house, 26, Merrion Square · NIAH 50100373

Attached three-bay four-storey former house over basement, built c. 1766, having semi-circular bow to western bays of rear with single-storey addition to rear of same and single and two-storey additions to east bay. Now in use as offices. Slate roof, pitched to front part, behind brick parapet with granite coping, half-conical roof to rear bow and hipped roof to east shared with No. 27. Rendered chimneystacks to party walls with clay pots; cast-iron rainwater goods to west. Flemish bond brown brick walls with painted granite coping above ground floor, moulded sill course to first floor, rusticated granite walls to ground floor over granite plinth course and with rendered walls to basement; brick walling to rear. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in height to upper floors, with patent reveals and painted granite sills to first floor and upwards; granite reveals, voussoirs and sills to ground floor, and with round-headed window to ground floor of bow. Replacement one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor and upwards to front elevation and to ground and first floors of rear, replacement casement windows with shutters to basement, and two-over-two pane windows to top two floors of rear. Painted masonry surround to central first floor window with balustraded apron, and pediment supported on brackets. Round-headed door opening with painted moulded granite surround and cornice, plain fanlight and ten-panel timber door with brass door furniture. Granite platform with remnant cast-iron boot-scrape and two granite steps. Wrought-iron railings enclosing basement area with decorative wrought-iron corner post (finial missing) on carved granite plinth. Entrance hall and stairs hall have tiled floors and moulded timber dado rails; entrance hall has heavy ornate plaster cornice, ceiling rose, entrance doorway internally has pilasters, frieze with triglyphs and modillioned cornice, and round-headed doorway to ground floor room with pilasters; stairs hall has timber open-string staircase with turned balusters and ramped mahogany handrail; return has round-headed doorway with Ionic columns, decorative archivolt, margined glazed timber double-leaf door and overlight; square-headed door opening to landing with lugged-and-kneed architrave, timber panelled door and Rococo plasterwork to over-door; ground floor rooms have deep timber skirtings, shallow plaster cornices, lugged-and-kneed surrounds to window openings, chimneypieces to west wall; first floor rooms have deep timber skirtings, timber panelling below chair rail, marble chimneypieces to west wall, timber lugged-and-kneed architraves to timber panelled doors, panelled shutters and window backs to windows; Rococo plasterwork ceiling with dentillated cornice to front room; swagged cornice to rear room. Rear of plot has carparking, recent three-storey brick-faced block with forecourt and brick boundary wall all shared with No. 27.