St. George's Church, Dublin
Encyclopedia
St. George's Church is a former parish church in Dublin, Ireland
, designed by Francis Johnston
, which is considered to be one of his finest works. It is located at Hardwicke Place, just north of the city centre. The elegant spire, 200 feet (61 m) high, became a landmark of the north inner city.
for the parish of St. George, which had been established in 1793. There had been a chapel nearby dedicated to St. George for some time before that, in present-day Hill St., erected by Sir John Eccles.
The original site acquired for the church was on Whitworth Road, but then the present site was selected, which at the time was open fields. A temporary chapel was built on the Whitworth Road site and the churchyard was retained when St. George's was completed - this site was later taken over by the Whitworth Hospital (later named Drumcondra Hospital
).
Twenty-two years after the church was built problems developed when the wide roof began to splay further than it should, due to the strain of the wide-span timber trusses. Civil engineer Robert Mallet
, whose father ran an iron foundry in Dublin, created cast-iron trusses to haul the church back into shape.
In the 1980s scaffolding had to be erected around the spire because the Portland stone was cracking due to expansion of the iron cramps that held it in place. The Church of Ireland
, having tried in vain to raise funds for the restoration of the church, sold the building in 1991 to an actor, Mr Sean Simon, who had plans to turn it into a theatre.
After its deconsecration, the bells (which Leopold Bloom
heard ringing in Ulysses
) were removed to Taney Parish church
in Dundrum
, while the ornate pulpit was carved up to decorate Thomas Read's pub in Parliament Street.
The church then became the Temple Theatre, then a night-club, but further attempts were made to raise public funds for its restoration; first, in 1991, to celebrate Dublin's role as European City of Culture, and later from the Millennium Committee.
In 2004 the building found a new purchaser who oversaw extensive restoration and renovation to provide office facilities.
In the 20th century the parish grew steadily and was in the 1950s the largest in the republic. At the time it was served by three other churches: St. Aidan's, St. Augustine's and the Free Church, in addition to the parish church.
The parish corresponded with the civil parish
of the same name.
, married Catherine Pakenham, daughter of Lord Longford, in the temporary chapel built on Whitworth Road.
In 1812 the scientist Richard Kirwan
was buried in the church.
The architect, Francis Johnston, lived in nearby Eccles Street. In his garden he had built a Gothic church tower, whose bell he enjoyed ringing, but his neighbours persuaded him in 1828 to donate the bell to the new church he had designed. He was buried in St. George's churchyard, which was attached to the temporary chapel on Whitworth Road.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, designed by Francis Johnston
Francis Johnston (architect)
See Francis Johnson for English architect of similar name.Francis Johnston was an Irish architect, best known for building the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Dublin.-Life:...
, which is considered to be one of his finest works. It is located at Hardwicke Place, just north of the city centre. The elegant spire, 200 feet (61 m) high, became a landmark of the north inner city.
The church
Construction of the church commenced in 1802 by the Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
for the parish of St. George, which had been established in 1793. There had been a chapel nearby dedicated to St. George for some time before that, in present-day Hill St., erected by Sir John Eccles.
The original site acquired for the church was on Whitworth Road, but then the present site was selected, which at the time was open fields. A temporary chapel was built on the Whitworth Road site and the churchyard was retained when St. George's was completed - this site was later taken over by the Whitworth Hospital (later named Drumcondra Hospital
Drumcondra Hospital
Drumcondra Hospital was a voluntary hospital on Whitworth Road in Dublin, Ireland, that became part of the Rotunda Hospital in 1970.-History:...
).
Twenty-two years after the church was built problems developed when the wide roof began to splay further than it should, due to the strain of the wide-span timber trusses. Civil engineer Robert Mallet
Robert Mallet
Robert Mallet FRS , Irish geophysicist, civil engineer, and inventor who distinguished himself in research on earthquakes and is sometimes called the father of seismology.-Early life:...
, whose father ran an iron foundry in Dublin, created cast-iron trusses to haul the church back into shape.
In the 1980s scaffolding had to be erected around the spire because the Portland stone was cracking due to expansion of the iron cramps that held it in place. The Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
, having tried in vain to raise funds for the restoration of the church, sold the building in 1991 to an actor, Mr Sean Simon, who had plans to turn it into a theatre.
After its deconsecration, the bells (which Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's Ulysses. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in The Odyssey....
heard ringing in Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
) were removed to Taney Parish church
Taney Parish
Taney is a populous parish in the Church of Ireland, located in the Dundrum area of Dublin.-Early history:Taney's origins go back to the early Irish saint Nathi, who in the 6th century established a centre for monastic life. This centre may have been on what is now the site of St. Nahi's Church in...
in Dundrum
Dundrum, Dublin
Dundrum , originally a town in its own right, is now a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland.The area is located in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.-History:...
, while the ornate pulpit was carved up to decorate Thomas Read's pub in Parliament Street.
The church then became the Temple Theatre, then a night-club, but further attempts were made to raise public funds for its restoration; first, in 1991, to celebrate Dublin's role as European City of Culture, and later from the Millennium Committee.
In 2004 the building found a new purchaser who oversaw extensive restoration and renovation to provide office facilities.
The parish
Shortly after the construction of the church, in 1813, the population of the parish was 5,322 males and 7,690 females (these included Roman Catholics as well as Protestants).In the 20th century the parish grew steadily and was in the 1950s the largest in the republic. At the time it was served by three other churches: St. Aidan's, St. Augustine's and the Free Church, in addition to the parish church.
The parish corresponded with the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the same name.
Notable parishioners
In 1806, Arthur Wellesley, famous a few years later as the Duke of WellingtonDuke of Wellington
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
, married Catherine Pakenham, daughter of Lord Longford, in the temporary chapel built on Whitworth Road.
In 1812 the scientist Richard Kirwan
Richard Kirwan
Richard Kirwan FRS was an Irish scientist. He is remembered today, if at all, for being one of the last supporters of the theory of phlogiston. Kirwan was active in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and geology...
was buried in the church.
The architect, Francis Johnston, lived in nearby Eccles Street. In his garden he had built a Gothic church tower, whose bell he enjoyed ringing, but his neighbours persuaded him in 1828 to donate the bell to the new church he had designed. He was buried in St. George's churchyard, which was attached to the temporary chapel on Whitworth Road.