The Custom House. This image appears on the first page of the magazine’s article on Ireland’s capital city. Source: The Graphic 57-58 (17 August 1878): 169. Click on image to enlarge it.
As the steamer lakes you up the River Liffey past the spacious Quays, the most remarkable object that meets your eyes is the Custom House. It is a colossal and beautiful structure, surpassing in magnificence the Custom House of London, having four fronts built of Irish granite and Portland stone, with handsome balustrades running along the summits. In the centre is a lofty dome, on the cone of which is a figure of Hope.
The old Custom House of Dublin was situated in a more inland position, Essex Street. But in 1794, in consequence of the rapid increase of prosperity of the city, the Irish Parliament voted half a million of money to build the present edifice, and Mr. Gandon, who designed the Post Office, and other of the more important public buildings, was appointed architect. Only the Dublin business of the Customs and Excise are now transacted here, the Customs for the rest of Ireland being now dealt with by the General Board in London. Various other departments of the public service, however, such as the Stamp, Fisheries, and Woods and Forests Offices, now carry on duties here. [171]
Related material
[You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Internet Archive and the University of Illinois library and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. — George P. Landow]
Bibliography
“Dublin Illustrated.” The Graphic (17 August 1878): 169-81. Internet Archive online version of a copy in the University of Illinois Library. Web. 14 August 2018.
Last modified 13 August 2018