house

Pair of semi-detached three-bay two-storey houses over basement, built c.1830. Three-storey to south elevation, with three-storey two-bay central breakfronts and full-height bows to north elevations containing entrance doorways and two-bay three-storey addition with full-height canted bay to south elevation of west house, c.1890. Now in use as single building divided into apartments and offices. Hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystack to centre and profiled metal gutters on overhanging eaves. Smooth rendered walls with cornice course, recessed panel to breakfront and continuous sill courses to canted bay. Square-headed window openings to front elevation centre with stone sills and six-over-six timber sliding sash windows. Paired round-headed openings to breakfront with decorative timber surrounds. Oculus window to west bow. Square-headed openings to rear elevation having one-over-one timber sliding sash windows to upper floors and six-over-six to ground floors. One-over-one sliding sashes to west addition. Round-headed door openings with timber canopies, timber panelled doors and spoked timber fanlights timber. Set in own grounds, bounded by rubble stone wall and accessed via square-headed gateways with red brick surrounds and cast-iron pedestrian gates. Set of steps leads from street level to entrance. Former coach house to west.

Originally constructed for Cork’s merchant families, these imposing houses were built overlooking the River Lee, reputedly to allow their owners to see their ships returning to the city. The simple elegance of the south/garden elevation contrasts with the more complex street façade. The houses are characteristic of the restrained elegance of the 1830s period and indicative of the wealth of Cork’s merchant class at the time.