Custom House
Custom House (1781-1791) in Dublin, Ireland.
In the 1780s, the customs house of Dublin near Essex bridge was in poor shape and too small for the growing harbour. Moreover, with increasing trade volumes the port of Dublin moved further downstream to accomodate larger ships unfit for the shallow water at the centre of the city. Thus a new, more representative custom house was built on reclaimed land on the banks of the river Liffey. The new headquarters of the Commissioners of Custom and Excise was built by architect James Gandon, with construction spanning ten years and costing £200,000.
As the port continued to move towards the sea, the Custom House was largely repurposed as headquarters of the Local Government Board for Ireland by the beginning of the 20th century. As such, in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, the building was attacked and burned down in by the Irish Republican Army. By 1928, custom house had been rebuilt for use by the Irish government - the wartime destruction still visible as the reconstruction used local Ardbracca limestone darker than the original Portland stone. Today, it houses the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Custom House
Custom House (1781-1791) in Dublin, Ireland.
In the 1780s, the customs house of Dublin near Essex bridge was in poor shape and too small for the growing harbour. Moreover, with increasing trade volumes the port of Dublin moved further downstream to accomodate larger ships unfit for the shallow water at the centre of the city. Thus a new, more representative custom house was built on reclaimed land on the banks of the river Liffey. The new headquarters of the Commissioners of Custom and Excise was built by architect James Gandon, with construction spanning ten years and costing £200,000.
As the port continued to move towards the sea, the Custom House was largely repurposed as headquarters of the Local Government Board for Ireland by the beginning of the 20th century. As such, in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, the building was attacked and burned down in by the Irish Republican Army. By 1928, custom house had been rebuilt for use by the Irish government - the wartime destruction still visible as the reconstruction used local Ardbracca limestone darker than the original Portland stone. Today, it houses the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.