house

Terraced two-pile three-storey house over raised basement, built 1792 as one of twenty-five, with three-bay ground floor and two-bay upper floors, and with single-storey return to east end of rear. M-profile pitched slate roof, hipped to east end, having rendered chimneystacks with clay pots to west end, hidden behind rendered parapet with moulded render cornice, and eaves course, and having flat roof to return. Ruled-and-lined rendered walling with cut masonry plinth course above rendered basement walling. Square-headed window openings with rendered architraves, masonry sills and replacement uPVC windows; and apparently timber sliding sash windows to rear, including six-over-six pane round-headed stairs windows. Elliptical-headed doorway with render surround, carved timber doorcase comprising panelled pilasters with fluted brackets supporting panelled frieze and cornice with plain fanlight and replacement timber door, approached by granite step and concrete platform with wrought-iron railings. Garden to front, bounded by decorative cast-iron single-leaf gate having matching railings on carved limestone plinth wall to footpath and to west. Garden to rear.

This house is part of a significant architectural set-piece, Marino Crescent, one of the few Georgian crescents in the city. Despite some alterations, this composition retains much of its early form and character. The façade is subtly enlivened by render detailing to the window and doorways. The work of a skilled artisan is evident in the cast-ironwork that marks the site boundaries. The crescent comprises houses of similar parapet heights and fenestration patterns, having larger houses to the centre and west end. The house was 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. Built by Charles ffolliot, reputedly to spite Lord Charlemont, the houses blocked the vista from Marino House, and were locally known as Spite Crescent as a result.