St James (Dublin)

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Áras an Uachtaráin (lit. the president's residence) in the Phoenix Park has been the official residence and workplace of the President of Ireland since the office was created in 1937. 

This building had formerly been known as the Viceregal Lodge - an "out of season" residence for the Lord Lieutenant (who lived in State at Dublin Castle)

  • Built in 1751, the original  'plain mansion of brick' had been designed by park ranger and amateur architect, Nathaniel Clements;
  • In the 1780s, the British administration purchased for the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (aka the Viceroy);
  • In 1802, Lord Hardwicke, added the wings, in one of which is the great dining-hall; 
  • in 1808, the Duke of Richmond built the north portico of the Doric order, and the entrance lodges from the Dublin road;
  • the south front (a pediment supported by four Ionic columns of Portland stone) was added by Lord Whitworth from a design by Johnston,
  • the whole of the facade was afterwards altered to correspond with the new south front: 
  • from the 1820s onwards the Lord Lieutenant lived here for most of the year (save for the "social season" from January to March);
  • at the time of Griffith's Valuation in the 1850s, the house was "valued at £100 and raised to £200".

The demesne attached to the Viceregal Lodge was part of the civil parish of Castleknock

 

References

Áras an Uachtaráin Official Website Ireland VIEW SOURCE

Type of Building:

House

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