The last remaining mews buildings on St Stephen’s Green are to be sold by Dublin City Council for €620,000, against the advice of a conservation report that they should not be separated from their Georgian houses.
The buildings are at the rear of 14/15 St Stephen’s Green and back on to the Little Museum of Dublin. They have separate access through an archway from Dawson Street, built to allow carriages to reach them.
The two adjoining buildings, which were built between 1778 and 1779, comprise stables and a coach house. They retain a number of period features. It is likely the upper floor was originally split between a hayloft and coachman’s quarters.
Last April the council put the buildings on the market, saying it had no use for them. Chief executive Owen Keegan also acknowledged the council had allow them to fall into disrepair.
Badly reflects
“These are protected structures in very poor condition and I have to say it reflects very badly on the city council as they’ve been in our ownership for decades,” he said. “The city council has failed miserably.”
A report for the council by conservation architects Frank Keohane and Erika Sjoberg found the mews formed an “integral part of the whole envelope of the buildings”. It said that “the entire complex forms a unique ensemble that should not be broken up.”
The museum had submitted a bid for the buildings, understood to be in the region of €300,000.
However the council has selected Anville Properties, which made a bid of €620,000.
It is understood Anville intends to convert the mews into a restaurant and bar, subject to planning permission.
