Construction began in 1876 on what would become Ireland’s first Victorian shopping centre, Georges Street Arcade. Originally known as the South City Markets, it’s initial design caused controversy due to the appointment of British architects Lockwood & Mauson. The use of imported materials and the market company neglecting to invite native Dubliners to the formal opening in 1881 also served to cause contention. The initial animosity held by locals towards the structure was cast aside following a fi re in 1892, when public sympathy resulted in a relief fund, with the structure eventually being rebuilt by local craftsmen in 1894.

The elaborate red-bricked Victorian structure is striking, taking up an entire block of the city, and still displays some of the Flemish Gothic style used by Lockwood & Mauson at the original entry arches on the façade of the buildings. The fifty retailers housed within the arcade are illuminated by windows in the clerestory and by glazed panels in the roof. Despite various refurbishments throughout the years, the arcade has managed to maintain its distinctive Old Dublin market aesthetic, a celebration of Victorian architecture from it’s deep pitched roofs to its decorative turrets.

Photo by Helen Fee.