house — Merrion Square

Attached three-bay four-storey former house over basement, built c. 1790 apparently as one in terrace of seventeen, having bow to two western bays of rear, and two-storey addition to third bay with lean-to extension section to south end. Now in use as offices. Pitched slate roof to front, hipped to east end, behind Flemish bond brown brick parapet with granite coping, and two hipped roofs to rear perpendicular to street, larger over bow. Shouldered rendered chimneystacks to east, shared with No. 65, with clay pots. Concealed rainwater goods. Flemish bond brown brick walls on moulded granite plinth over exposed stone walling to basement at front and rendered to rear. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in height to upper floors, with painted rendered reveals, soldier arches and painted granite sills; exposed granite block-and-start surrounds and wrought-iron grilles to basement; and round-headed stairs window to rear elevation of eastern bay. Timber sliding sash windows, nine-over-six pane to first floor, three-over-three pane to top floor and six-over-six pane elsewhere, to front and rear elevations. Round-headed principal doorway with paired Ionic columns flanking decorative geometric leaded sidelights, fluted frieze and cornice, ornate cobweb fanlight, cavetto-moulded architrave and eleven-panel timber door with brass furniture. Granite platform with cast-iron boot-scrapes and five granite steps. Wrought-iron railings enclosing basement area with decorative cast-iron posts on moulded granite plinth. Timber panelled door accesses basement interior below bridged platform. Entrance hall has mosaic tiled flooring and delicate neo-Classical plasterwork ceiling. Round-headed door opening with cobweb leaded fanlight and lantern box leads to stairs hall with neo-Classical-style barrel-vaulted ceiling and timber open-well staircase with paired timber balusters to each tread and carved timber handrail with gesso ornaments to tread ends. Generally timber panelled doors with moulded timber architraves, decorative cornices and ceilings roses to principal rooms, and with festooned chimneypiece to ground floor room. carparking to rear. Wall plaque reads 'Here worked the geometer, relativist and applied mathematician John Lighton Synge from 1948-1971 b.1897 d.1995.'