Marks of Time
Historic Buildings as  illustrations of the past.
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Derry to Strabane
    • Derry to Limavady
    • Kilkenny to Derry
    • Dublin Visit
    • Inishowen Tour
    • Co Down Visit
    • Carrickfergus Tour
    • Stirling
    • Belfast to Derry
  • About
    • Links
    • Further Reading
  • Contact
  • Map Viewer
  • Counties

The Georgians


 


Surviving buildings  in the City  from the  Eighteenth  Century and  early Nineteenth Century are all well proportioned and of a  similar  architectural style normally referred to as ‘Georgian’   which relates to the four Kings of the name  who ruled   from the death of Queen Anne  in 1714 until 1830. These buildings were  built of brick with regularly  arranged sash windows and had decoration which  was mainly limited to the  entrance door, with fanlight, and the interior. These  examples at 6 79 Shipquay Street, with their  interesting door surrounds, are typical of the  style.


 Dating from 1833, the  Deanery is a  late example of the Georgian Style but it illustrates the  emphasis on  proportion and refined detail of this approach very well. All  these buildings  provided grace, poise and civilisation to the city within the  Walls and reflect  a refinement of style derived from the Classical  architecture of the Romans.  This style, deployed across the ‘King’s Realm’ of  the time, was a rational form  of architecture where everything had its place  in a society where everyone knew  their place.


The oldest surviving gate in the City Walls was constructed in  1789 as a ‘triumphal arch’ i.e. it is modelled on the arches that the Roman  Emperor’s constructed to immortalise their triumphs in war. True to tradition,  this arch celebrates a victory – that of King William. On one side, is a  keystone with a carved head representing the River Foyle and on the other, a  head representing the  River Boyne. It  is a fine piece of architecture which encloses an important  vista and  emphasises classical civilisation. This is very much in tune with  the  ‘Enlightenment’ values of the period and those of its patron the Earl   Bishop.

 
By the end of the  century however,  the American and French Revolutions had inspired the 1798  Rebellion of the  United Irishmen and Wolfe Tone had been arrested in Lough   Swilly. A direct  result of this was the Act of Union of 1801 with the Irish  Parliament dissolved  and the island formally integrated into the United  Kingdom.   
 


 




Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
< Back       The Nineteenth Century>
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.