The Casino of Marino

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Volume 2 - Suburban Dublin 

The Casino of Marino & Javaholics Coffee Company


"A wonderful piece of history and Architecture to have on our doorstep"




A hidden gem even locals may miss, tucked away out of site its a place not to skip. I have always admired the Casino of Marino.The symmetry, the proportions, the materials and the setting have intrigued me since I was a child growing up near by.

The Casino at Marino is a neo-classical summer house designed by Sir William Chambers in the late 18th century, located in Marino situated to the north east of Dublin City. It was built for James Caulfield the 4th Viscount of Charlemont on his estate. The Casino in the time it was built was seen to be in the country side outside of Dublin , it was built for the owner as a pleasure house to escape the busy city centre. The Viscount’s full time residence was in Charlemont house on Parnell street which is now home to the Hugh Lane Gallery another great spot to check out.


Charlemont was gifted the land by a family member, with the pre existing ‘lodge house’ on the land ,  he changed the name of  the house to The  Marino house. On this land the Casino at Marino was then built in the 1750s and completed in 1755 for entertaining guests of Charlemont away from the main house. The Marino house was demolished in 1921 for a new modern housing development . 


A villa is a building in the country designed for its owners enjoyment and relaxation.Villa’s have historically been built in the countryside and inhabited by the city dweller of privilege for an escape.They had the money and connections to build these lavish second homes.


The Casino at Marino has an impressive 16 rooms over  3 floors, with service quarters in the basement, living quarters on the piano noble and bedrooms on the top floor. It is ‘truly a labour of love and perfectionism between architect and client’ (THE CASINO AT MARINO - Irish Arts Review, 2021). The building is symmetrical on all sides ,externally it looks like one large room but in fact it has many rooms within , this was done successfully by a series of clever design techniques such as dummy windows, the large entrance door which only partly opens , behind half of it conceals rooms which ‘preserve the perfect proportions of the exterior elevations’ common of villa design. (Newman Johnson, 1983) . 


Located on the beautiful grounds of Marino, perfect for a short trip out of the city centre or a dog walk, one can enjoy it from a far or go into it on a guided tour visit the website for more details https://casinomarino.ie/tickets-and-times/. If you enjoy the outdoors, a stroll and looking a great architecture this place is for you. It shows off the impressive colonial influence on architecture in Dublin that still remains in its glory today. A near by cafe that you must visit is Javaholics Coffee (Merville Ave, Fairview, Dublin 3, D03 XK52)  Company, a 15 minute walk in the direction of town perfect if you choose to walk back into the centre of town. The place to go in the area for an Italian style panini and coffee. They do a great full Irish breakfast if you want the full experience. I attach a link below to a youtube that gives you more of an insight to the Casino.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmsuwbA0tNU







Comments

  1. Kendaln19 February 2024 at 11:10

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous19 February 2024 at 12:38

    This is a great post I have been not been to this building In years, so close to Dublin but often missed. What a beautifully designed building that’s a key colonial building of significance.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous28 February 2024 at 11:32

    Wow how cool a building that seems like just one room but actually 8 is very clever design. So good to know about these hidden gems !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3 April 2024 at 16:45

    WOW architecture like this right under our nose, I will tell my friends about this place and go with them!

    ReplyDelete

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