James Malton's engraving of the Provost's house in the 1790s
The Provost's House is a five-bay, two-storey house with seven-bay single-storey wings on each side, which dates from 1759 and was built for Provost Francis Andrews of Trinity College.[2][3]
Design
The designer is unknown but may have been the Dublin architect John Smyth. It has a Palladian design with a central Venetian window and doricpilasters and is similar to that built by Lord Burlington for General Wade (demolished in 1935) in London in 1723, who in turn largely copied a drawing by Andrea Palladio. Another version of the house existed in Potsdam.[4]
The ground floor ashlar stonework is heavily tooled with round-headed arches spanning over the windows. The centre arch over the entrance door is slightly wider than the others. The upper floor consists of pilasters standing on a string course and supporting a strong cornice at roof level. The two wings are both similar with a three-bay breakfront surmounted by a pediment.
It is the only one of Dublin's great Georgian houses which still serves its original purpose.[citation needed] It lies at the north end of Grafton Street near the corner with Nassau Street and has the unique address of No 1 Grafton Street.[citation needed]
It was described by Charles Robert Cockerell in 1823 as follows: "The beautiful front of the Provost's House,...... had been completely spoilt by a high pitched roof and the centre arch having keystone smaller than the sides, producing a disfigured visual effect."[citation needed]
Other usage
In 2017 the house was used as a neutral venue for negotiations between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as part of Irish government formation talks.[5]
