Dublin - Bank of Ireland

Facing the main entrance to Trinity College is the large building now occupied by the Bank of Ireland, originally designed (by Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, 1729) to house the Irish Parliament but in 1802, after the Act of Union, sold to the Bank of Ireland. The curving facade with its different orders and sculpture groups - resulting from alterations carried out at different times - ranks as one of Dublin's finest. The noble banking hall, converted from the Old Commons' Chamber, can be seen during banking hours.