Originally Called New Square, This Was A Speculative Scheme Undertaken By Two Local Men, John Purdon And Edmond Sexton Pery (Future Speaker Of The Irish House Of Commons) On A Site In Limerick’s Irishtown Which Had Never Recovered From An Assault By Williamite Troops During The Siege Of The City In August 1690.
Members Of The Local Aristocracy And Gentry When Visiting The City Had Nowhere Smart To Stay, And The Development Was Created To Address This Need. Eight Houses (With A Further Two Subsequently Added) Were Built On Three Sides Of The Square, The Fourth Easterly Side Being Occupied By The Church Of St John Which Still Remains, Although Rebuilt In The Mid-19th Century And No Longer In Use For Services. Credit: The Irish Aesthete.
st john’s square, limerick, c.1900s