Dublin - Four Courts

Capel Street descends to the Liffey at Gratton Bridge. 0.25mi/400m upstream, on Inns Quay, is a masterpiece by James Gandon, the Four Courts, seat of the Irish High Court and Supreme Court. Built between 1786 and 1802, it incorporated plans by Thomas Cooley, who died before building began. After being badly damaged by gunfire during the Civil War in 1922 it was restored in 1931 with minor alterations. The 456ft/139m long river-front with its Corinthian portico is dominated by a great domed rotunda which is a prominent Dublin landmark. The central hall beneath the dome gave access to the four courts from which the building takes its name - the Exchequer, Common Pleas, King's Bench and Chancery Courts.