interest. The setting to the front and basement is fully intact and contributes significantly to the intact nature of the square. The interior has a fine vestibule to the first floor. The building forms part of the Fitzwilliam Estate's development of one of the best-preserved Georgian streetscapes in Ireland. The north, east and south sides of the square are lined with terraced houses of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century date, while the west side is terminated by the garden front of Leinster House. The houses maintain a relatively uniform building height and design, attributed to standards promoted in Fitzwilliam's leases. Individuality was introduced through the design of doorcases, window ironwork and interior decorative schemes. The south side of Merrion Square was initially set in large plots to twelve lessees; plots were leased consecutively from east to west up to 1791.