Figure 30.6 The Four Courts, Dublin (riverfront), designed by James Gandon in 1786.
Interior The ground floor has a large circular reception area with four courts leading diagonally off it. Originally the courts were only separated from the hall by pillars. Curtains were hung shortly after construction and then timber and glass screens were built. The partitions were built in masonry when the building was reconstructed following its burning in 1922, when all the interior decoration was lost.
Visit www.buildingsofireland.ie and search for images of the interior and exterior of the Four Courts building. Make notes and sketches to help your understanding of the building.
Other projects
Gandon was commissioned to design many of the major buildings in Dublin and a number of the
CHAPTER 30 THE NEO-CLASSICAL STYLE
projects ran simultaneously, including the extension to the House of Lords, the Four Courts, Carlisle (O’Connell) Bridge and the King’s Inns.
Gandon also designed some buildings outside Dublin: Waterford Courthouse, which is now demolished, Coolbanagher Church in Co. Laois and Emo Court nearby, a fine country mansion that was only just begun at the time of Gandon’s death. Emo was one of a few houses that Gandon designed, mainly for his patrons. Abbeville, which was built for Sir John Beresford, and Emsworth are both in Co. Dublin.
James Wyatt (1746–1813) By the end of the century, houses were generally smaller than the palaces we saw earlier. They were also less lavishly decorated. Interiors were often in the Adam style. James Wyatt was the leading figure in country-house design in the later part of
