Architect: William Chambers
Long before the Celtic Tiger and the boom-and-bust cycles of the 1980s, the revolution of 1916 and the lockout of 1913, Dublin was a different place, and had wonderful architectural offspring. Gandon was building the Customs House and the Four Courts, Georgian squares sat next to farmers’ fields and a little gem was being thought up by William Chambers on Dublin’s Northside, then only a series of meadows. Dublin was so provocative in its architecture and this is the finest example of that radicalism and personality. The Casino at Marino is one of my favourite buildings anywhere. It plays tricks like a magician and exudes something that a lot of current builds don’t: fun. Built as a folly in 1775 for James Caulfield, it was designed to look like a small one-room pavilion, so that people approaching from a far would take no notice and move past it; in fact it’s a three-storey game of illusions masking its 16 intertwined rooms. Secret passages, hidden stairs behind fake doors, this is a Machiavellian wonderland of architecture. For anyone who hasn’t seen this, it’s a must. Also highly recommended is the tour you can take, as the wonderful people at the Office of Public Works are even more passionate about Dublin’s finest gem than I am.
Andy Griffin is the co-founder of Urban Agency with architecture practices in Dublin and Copenhagen, and he is also co-founder of Push Watches.
Words: Andy Griffin
