Marsh's Library — St. Patrick's Close

Detached U-plan library, built 1701-3, extended 1710 and with new entrance added 1863. Raised two-storey four-bay entrance front with single-bay single-storey porch. Nine-bay three-storey return to south attached to eight-bay two-storey north block having three-bay two-storey projection. Hipped and pitched slate roof with cut limestone eaves brackets and cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat roof to porch having carved limestone parapet and eaves course. Red brick and limestone chimneystack with terracotta pot. Red brick, laid in Flemish bond, to entrance front, having cut limestone quoins, snecked tooled limestone walls to return with limestone plinth course, and smooth rendered walls to rear. Cast-iron decorative vent covers. Limestone pilasters to porch, supporting carved pediment over nameplate with brass lettering. Square-headed window openings having limestone sills with nine-over-nine pane and eight-over-eight pane timber sliding sash windows, some having wrought-iron railings. Square-headed door opening with timber panelled door having wrought-iron security gate. Oak floors and book-stacks to two galleries to interior, one with barrel-vaulted ceiling. Oak panelled stack ends having foliate and mitre and stole finial details, segmental timber pediments with plaques to stacks with painted and gilded swag cartouches having painted lettering. Decorative ceiling rose to librarians' room at junction of two galleries. Plaster panelled walls, with painted console brackets to cornice level having foliate detail supporting carved marble busts. Snecked limestone boundary wall to south of site, having crenellated parapet with square-plan piers with pointed caps and fleur-de-lis finials. Pointed-arch pedestrian entrance having pediment, stepped limestone buttresses, shield plaque and tooled limestone plaque with Latin inscription, carved limestone surround and wrought-iron gate and surround. Flight of granite steps with wrought-iron handrail. Set overlooking graveyard of St. Patrick's Cathedral with some grave markers to walls.