house, 53, Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Street Lower · NIAH 50100435

Corner-sited three-bay four-storey former house over basement, built c. 1790 as one of pair with No. 54, having five-bay east elevation and projecting bow to east bay of rear elevation with single-bay side walls. Now in use as offices. Pitched slate roof to front, hipped to east end, behind rebuilt Flemish bond brown brick parapet with granite coping, and two hipped roofs to rear perpendicular to street, curved over bow. Rendered chimneystacks to west party wall with long rendered chimneystacks and two further rendered chimneystacks at right angles to roof of bowed bay, with clay pots. Concealed gutters and cast-iron rainwater goods. Flemish bond brown brick walls to front and east elevations on moulded granite plinth over painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling to basement, and rear elevation is rendered. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in height to upper floors, with painted rendered reveals, soldier arches and painted granite sills; exposed granite block-and-start surrounds to basement openings. Round-headed window opening to middle bay of first floor of east elevation. Front elevation has replacement casement windows to first floor and timber sliding sash windows elsewhere, three-over-three pane to top floor, six-over-six to second floor and basement and one-over-one pane to ground floor. Decorative cast-iron balconettes to first and second floors, and wrought-iron grilles to basement windows. East and rear elevations have timber sliding sash windows. East elevation has three-over-three pane to top floor, six-over-six pane to second floor, nine-over-nine pane to first floor, nine-over-one pane to ground floor, round-headed window being tripartite six-over-six pane with cobweb fanlight, bay to each end having blind openings, and ground and first floor openings to second bay back also being blind. Rear elevation has three-over-three pane windows to top floor, six-over-six pane to second and ground floors and six-pane over casements to first floor. Round-headed principal doorway with Adamesque Ionic columns, pilaster responds flanking plain sidelights, stepped frieze, fluted and with paterae over sidelights and swagged over door opening, decorative leaded batwing fanlight, fluted moulded architrave and eight-panel double-leaf timber door with brass furniture. Granite platform with five granite steps. Wrought-iron railings enclosing basement area with decorative cast-iron posts on moulded granite plinth. Replacement timber-sheeted doors access basement interior below bridged platform. Metal fire escape to rear, also serving No. 54. Casey (2005) notes good ceilings to interior. Flat-roof three-storey mid-twentieth-century building abuts rear of bowed bay.