Kennan and Sons

Attached two-bay four-storey over basement former house, built c.1820, now in use as offices. M-profile pitched roof, hipped to east, hidden behind brown brick parapet with cut granite coping, brown brick chimneystacks having clay pots. Brown brick walls, laid in Flemish bond to upper floors to front (north) elevation, smooth rendered walls to ground and basement levels. Square-headed window openings with cut granite sills, six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to upper floors, eight-over-eight timber sliding sash window to ground floor and three-over-three pane timber sliding sash window to basement. Segmental-headed door opening having moulded masonry surround, Ionic doorcase with fluted frieze and webbed fanlight, timber panelled door and bull-nosed granite entrance step and granite steps. Early and replacement carved granite plinth wall having recent cast-iron railings enclosing basement area. Fascia to ground floor with cornice, painted timber fascia and raised lettering. Recent bronze plaque to basement wall commemorating first performance of Handel's 'Messiah' at former Music Hall to the east. Situated on south side and centre of Fishamble Street.

According to Casey (2005), this former townhouse contains fabric of an earlier 1790s house. The well-executed doorcase with webbed fanlight lends artistic and technical interest and forms the building's decorative focus. The surviving signage for Kennan and Sons is a good example of early shopfront signage, and is a reminder of the building's former use as part of an engineering works. Now surrounded by buildings of recent date, it is also a fine reminder of the former traditional character of the street.