house

Terraced two-bay four-storey over basement former townhouse, built c. 1830, with two-stage return to rear (north) elevation. Now in use as offices. M-profile roof, hipped to west end of rear (north) span, concealed by brick parapet with masonry coping, rendered chimneystacks to west party wall with lipped yellow clay pots. Parapet gutters with cast-iron hopper and downpipe to west side of rear (north). Brown brick walling laid in Flemish bond, rendered walling to basement beneath granite plinth course. Rendered walls to rear (north) elevation. Square-headed window openings with brick voussoirs, patent reveals and granite sills. Plain rendered surrounds to basement and rear openings. Cast-iron balconettes to second and first floor openings. Largely six-over-six sliding timber sash windows with convex horns, ten-over-ten to basement, one-over-one to ground floor with cavetto horns. Wyatt-style window to second floor rear (north) and segment-headed opening with two-over-two timber sash to return. Round-headed door opening to principal elevation (south) with brick voussoirs, moulded reveals with recessed doorcase having prostyle Ionic portico with moulded cornice and panelled frieze over Ionic columns, plain fanlight and raised-and-field timber panelled door with beaded-muntin. Shared granite entrance platform with cast-iron boot scraper, approached by four nosed granite steps, flanked by iron railings with decorative cast-iron finials and corner posts over granite plinth enclosing basement area. Recent tiled steps to basement with replacement timber door beneath entrance platform. Enclosed yard to rear (north). Mews building to north on Leeson Close.

Despite the loss of some historic fabric, this former townhouse forms part of a relatively intact terraced row. Nos. 63-9 (50930253-9), likely built by Thomas Dockerell, proceeded those to the west Nos. 71-76, (5093046-51) and are subsequently grander in scale, defined by higher floor levels and larger window openings. (Casey, 2005) Although the street is largely characterised by typical late-Georgian townhouses, the variations in detailing, proportions and scale are indicative of the speculative nature of development. The main route from St. Stephen’s Green to Donnybrook, Leeson Street remained largely undeveloped until the late-eighteenth century and was almost entirely complete by 1836.