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A History of the RCB Library’s Portfolio Drawings Collections

A History of the RCB Library’s Portfolio Drawings Collections

By Dr Michael O’Neill

 

Introduction

For April’s Archive of the Month, Dr Michael O’Neill will delve deeper into the history of the RCB Library’s important and extensive collection of portfolio drawings, outlining the history of how these drawings came to be, as well as how the material came to be held in a safe environment in the RCB Library. This article can be read in conjunction with the Archive of the Month from March, which can be read here.

The Collection

 

It is fairly clear that the drawings that make up this collection are the working drawings of the architects of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Ireland. The Commissioners were active from 1833 to Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871. We get a glimpse of the activity of the organisation in 1860 in the obituary of Joseph Welland, the principal architect from 1843 to his death. He had ‘numerous staff of inspectors of works, drawings, and other clerks, offices, etc’. James Franklin Fuller was a district  architect employed by the Commissioners in the eight years leading up to Disestablishment. He described the activity of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners as follows: In those days everything in the way of repairs to the fabric was done by these Commissioners, without any expense whatever to the parish, or the clergyman… When repairs were required, the Parson reported to the head office in Merrion Street, and the Architect had then to visit.

The architectural drawings, or the office copies, were then in Merrion Street (later the offices of the Land Commissioners) up to 1871 if not later and a century later were housed in 52 St Stephen Green, then the offices of the Representative Church Body. The architectural historian Douglas Scott Richardson recorded in the preface to his 1970 thesis on Gothic Revival architecture in Ireland that he had been provided unlimited access to the collection of architectural drawings then held in 62 St Stephen’s Green. The Library and Ecclesiastical Records Committee reports in the Journal take up this story:

The handing over to the care of the Library of a collection of architects’ drawings of church buildings is warmly welcomed as in this collection represents a most important and interesting record of 19th century parochial history. The majority of the drawings are dated between 1845 and 1865. Some give detailed plans for new churches (in a few cases there are two plans for the proposed new building); others are plans for enlarging or altering existing churches. The value of the collection is increased by the fact that some of the buildings to which they relate are no longer standing, and no other architectural record of them may have been preserved. The Representative Church Body is greatly indebted to Mr. Douglas Richardson of New Haven, Connecticut, for his expert advice in connection with the drawings, and for generously giving up so much time to identifying and sorting them during a visit to Dublin. Special shelves for the storage of the portfolios containing the drawings will have to be incorporated into the plan for the strong room in the new Library. 

The Library and Ecclesiastical Records Committee reports in subsequent years recorded accessions of drawing collections. These of course are the drawings which form the backbone of this discussion.

Drawings created by the Commissioners’ architects of course stayed within the Churches ambit and were created for the use of parishes, clergymen (in the case of glebe and rectory plans), and were required to be deposited in the diocesan registers as part of the process of obtaining episcopal permission to build, extend or change a church interior and to build or replace a glebe house or rectory. This quasi–legal process will be discussed in a future Archive of the Month.

Some of the drawings found in the parish collections were discussed in the previous Archive of the Month. The Diocesan archive for Dublin, Glendalough and Kildare when searched through for drawings and related material proved to be a very extensive additional source of drawings. The Dublin Diocesan Records are boxes of loose papers mainly concerning parish administration but sometimes include material relating to church and glebe house architecture. This architectural material, including plans, specifications and memorials has recently been digitised, catalogued and added to the online architectural drawings collection.

The collection is an accumulation of papers transferred from Kildare Place and the former Synod Hall at Christ Church to the See House and the R.C.B. Library in 1974 and papers transferred from the former Synod Hall to the R.C.B. Library in 1982. There are some 252 boxes of papers organised by parish for the dioceses of Dublin, Glendalough and Kildare, boxes 1–140 for Dublin, boxes 141–191 for Glendalough and boxes 196–252 for Kildare.

