I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview with Yelp of the Open House Dublin tour of 9/9a Aungier…read moreSt, a house built in 1664 and one of the oldest surviving domestic dwellings in Dublin. We often think of Dublin's Georgian past when it comes to the architecture of the city but Aungier st. as part of the Aungier Estate was the first planned street outside the old medieval city walls. It was a very fashionable address and home to nobility, aristocrats and well-to-do merchants. No. 9/9A was discovered as still having its original structure despite its purpose and its living accommodation changing considerably over its 350 years and MESH architects have taken on a massive, time consuming restoration work here. We started our tour outside the Chester Beatty in the grounds of Dublin Castle where we were given a historical overview of medieval Dublin and the event that led to the laying out of Aungier St. We then proceeded out the Ship st gate and turned left up the cobbled street to Stephens Street Lower. We stopped and had a quick look in above The Central Dairy building which is also a restoration project in progress before heading to 9/9A. One of the architects involved in restoring this fabulous old building gave us a tour discussing the structure, how it has been altered and what they can learn from the way the house was built and from analysing the materials used. I unfortunately had to leave the tour early but before I left I learned how the craftsmen often used superstitious markings on the rafters and joists to bless the building and that by analysing the plasterwork an paint they can tell what was burnt in the fireplaces and can deduct from this how the rooms were used. How cool is that? It was amazing to see the house stripped back to the bare bones so that you could see how it was built and see how much work goes into a restoration project such as this! This is not a tour for little ones, this house is a building site right now. ******* I also did a tour of the Grand Canal Dock area yesterday with one of the architects who was involved in designing a number of blocks in the area, which was very interesting. My only criticism would be that he didn't have a great speaking voice, too low for a tour. ******** I also gave tours as part of Open House yesterday. I volunteer at Marsh's Library and while I am definitely biased ( I'm also a librarian) it's a great place to visit at an event like this as they often include the garden which visitors don't normally get to see!

Seeing the bones of the oldest intact house/dwelling place in the city is an extraordinary…read moreexperience. The Yelp Elite Open House tour of 9/9a Aungier Street started at the Chester Beatty Library to give us a visual overview of the masterplan. Aungier Street is apparently the oldest planned street in the city, ending at the now-vanished St George's Church which faced Dame Street. We 'processed' out the back of the Castle, as one does, along Stephen Street, where in some waste ground, the medieval ditch of Dublin is still apparently visible. How cool is that? It reminds how every corner of Dublin has a history, sometimes several histories. The Central Dairy shop on Stephen Street, which used to be a defunct newsagents, now hosts a lovely designer shop on the ground floor, and the upper floors are being restored. I think it's amazing to be able to see an old house stripped back to the bare essentials. The tour of 9/9a was the highlight, the guides from Open House had their work cut out for them getting people to move on the next part of the tour, so fascinating was each room. Such a privilege to be shown around by people whose knowledge is driven by a passion for Dublin's history which I suspect in neither profitable nor popular. I hope the Open House event this year (17-19 October) is a success and is a showcase for the great work that's being done by the Irish Architecture Foundation. A big thank you to Emily for organising this event. Another quirky idea from the ever-creative Yelp CM!

Great architectural practice, wide range of experience on commercial and domestic projects. Very…read moreefficient and skillfully design led with professional services from planning, feasibility studies, conservation, green energy and 3D visualisation.

The food was definitely enjoyable. We ended up eating there twice on our 5 day trip. I had to have…read morethe oysters again.