The Oldest House In Dublin
One ordinary looking house in Dublin 8 may have passed well turn out to be a lot more special than it looks.
Number 130 Thomas Street may not be an address that rings many bells. It’s sandwiched between Agnes Browns public house and Massey’s funeral home and lies two doors down from the old social welfare office. On the face of it, there’s really nothing about 130 for the eye to rest on, a blank grey two story building, it’s not one for second glances. Doubtless people walking by pay more attention to the funeral home.
In recent times the house was bought at auction by builder Paul Sinott for €125,000 and came to the attention of Dublin Trust officer Graham Hickey. Drawn in by the buildings unusual roof and chimney, he asked around and was granted a closer look. Once in he was to find a ramshackle space that seemed on the point of falling in on itself. Picking his way through the rubble he ventured further in and eventually, right at the back, found a staircase that could only have come from the sixteen hundreds.
Wood samples were taken and tests revealed they date from 1639, beating the previous oldest intact house, 9 Aungier Street by some 25 years. . In all likelihood the house dates from a time just before the English civil war, within a few short years King Charles the1st body was to part with his head and Cromwell to sweep through Ireland. Gradually other features have emerged; low ceilings, oak wooden beams, and elaborate brickwork, with each detail the houses 17th centaury past comes that bit closer to the surface.
The house is at present been restored and when completed will be a shop with apartment’s overhead. Although the building is to be dragged into the 21st century efforts are been made to retain much of its history and many of its old features are being conserved. 130 Thomas Street has had some past and may well have some future.
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