 

Architectural material relating to churches and glebe houses was catalogued for the following parishes in Dublin diocese:

Churches: Baggotrath, Balbriggan, Booterstown, Bray, Castleknock, Clonsilla, Clontarf, Coolock, Donnybrook, Finglas, Glasnevin, Grangegorman, Holmpatrick, Kenure, Killiney, Malahide, Milltown, Monkstown, Raheny, Rathcoole, Rathmichael, Rathmines, St Aidan, St Ann, St Andrew, St Audeon, St Bride, St Dolough, St George, St James, St John, St Jude, St Luke, St Nicholas Without, St Mark, St Mary, St Matthew, St Michan, St Paul, St Peter, St Stephen, St Thomas, Sandford, Stillorgan, Taney, Tullow, Whitechurch.

Glebe Houses: Balrothery, Balscaddan, Clondalkin, Clonmethan, Dalkey, Donabate, Finglas, Grangegorman, Kilsallaghan, Kiltiernan, Lusk, Newcastle, Raheny, Rathcoole, Rathmines, St Ann, Swords, Tallaght, Taney.

Glendalough diocese:

Churches: Arklow, Ballintemple, Blessington, Castlemacadam, Celbridge, Delgany, Dunganstown, Dunlavin, Fontstown, Inch, Kilbride, Kilcullen, Leixlip, Lucan, Maynooth, Newcastle, Rathdrum, Timolin, Wicklow.

Glebe Houses: Athy, Ballintemple, Castlemacadam, Celbridge, Delgany, Derralossory, Donoughmore, Dunganstown, Dunlavin, Fontstown, Glenealy, Hollywood, Inch, Kilberry, Kilcullen, Leixlip, Lucan, Maynooth, Narraghmore, Newcastle, Rathdrum, Rathmore.

Kildare diocese:

Churches: Ballinafeagh, Ballykean,  Ballysax, Ballysonnan, Carnalway, Clane, Coolbanagher, Feighcullen, Geashill, Kill, Killashee, Kilmeague, Kinneagh, Lackagh, Lea, Monasterevin, Morristownbiller, Mountmellick, Naas, Nurney, Portarlington, Timahoe, Thomastown, St Bridget’s Cathedral.

Glebe Houses: Ballinafeagh, Ballycommon, Ballykean, Ballysax, Clane, Clonaslee, Coolbanagher, Feighcullen, Geashill, Kill, Kilmeague, Kinneagh, Lackagh, Monasterevin, Naas, Rathangan, Thomastown.

In total there were 698 items catalogued and some 2,200 images added to the online drawings collection, representing an 11% increase in available material. These items have been fully integrated with the existing catalogue so that material from the Portfolio, Parish and Diocesan collections are available to view for each church or glebe house without distinction.

Discussion of some glebe houses

A Glebe House for Athy was designed by Edward Masterson in 1807. This was a three bay, two storey over basement house with a stair return on the rear elevation and the stacks on the rear elevation and was to be built at a cost of £915.

Edward Masterson, “Ground Plan and Elevation of a Glebe House intended to be built on the Glebe of Athy. April 1807 Edward Masterson Carpenter. Approved Charles Dublin,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9805.
Edward Masterson, “Ground Plan and Elevation of a Glebe House intended to be built on the Glebe of Athy. April 1807 Edward Masterson Carpenter. Approved Charles Dublin,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9805.

 

A glebe house at Donabate dating to 1806 had a three bay plan of two–storeys with staircase in the narrower middle bay and stacks on the spine wall. A detailed estimate by Matthew McDonnell furnishing all materials arrived at a total cost of £422.

Mathew MacDonal, “Donabate. Estimate of a Glebe House to be built in the parish of Donabate by Matthew McDonnell furnishing all Materials. Signed Mathew MacDonal,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9491.
Mathew MacDonal, “Donabate. Estimate of a Glebe House to be built in the parish of Donabate by Matthew McDonnell furnishing all Materials. Signed Mathew MacDonal,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9491.

In 1824 a glebe house for Finglas designed by John Semple & Son was estimated to cost £850. The detailed specification covers four pages and is divided into 11 columns.

