Nice print titled The Custom House, Dublin, from steel engraving with fine detail and clear impression. Overall size is 27 x 21 cm, image size is 18 x 12 cm. Print was published in: The Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland. Illustrated in one hundred and twenty engravings, from drawings by W.H. Bartlett, London, James S. Virtue, 1840-1842.

The Custom House

The Custom House (Irish: Teach an Chustaim) is a neoclassical  18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Housing,  Planning and Local Government. It is located on the north bank of the River  Liffey, on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge.

Origins

A previous Custom House had been built in 1707 by  engineer Thomas Burgh (1670–1730). However, by the late 18th century it was  deemed unfit for purpose.

The building of a new Custom House for Dublin was the idea of John Beresford,  who became first commissioner of revenue for Ireland in 1780. In 1781 he  appointed James Gandon as architect, after Thomas Cooley, the original architect  on the project, had died. This was Gandon's first large scale commission. The  new Custom House was unpopular with the Dublin Corporation and some city  merchants who complained that it moved the axis of the city, would leave little  room for shipping, and it was being built on what at the time was a swamp.  Purchase of land was delayed and proved exorbitant and the laying of foundations  was disrupted by the High Sheriff and members of the Dublin Corporation with a  mob of several thousand. However, Beresford was determined to complete the  project and ignored the protests.

Construction

Construction started in 1781, and for his assistants Gandon chose Irish artists  such as Meath stone-cutter Henry Darley, mason John Semple and carpenter Hugh  Henry. Every available mason in Dublin was engaged in the work. When it was  completed and opened for business on 7 November 1791, it had cost £200,000 to  build – a considerable sum at the time. The four facades of the building are  decorated with coats-of-arms and ornamental sculptures (by Edward Smyth)  representing Ireland's rivers. Another artist, Henry Banks, was responsible for  the statue on the dome and other statues.

Use and redevelopment

As the port of Dublin moved further downriver, the building's original use for  collecting custom duties became obsolete, and it was used as the headquarters of  the Local Government Board for Ireland. During the Irish War of Independence in  1921, the Irish Republican Army burnt down the Custom House, in an attempt to  disrupt British rule in Ireland. Gandon's original interior was completely  destroyed in the fire and the central dome collapsed. A large quantity of  irreplaceable historical records were also destroyed in the fire. Despite  achieving its objectives, the attack on the Custom House was a setback for the  IRA as a large number of Volunteers were captured either during the attack or  when falling back.

After the Anglo-Irish Treaty, it was restored by the Irish Free State  government. The results of this reconstruction can still be seen on the  building's exterior today – the dome was rebuilt using Irish Ardbraccan  limestone which is noticeably darker than the Portland stone used in the  original construction. This was done as an attempt to promote Irish resources.

Further restoration and cleaning of the stonework was done by an Office of  Public Works team in the 1980s.