Come Here To Me!

Dublin, at her core, is a Georgian city. Despite this, she is home to a number of very impressive Victorian structures which we tend to take for granted. Personal favourites include the Georges Street Arcade, the Chapel Royal of Dublin Castle and the Commercial Union building on the corner of College Green and Grafton Street. An impressive sandstone building, it stands out in stark contrast to a lot of the Georgian architecture around it.

Most Dubs probably know it as the ‘Tourism Office’ now, or as the home of the Irish Whiskey Museum. Passing it recently, I noticed the coats of arms of two cities in the beautiful frontage of the building, showing Dublin and London. Dublin’s coat of arms depicts three burning castles, with an official city history noting “the flames symbolise zeal; here they represent the zeal of the citizens in the defence of Dublin.” Our rather unfortunate city motto, linking the obedience of citizens to happiness, doesn’t feature on College Green.

Alongside it is the coat of arms of London, consisting of a shield featuring the cross of St George, as well as an upright sword, symbol of the martyrdom of Saint Paul.

Commercial Union Building, College Green.

In the Victorian capital, as Michael Barry notes, “the area around Dame Street and College Green became the commercial and financial heart of Victorian Dublin. Here, the buildings were of import and substance, usually with fine detailing and often a touch of fantasy.” Almost neighbouring the Commercial Union buildings, the old National Bank (now Abercrombie and Fitch) has a striking depicting of Érin herself over the building, alongside the patriotic symbols of a harp and an Irish wolfhound. Dublin’s economic fortunes were linked to London and the Empire, and while Érin stands tall and defiant, the Commercial Union building links the two capitals.

Dating from the 1880s, the Commercial Union Assurance Co. building is the work of Sir Thomas Newenham Deane, assisted by his son, Thomas Manly Deane. Born in Cork, Thomas Newenham Deane worked on a number of celebrated Dublin buildings, including the Trinity College Dublin Museum, Kildare Street Club (home to billiard playing monkeys) and the designs of the National Museum and National Library.

The building is best viewed from across the street, and standing at the gates of Trinity College Dublin you can really appreciate its scale and detail, including its copper-green turret. From the vantage point of Trinity College Dublin, this early twentieth century image captured the building bedecked for a royal occasion. The two city coat of arms can clearly be seen too, above a curious crowd gazing across at the university.

Image Credit: Aviva Heritage.

The building today houses the James Fox Cigar and Whiskey Store, and some sources refer to the corner in times gone by as Fox’s Corner owing to this. With so much recent discussion and debate over the future of College Green, be sure to stop next time you’re passing through to appreciate some of its architectural gems you may have missed.