Mount Pleasant Square facts for kids
| Cearnóg Chnocán Aoibhinn | |
1 Mount Pleasant Square
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 Location in Dublin
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| Other name(s) | Mountpleasant Square |
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| Namesake | Mount Pleasant, London |
| Area | 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) |
| Location | Ranelagh/Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D06 |
| Coordinates | 53°19′39″N 6°15′35″W / 53.3274°N 6.2596°W |
Mount Pleasant Square is a lovely Georgian garden square. It is located on the edge of Rathmines and Ranelagh in Dublin, Ireland. You can walk there from Grafton Street in about 25 minutes.
This square was finished in 1834. It is known for its elegant and peaceful feel. Many people say it is one of Dublin's most beautiful squares from the early 1800s. It is also unique because it has a curved shape, which is unusual for a square.
There are 56 houses built in rows around a central open space. This space now has a tennis club and a small public park. The north and south sides of the square are curved, not straight. Many young families live in these houses, and some are divided into apartments.
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A Look at History
Mount Pleasant Square is very close to where the old Ranelagh Gardens used to be. Today, only a small public park near the LUAS station remains of these large gardens. In 1785, Richard Crosbie became the first Irish person to fly a balloon from these gardens! He wanted to fly across the Irish Sea but only reached Clontarf.
After the Act of Union in 1801, many middle-class families moved. They left their big Georgian homes in the city center. They preferred smaller, easier-to-manage houses in new suburbs like Rathmines and Ranelagh. This started a trend of people moving from the city to the suburbs.
The name "Mount Pleasant" might have come from a place in London. In London, "Mount Pleasant" was a joking name for a medieval rubbish dump. This dump was next to a very polluted river. The street name stayed, but the funny meaning was forgotten.
The Dolan Family's Role
Mount Pleasant Square was built in the early 1800s. Much of it was developed by the Dolan family. Terence Dolan was a glove maker from Chester. He bought land plots in 1807, 1808, and 1812.
On his first plot, on the south side of the square, Dolan built eight houses. These homes had great views of the city. He rented out these houses to earn money. This helped him build even more homes. By 1812, he owned all the land on the north and west sides of the square.
Terence Thomas Dolan, Terence Dolan's second son, was important in creating the Rathmines Township. He was one of its first leaders in 1847. By 1848, he owned 32 of the houses on the square. His son, Henry Joseph Dolan, became the President of the Mount Pleasant Lawn Tennis Club when it started in 1893.
Many different kinds of people have lived in the square's houses. In the past, many doctors and lawyers lived there. The square once had two schools. In 1911, 14 people lived in house number 27. They included a carpenter, a scholar, and a fishmonger.
Building Style
Most houses in Mount Pleasant Square have two floors above a basement. Many gardens have been made smaller to build mews houses. The houses are not all exactly the same size. This means each house was built a bit differently.
Experts believe tradesmen, not highly skilled builders, built these houses. At first, there were three-bay houses. Soon, smaller two-bay houses were added. These were like tiny versions of city homes. They had two main rooms on each floor. The basement walls are about two feet thick.
Mount Pleasant Square is a great example of "rus in urbe." This Latin phrase means "a countryside in the city." The square feels very charming and old-fashioned. It has lovely trees and handsome Georgian houses. It's like stepping into a period drama. The quiet atmosphere, with little traffic and the sound of tennis balls, is very elegant.
The Public Park
There is a small public park next to the tennis club. In the 1970s, there was a big argument about this park. Some people wanted to build a garage on the land. But many people protested, and the land was saved as a public park.
Old Mountpleasant Homes
The houses at Old Mountpleasant were built before Mount Pleasant Square. One famous early resident was Thomas Ivory. He was an important architect from Cork in the late 1700s. He designed famous buildings in Dublin. These include the Blue Coat School and Newcomen Bank. He also taught at the Architectural Drawing School in Dublin. He passed away in 1786.
The Swan River
The Swan River flows through Ranelagh, even though you can't see it. It starts near Kimmage Manor. Then it flows through Rathmines and Ranelagh. It joins the River Dodder near Ballsbridge. In Ranelagh, it flows east through Mount Pleasant Square. An archway there leads to Mount Pleasant Avenue.
Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School
This award-winning school was designed by O'Donnell & Tuomey Architects. It opened in 1998 and was later made bigger. It replaced an older "tin school" building from 1893. The new school has a modern design. But it uses recycled bricks and wood. This helps it fit in with the older buildings nearby.
Fun Local Spots
Mount Pleasant Lawn Tennis Club is a great place for sports. It has courts for squash, badminton, and tennis. There is also a table tennis table, a snooker table, and a bar.
The Hill Pub is a noticeable building at the south-east corner of Mount Pleasant Square. It looks like a handsome, traditional pub from the outside.
Mount Pleasant Lawn Tennis Club
The square is home to one of Dublin's best racquet sports clubs. It is the only club in the city with tennis, squash, badminton, and table tennis. Mount Pleasant L.T.C. was started in 1893. This makes it one of the oldest clubs in Dublin.
The club hosts many tournaments. This includes Tennis Open Week, which is one of the biggest tournaments in Ireland. Mount Pleasant is also a top badminton club in Leinster. About 1,000 people are members. Around 700 play tennis, and the rest play squash or badminton.
