Irish Museum of Modern Art

Freestanding square-profile water tank, built c.1780, no longer in use. Dressed calp limestone walls, cut limestone string course, tapered rendered capping with cut limestone coping. Cast-iron water pipe to north elevation. Cast-iron tap to east elevation.

This water tank provides part of a related group of structures at the former Royal Hospital. It would have served an important purpose in providing water to the occupants of the Hospital, and is a physical reminder of early civil engineering provisions at large sites such as this. A city water supply had been established as early as 1244, and a new basin was constructed at the James's Street site in 1721. However, due to low pressure in the municipal supply and pollution of ground water and rivers, rainwater tanks and barrels remained popular throughout the city as a convenient source of fresh water. Its unusual form and practical function make it a notable addition to the site. Cut limestone coping and string course provide a contrast to the simply dressed stone of the walls, and are testament to the skill and craftsmanship of stone masons at the time.