house

Terraced three-bay four-storey house over raised basement, built, c.1797, as one of pair with number 2, now in educational use. Double-pile slate roof, hipped to east of front (south) pile, having two hipped projections set perpendicular to rear, with red brick chimneystack having clay pots to west party wall, hidden behind rebuilt red brick parapet wall with moulded granite coping. Red brick wall laid in Flemish Bond having flush pointing to moulded granite plinth course over granite ashlar wall to basement level. Gauged brick flat-arch window openings having patent rendered reveals, painted granite sills and replacement timber sliding sash windows, original eight-over-eight pane to basement level, with steel grilles, three-over-three pane to top floor and six-over-six pane to lower floors. East window opening to basement adapted to form door opening. Gauged brick round-headed door opening with rendered reveal and painted stone Ionic doorcase, with replacement timber panelled door flanked by engaged Ionic columns, plain glazed sidelights and quarter engaged responding Ionic pilasters supporting fluted stepped lintel cornice and plain fanlight having fluted surround. Neoclassical plasterwork to interior. Door opens onto granite platform with cast-iron bootscraper to west, remains of bootscraper to east, and five granite steps bridging basement. Platform and basement enclosed by original wrought-iron railings and cast-iron corner posts set on granite plinth wall to street with matching iron gate providing basement access. Concrete steps having metal railings to basement. Cast-iron coal hole cover set in pavement to front.

This house forms part of a terrace of eighteen on the north side of the square, No. 3 retaining much of its original form and fabric. It has a a good doorcase and an elegant granite ashlar cornice and plinth course shared with No. 2. The door surround details also match. It was built by Frederick Darley for Joseph Goff, a flour merchant and director of the Bank of Ireland. It was bought by Walter Cole, a friend of Arthur Griffith, in 1909 and used for meetings of the banned first Dáil in 1919. The retention of stone steps, landing and basement wall and the metal railings and gate all serve to enhance its setting. Mountjoy Square was built on lands formerly belonging to St. Mary's Abbey and laid out in 1790 by Luke Gardiner II, completed by 1818. Originally called Gardiner Square, the plan was to develop a strong vista from the Custom House to Mountjoy Square, then on to the planned Royal Circus. Unlike other Georgian squares in the city, this example was more carefully laid out with a unified parapet height and the east-west approaches offset to create a sense of enclosure. After falling into serious neglect and dereliction throughout the twentieth-century, resulting in the loss of one third of its original buildings, the square has since been repaired.