Pery Square () is a Georgian Terrace located in the Newtown Pery area of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

city,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The terrace was constructed as a speculative development by the Pery Square Tontine Company between 1835 and 1838. The square was named in honour of the politician Edmund Sexton Pery. The terrace is notable as one of the finest examples of late Georgian architecture in Limerick and Ireland.

History

The architect James Pain supervised the construction of the terrace and may well have been responsible for the design. The contractor was Pierse Creagh from Ennis. By 1838, the houses forming this terrace were let to tenants. The tontine development was the only area of square that was finished. The remaining plots (around the planned square) which were earmarked for development in Davis Ducart's plan for Newtown Pery were never realised and were left undeveloped. Opposite Pery Square is the People's Park which adds to the surrounds of the area. The development was the last of the great

Georgian Era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the House of Hanover, Hanoverian kings George I of Great Britain, George I, George II of Great Britain, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Geor ...

developments in Limerick as the years that followed heralded an end to the Georgian prosperity and a beginning to a crippling economic decline in Ireland caused by the Great Famine. Limerick was not to see development of that scale again as was seen in Newtown Pery until the

Celtic Tiger The "Celtic Tiger" () is a term referring to the economy of the Republic of Ireland, economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. The boom was dampened by ...

years. Today, a Boutique Hotel is trading at No 1 Pery Square. No 2 Pery Square has been extensively redeveloped by

Limerick Civic Trust The Limerick Civic Trust is an environmental, architectural conservation and educational organisation founded in 1982 that works to identify, record, preserve and publicise Limerick's culture, history, environment and architectural heritage. Alth ...

and is now in use as a Georgian Museum. The rest of the houses are being used to various degrees.

Limerick City Gallery of Art Limerick City Gallery of Art (LCGA; ) is an art museum in the city of Limerick, Ireland. It is run by Limerick City Council and is located in Pery Square, in the Newtown Pery area of the city. The gallery is housed in a Romanesque Revival bui ...

is also located at Pery Square opposite the tontine as is Limerick's War Memorial. St. Michael's

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

, a gothic structure stands at the southern end of Pery Square terminating the vista of the street to the south. Saint Michael's Church adds immeasurably to the importance of Pery Square as the unrivalled Georgian streetscape outside of

Georgian Dublin ''Georgian Dublin'' is a phrase used in terms of the history of Dublin that has two interwoven meanings: # to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin, Ireland, from 1714 (the beginning of the reign of King George I ...

References

{{Limerick Streets in Limerick (city) Buildings and structures in Limerick (city) Georgian architecture in Ireland