house

Terraced two-bay four-storey over concealed basement former townhouse, built c. 1780, with recent timber shopfront to front (east) elevation. Now in use as retail outlet. M-profile pitched roof, hidden behind brick parapet with granite coping, having rendered chimneystacks and replacement uPVC rainwater goods to south end. Brown brick walls laid in Flemish bond to front (east) elevation. Brown brick walls laid in English garden wall bond to rear (west) elevation. Square-headed window openings with masonry sills and raised rendered reveals, having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to first and second floors and three-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows to third floor, with some early glass. Recent timber shopfront comprising square-headed door opening glazed door, flanked by square-headed display windows on timber panelled stallriser. Granite platform to front. Located on west side of Leeson Street Lower.

This former townhouse forms part of a terrace of Georgian buildings with similar materials, proportions, window heights and roof that characterise this part of the city. The sash windows retain some early glass, an unusual survivor, which adds to the building's historic character. Leeson Street forms part of an ancient routeway, Suesey Street, leading from the city towards Donnybrook. Located within the Fitzwilliam Estate, which covered much of the south-east of the city, the street was named after Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown. Plots were leased for development in the mid-eighteenth century but, apart from the north-western end, it remained undeveloped until the 1780s. The street was largely completed by the early nineteenth century.