house

Terraced two-pile three-storey house over raised basement, built 1792 as one of twenty-five, having three-bay ground floor and two-bay upper floors, blank west bay, and single-storey return to rear. M-profile pitched slate roof, hipped to east end and having rendered chimneystacks with clay pots to west end, hidden behind rendered parapet having moulded render cornice, and eaves course, and with hipped roof to return. Ruled-and-lined rendered walls with cut masonry plinth course over basement walling. Square-headed window openings with masonry sills and replacement timber windows. Elliptical-headed doorway with rendered timber reveals, carved stone doorcase comprising panelled pilasters with foliate brackets supporting frieze and leaded petal fanlight, and carved timber door with two vertical round-headed panels, approached by two granite steps and platform with wrought-iron and decorative cast-iron railings. Garden to front, bounded to footpath by decorative cast-iron single-leaf gate with matching railings on carved limestone plinth wall. Yard to rear.

This house is part of a significant architectural set-piece, Marino Crescent, one of the few Georgian crescents in the city. The well-executed doorcase, complete with a delicate leaded fanlight, adds artistic detailing to the otherwise restrained composition. The crescent comprises houses with similar parapet heights and fenestration patterns, with larger houses to the centre and west end. The retention of the timber door and decorative doorcase and fanlight adds to the artistic and architectural character of the house. The houses were built in the last decade of the eighteenth century to take advantage of the sea views, prior to land reclamation projects associated with the enlargement of Dublin Port. The houses were built by Charles ffolliot, reputedly to spite Lord Charlemont, blocking the vista from Marino House, and were locally known as Spite Crescent as a result.