Graduates Memorial Building

Last updated

Graduates Memorial Building
Trinity College Dublin 4.jpg
Graduates Memorial Building
General information
TypeDebating chamber, student society rooms and residences
LocationLibrary Square
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland
Coordinates 53°20′41″N6°15′24″W / 53.34482°N 6.256736°W / 53.34482; -6.256736
Construction started1899
Completed1902
Design and construction
Architect(s) Sir Thomas Drew

The Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) is a neo-Gothic Victorian building, in Trinity College Dublin designed by Sir Thomas Drew in 1897. [1] It is home to Trinity College's oldest student societies: the University Philosophical Society (the Phil), the College Historical Society (the Hist) and the College Theological Society (the Theo). [2]

Contents

Construction and design

Rotten Row, to the left of the Campanile before 1899. Rotten Row, Trinity College Dublin.jpg
Rotten Row, to the left of the Campanile before 1899.

The Graduates Memorial Building, originally named the Graduates' Tercentenary Memorial Building, was constructed to celebrate three hundred years of Trinity College Dublin's existence.[ citation needed ]

In May 1897, tenders were invited by Trinity College Dublin, to design a replacement for the residential buildings known as Rotten Row. [3] These buildings were almost architecturally indistinguishable from The Rubrics, which stood from circa 1700. Designs were submitted by Robert John Stirling, Thomas Newenham Deane and Sir Thomas Drew, with Drew's being selected.[ citation needed ]

The design of the building is such that it is divided into three houses: House 28, and House 30, as student residences, with House 29 in the centre of the building, being used by the societies.[ citation needed ]

In 1899 Rotten Row was demolished [3] and work began on the new building. Its construction was largely financed by subscriptions from graduates, and was opened on 31 May 1902.[ citation needed ]

Interior

The building has a vast interior, largely dedicated to debating, scholarly endeavour and use by the three societies who occupy it. It has various rooms spread over its four floors. The central foyer contains a large wooden staircase, which stretches vertically from the ground floor to the second floor.

Ground floor

The ground floor houses its Debating Chamber, frequently used by The Phil, The Hist and The Theo, specifically designed for oratory purposes, with its two-floor high ceiling, carved balcony and Ionic pilasters. On the chamber's west wall is a bronze relief of George Ferdinand Shaw former Librarian of the Phil and Senior Fellow of the college. [3]

The conversation room of the University Philosophical Society is also on the ground floor, and provides its membership with a meeting area to sit, talk, and relax. Its conversation room also plays host to the society's paper reading sub-group, The Bram Stoker Club.

Halfway between the ground floor and first floor is the Phil's council room, which has the only access to the debating chamber's balcony.

Further up the stairs and facing onto Library Square is a large stained glass window depicting Epaminondas and Demosthenes, the greatest of all the Greek orators. It was dedicated to the memory of Marshall Porter, a university graduate killed in the Boer War. [4]

First floor

On the first floor is the College Historical Society's conversation room, used to provide its members with a relaxed meeting place. The society also has its committee room on this floor, which has a higher ceiling and larger windows than the one below.

Trinity College tradition holds that the rooms of the society's founder Edmund Burke, were in House 28 of Rotten Row, Library square, [5] and as such, part of the location upon which the building stands today.

The Hist Conversation Room was used as a location in the film Educating Rita .

Second floor

The second floor contains the Bram Stoker room, which hosts an office space as well as a small archival library. The room also houses the academic library and office space of the College Theological Society which is available to their members as a gesture of good faith between both societies.

Beyond a pair large doors that exit off the foyer are the buildings and two large billiards rooms, jointly owned and operated between both The Phil and The Hist.

Third floor

The third floor houses one of the college's computer rooms. [6] Directly opposite to which is a library owned the Hist, which contains part of the societies' large collections of books and records. The upper floors of the building were damaged by a fire in December 2000, threatening the historic books and records of the societies. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bram Stoker</span> Irish novelist and short story writer (1847–1912)

Abraham Stoker was an Irish author who is best known for writing the 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and business manager of the West End's Lyceum Theatre, which Irving owned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity College Dublin</span> Sole college of the University of Dublin

Trinity College Dublin, officially The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, Ireland. Founded in early 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I who issued a royal charter, it is Ireland's oldest university and was modelled after the collegiate universities of both Oxford and Cambridge. The terms "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" are synonymous for administrative purposes, as only one such college was ever established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brinkley (astronomer)</span> Irish bishop and astronomer

John Mortimer Brinkley was the first Royal Astronomer of Ireland and later Bishop of Cloyne. He was President of the Royal Irish Academy (1822–35), President of the Royal Astronomical Society (1831–33). He was awarded the Cunningham Medal in 1818, and the Copley Medal in 1824.

William Wilkins was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Historical Society</span> Debating society at Trinity College Dublin

The College Historical Society (CHS) – popularly referred to as The Hist – is a debating society at Trinity College Dublin. It was established within the college in 1770 and was inspired by the club formed by the philosopher Edmund Burke during his own time in Trinity in 1747. It holds the Guinness World Record as the "world's oldest student society".