Unsigned, “Finglas Glebe House. Diocese of Dublin. Principal Story. Bedchamber Story ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/4606.
Unsigned, “Finglas Glebe House. Diocese of Dublin. Principal Story. Bedchamber Story ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/4606.
Unsigned, “Finglas Glebe House. Diocese of Dublin. Front Elevation ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/4605.
Unsigned, “Finglas Glebe House. Diocese of Dublin. Front Elevation ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/4605.

 

 

The front elevation is in a noticeably Gothic revival idiom with mullions to the tripartite ground floor windows, square hood moulds with stops and plat bands or string courses between the floors. The wide entrance door has an emphatic door surround and overlight.

By way of contrast, and a more common treatment of glebe houses in this period was to employ a late Georgian or Regency style. John Semple & Son were also responsible for building a glebe house at Glenealy, also built in 1826. Here the building was built by William Phillips for £500 furnishing materials. Here while we have essentially the same ground floor plan, the doorcase has a fanlight over and the windows are well proportioned with the ground floor windows set over a platband.

Deane & Woodward design for Athy glebe house for the Revd F. S. Trench in an advanced Gothic Revival style employing polychromy. The building as designed was to be faced in brick with saw–tooth decoration to door and windows, ornate chimney caps and patterned relieving arches and decorative bands. The garden front was considerably more elaborate than the entrance front. A supplemental elevation drawing dating June 1860 was provided should the house be built in limestone rather than brick.

Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.
Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.
Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.
Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.
Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.
Deane & Woodward, “Athy. Glebe House for the Revd F S Trench. No. 4. Garden Front. Longitudinal Section on line CD Messrs Deane & Woodward archs. June 8 1860. ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9795.

 

Perhaps a more common design of glebe houses in the 1860s, the decade leading up to Disestablishment, were those designed by Frederick Darley, who had been Diocesan architect for Dublin Provence following John Semple & Son and before the role for all the diocesan architects was amalgamated under Joseph Welland.

At Clondalkin and Taney, both designed by Darley, two different styles are employed. At Clondalkin, where Darley replaced a glebe house dating to 1806, he employed a mid–Victorian architectural style. A tightly integrated house, yard and outbuildings design has a three–bay front elevation flanked on one side by yard and out buildings and by gardens on the other. The house is deep on plan with a vestibule, inner hall and kitchen passage stretching to the rear elevation. A study opens of the vestibule with the drawing room opposite which is lit by a bay window on the garden side.

Frederick Darley, “Proposed Glebe House and Offices &c for the Parish of Clondalkin in the Diocese and County of Dublin. Frederick Darley Arch. No. 1. Ground Plan,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9468.
Frederick Darley, “Proposed Glebe House and Offices &c for the Parish of Clondalkin in the Diocese and County of Dublin. Frederick Darley Arch. No. 1. Ground Plan,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9468.

The three–bay entrance front has an advanced drawing room bay with a separate gable with purlins expressed on the surface. The entrance door has a tall overlight and piers flank a double wooden gate to the yard.

 

At Taney, Darley employed a more compact plan where the outbuildings are set at an angle and the railway line afforded views of several elevations. Here the cost was estimated at £1397. The various elevations deliberately evoke a very substantial smaller country house. The front elevations with tripartite windows hark back to the work of William Farrell but here employed flanking a large entrance door arch. Gables and stacks abound on the other elevations with a bay window to the garden front.

Frederick Darley, “Taney. Glebe House. Second Floor Plan. 7 Bedrooms | Dressing Room Hay Loft | Servants Bed Room. 60ft. Approved RC Dublin,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9754.
Frederick Darley, “Taney. Glebe House. Second Floor Plan. 7 Bedrooms | Dressing Room Hay Loft | Servants Bed Room. 60ft. Approved RC Dublin,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9754.

Churches in the Diocesan Collection

Fontstown Church in Co. Kildare and Glendalough diocese was designed by Richard Robinson in 1823. The plan shows a west tower integrated into the west bay of a four bay church. Box pews in the interior are not unusual for the date but the arrangement of triple decker pulpit at the west end and the communion table and rails in their usual eastern position is not commonly found.

