Mountjoy Square railings revamp to cost €240,000 a side

Railings surrounding one side of Mountjoy Square park are to be repaired and repainted, at a cost of about €240,000, in the first phase of the restoration of the Georgian square.

Dublin City Council plans to reinstate the 200-year-old park to its original Georgian design, beginning with the restoration of the iron railings.

Mountjoy Square was first laid out in 1790 and the railed park at its centre was opened to residents of the square in 1805.

It is the only “true” Georgian garden square in the city, as it is the only one of five Georgian squares with four equal sides. It was designed as a “beautiful and refined garden” around a central circular lawn with formal planting and defined paths.

The wrought iron railings are the last surviving component of the original park, but are in poor condition.

The repair of the railings is a specialist task that requires “traditional workmanship techniques”, the council said. “Over 200 years of existence has now taken its toll, and major restoration is required to maintain them into the future.”

Phased work

The restoration will be carried out in phases. The first phase, on the western side of the park, is expected to cost up to €240,000.

In the new year the council intends to begin planning for internal works to the park recommended in a conservation study published last year.

The work, expected to be carried out in a number of phases, would involve the reinstatement of the central lawn and historic footpath path layout, as well as the installation of signage and seating.

The conservation plan then recommends the removal of existing buildings, the installation of tea rooms, a new bandstand, and a new playground.

The park was originally intended for use by Mountjoy Square residents only, but by 1830 those living in the surrounding neighbourhood were given access to the garden for one guinea per family a year. Six years later, the general public could pay to enter and see military band performances.

Dublin Corporation took over the park in 1938, after which public toilets, a nursery and a community building were built, and the central lawn bisected with tennis courts screened by fencing.

Later changes were made in the late 1960s. when a park works depot was created.