The University Philosophical Society, commonly known as The Phil, is a student paper-reading and debating society in Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1683 it describes itself as the oldest student, collegial and paper-reading society in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's, Carlow College</span>

St Patrick's, Carlow College, is a liberal arts college located in Carlow, Ireland. The college is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and was founded in 1782 by James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and his co-adjutor bishop Daniel Delany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity University College</span> University campus and former college in Wales

Trinity University College was a Church University College in Carmarthen, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Philosophical Society</span>

The Dublin Philosophical Society was founded in 1683 by William Molyneux with the assistance of his brother Sir Thomas Molyneux and the future Provost and Bishop St George Ashe. It was intended to be the equivalent of the Royal Society in London as well as the Philosophical Society at the University of Oxford. Whilst it had a sometimes close connection with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, its closest institutional connection was with Trinity College Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Hall, Dublin</span> Extramural residence for Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Trinity Hall is the main extramural hall of residence for students of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. It is located on Dartry Road in the Dartry neighbourhood, part of the affluent suburb of Rathmines and about 4 kilometres south of the College's main campus. Trinity's Botanic Gardens share the site. Trinity Hall is linked to the city centre campus by direct Dublin Bus route and the Luas light rail system via the Milltown Luas stop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters</span> Constituent college of University of Notre Dame

The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest and largest college within the University of Notre Dame. The Dean of the College of Arts and Letters is Sarah Mustillo.

Summit Pacific College is an undergraduate and postgraduate Bible college and seminary, on a foothill of Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. It is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and is the theological college of the BC & Yukon District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Robert Brendan McDowell was an Irish historian. He was a Fellow Emeritus and a former Associate Professor of History at Trinity College Dublin. He was born in Belfast. He was referred to colloquially as "RB", "McDowell" or "the White Rabbit". His politics were strongly Unionist and he was a member of the British Conservative Party.

The Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy was a Jesuit-run institution of higher education and research, located in Dublin, Ireland. It was located in Ranelagh, County Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Library of Trinity College Dublin</span> Library in Dublin, Ireland

The Library of Trinity College Dublin serves Trinity College. It is a legal deposit or "copyright library", under which, publishers in Ireland must deposit a copy of all their publications there, without charge. It is the only Irish library to hold such rights for works published in the United Kingdom.

William de Burgh was a prominent Anglo-Irish politician and theological writer who was a Member of Parliament for Athy (1769–76), a supporter of William Wilberforce, and an active campaigner for the abolition of slavery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Burgh (1670–1730)</span> Anglo-Irish military engineer, architect and MP (1670–1730)

Colonel Thomas de Burgh, always named in his lifetime as Thomas Burgh, was an Anglo-Irish military engineer, architect, and Member of the Parliament of Ireland who served as Surveyor General of Ireland (1700–1730) and designed a number of the large public buildings of Dublin including the old Custom House (1704–6), Trinity College Library (1712–33), Dr Steevens' Hospital (1719), the Linen Hall (1722), and the Royal Barracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurentian Society</span>

The Laurentian Society is a society of Trinity College Dublin, named after Saint Laurence O'Toole, and concerned with relevant issues from a Catholic perspective. It was the Catholic society of Trinity College, and it existed with no interruptions between the academic years 1952–53 and 2001–02. During those years, the society held talks on various issues and was engaged in charitable activities. The society played a role in opposing the ban on Catholics entering Trinity College, and was also influential on other groups of the college, such as the G.A.A. club of Trinity. In September 2011, the society was revived, being granted provisional recognition by the Trinity College Central Societies Committee. The revived society was granted full recognition on 19 March 2013 at the Annual General Meeting of the same Societies Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rubrics</span> Building in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

The Rubrics is the oldest building within Trinity College Dublin. Although the exact date is unknown, it was designed and built in c.1700. Today, the Rubrics are used as rooms for students and fellows.

References

  1. Williams, Jeremy (1994). A companion guide to architecture in Ireland, 1837-1921. Irish Academic Press. p. 150. ISBN   9780716525134.
  2. Engle, John (2013). Trinity Student Pranks: A History of Mischief and Mayhem. Dublin: The History Press Ireland. pp. 120–123. ISBN   9780752497983.
  3. 1 2 3 Casey, Christine (2006). Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road, with the Phoenix Park. London, England: Yale University Press. p. 400. ISBN   9780300109238.
  4. Parkhouse, Valerie B. (2015). Memorializing the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902: Militarization of the Landscape: Monuments and Memorials in Britain. Troubador Publishing. p. 271. ISBN   9781780884011.
  5. Burke, Edmund (1914). Samuels, Arthur P. I. (ed.). The Early Life Correspondence and Writings of the Rt. Hon. Edmund Burke. CUP Archive. p. 104.
  6. "IT Services computer rooms - IT Services | Trinity College Dublin".
  7. Cunningham, Grainne (16 December 2000). "Old Trinity buildings destroyed by blaze". Irish Independent .