Richard Robinson, “Ground plan of the Intended Church for the Parish of Fontstown. Richard Robinson Arch. May 1823 The dimensions are all marked exclusive of plastering,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9870.
Richard Robinson, “Ground plan of the Intended Church for the Parish of Fontstown. Richard Robinson Arch. May 1823 The dimensions are all marked exclusive of plastering,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9870.

 

 

The west elevation has a three stage tower and spire flanked by north and south bays. The lower stage of the tower is fenestrated providing an unusual three separate lancet elevation. The entrance porch is on the south elevation. Robinson provided a detailed and costed specification for building the church for £1264 in 1823.

Richard Robinson, “West Elevation for Fontstown Church. R Robinson Architect. May 1823 ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9871.
Richard Robinson, “West Elevation for Fontstown Church. R Robinson Architect. May 1823 ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9871.

Redcross in Dunganstown parish in Co Wicklow and Glendalough diocese was designed and specified and costed by John Semple & Son in 1829 at a cost of £463. It is a far simpler design than the Dublin spectaculars such as the Black Church, Whitechurch or Tallaght eschewing a west tower with or without spire for a bell–cote on the west gable and a slightly expressed porch. The only hint of the Semple exuberance is the raking barges and string course on the west gable and the gable topped flanking buttresses.

John Semple & Son, “Dunganstown. Redcross. Ground Plan. Elevation of East End. West End. Flank Elevation John Semple & Son,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9849.
John Semple & Son, “Dunganstown. Redcross. Ground Plan. Elevation of East End. West End. Flank Elevation John Semple & Son,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9849.

 

 

One of the more intriguing Dublin churches was St Andrew’s church, built between 1670 and 1674  by William Dodson. It was rebuilt 1793–1808 by Francis Johnston rebuilt again by W.H. Lynn in 1866. Both the first and second church had an interesting elliptical plan, and a distinctive auditory style interior in Johnston’s rebuilding. An intriguing question is the relationship between the earlier building and that built by Lynn and is answered in a plan dated November 1860 by Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon.

Lanyon Lynn & Lanyon, “Plan of Grave Yard St Andrew s Parish. Showing position of Ruined Walls. Plan of Proposed New Church. Position of Tombs adjacent to same. Lanyon Lynn & Lanyon. 44 Upr Sackville St,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9665.
Lanyon Lynn & Lanyon, “Plan of Grave Yard St Andrew s Parish. Showing position of Ruined Walls. Plan of Proposed New Church. Position of Tombs adjacent to same. Lanyon Lynn & Lanyon. 44 Upr Sackville St,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/9665.

James Franklin Fuller mentioned above was very active in the post–Disestablishment church, and was an authority on the Hiberno–Romanesque style. His drawings for Carnalway church are important in this regard.

J. F. Fuller, “Carnalway Church. Proposed Additions. Longitudinal Section Chancel. 10ft. Approved by Select Vestry. Chancel Arch. Wall arcade. Chevron Ornament.,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/10054.
J. F. Fuller, “Carnalway Church. Proposed Additions. Longitudinal Section Chancel. 10ft. Approved by Select Vestry. Chancel Arch. Wall arcade. Chevron Ornament.,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed April 4, 2023, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/10054.

 

This is merely a selection of the material from the Dublin, Glendalough and Kildare Diocesan collections which has now been added to the online collection of drawings.

The drawings collection of church, cathedral and glebe houses form the basis for a newly published study of the architectural history of the Church of Ireland. Details are available here.

An Architectural History of the Church of Ireland, by Dr Michael O'Neill.
An Architectural History of the Church of Ireland, by Dr Michael O'Neill.

About the author: 

Dr Michael O’Neill is an architectural historian and digital archivist. He has digitised and web–published the extensive architectural drawing collections in the RCB Library and is the author of the recently–published An Architectural History of the Church of Ireland.

 

 

 

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