1762 – St. Thomas’s Church, Marlborough St., Dublin

Architect: John Smyth

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Construction started in 1758 and took four years to complete. Based on Palladio’s church of the Rendentore at Venice. Described by Malton as ‘…the church of St Thomas is an exact copy from a design by Palladio, with some omissions, not to the advantage of the composition”. £2000 was granted by Parliament for the building of the church, and later another thousand pounds to finish it off. In 1809, Henry Baker suggested completing the facade with the addition of a 130ft steeple.

Described in “A view of antient and modern Dublin, with its latest improvements” published in 1807: “Saint Thomas’s church is also a very handsome one, but was never finished; it forms an excellent termination to Gloucester street; the inside well designed and decorated with columns of the Corinthian order. The ornaments are numerous and the stucco work is particularly admired.”

Described in 1837 as “The church, erected in 1758, presents a front to Marlborough-street, opposite to Gloucester-street, composed of two pilasters and two three-quarter columns of the Composite order, supporting an entablature and enclosing ornamented niches, and, in the centre, a Corinthian doorway, with an angular pediment: on each side of this facade is a half-pediment, supported by a Corinthian pilaster at the extremity, and a half-pilaster in the return: an intended pediment over the centre has not been erected.”

The Church was gutted by fire which destroyed most of the O’Connell Street area in the Civil War in July 1922. Although the external structure survived, it was decided to extend Gloucester Street (Sean Mac Dermott Street) up to O’Connell Street, and the remains were demolished.

The adjoining parish hall of 1886 was by Alfred G. Jones.