The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-06 00:00:00

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

The most remarkable of the ancient edifices, in the eyes
of strangers, is " King John's Castle," (before adverted to)
close to the eastern entrance of Thomond Bridge. The old
bridge has recently given way to a new one, a fine lime-stone
structure, of more modern style than its "predecessor. It
consists of five fine arches. The Castle, built by King John,
in 1210, is now a venerable ruin, little more remaining than
portions of the outward walls, and three dilapidated round
towers. By ascending, by means of a crazy ladder, and
afterwards scrambling up broken portions of the walls, which
are overgrown with tufts of slippery grass and weeds, I reached
the summit of the highest tower, whence the Shannon and
the Clare mountains, including Cratloe woods, present a de-
lightful and extensive landscape. The tower appears to be
from 20 to 24 feet in diameter, and the walls at the top 3
paces in thickness. Our forefathers liked to do things sub-
stantially, but neglect, and the merciless hand of time, has
defied even their strong efforts at perpetuation.

I was afterwards politely show.n by the Barrack-master
(for there is a barrack within the walls) to the top of a lower
tower, the base of which is washed by the river. The upper
floor or platform of this tower is still perfect, being flagged
and supported by stone arch-work below, in the form of au
inverted bowl. It is railed round and covered with grass and
flowers, saving with a few posts, and a rude railing round it,
for the drying of clothes. The roar of waters of the Shannon
through the bridge, and over a mill dam near it, here falls
upon the ear with a refreshing, but melancholy sound, and
preposesses the spectator's mind for a calmer contemplation
of the objects of interest around him.
The cathedral near by, is a heavy gothic structure, rather
disfigured by irregularly-sized lateral windows. The square
tower is of great height, and terminates in four square tur-
rets—one at each corner. The visitor who ascends it obtains
the highest elevation the city affords ; and the view for many
miles round is proportionably extensive and magnificent,—
embracing the whole of the great plain on the margin of
which stands the city, windings far and near of the mighty
Shannon, and its verdant and finely wooded banks.
Further northward is St. Munchin's Church, a handsome
gothic edifice, recently rebuilt, with a tower. Seen from the
river below, rising over the adjacent buildings, this is a pro-
minent and pleasing object.
Wellesley Bridge, below Thomond Bridge, is the finest
of ;the kind belonging to the city. It is an elegant specimen
of bridge architecture, of fine-hewn lime-stone, with five de-
pressed or segmantal arches of great span, surmounted by
a handsome balustrade.

The County Court-house is a neat, modern, stone building,
on Merchants'-quay, with a colonnade of lonic columns in
front ; near it is the City Gaol.
In the Irish Town there are several fine, modern buildings.
In the centre of the New Square, which is well laid out as a
pleasure-ground, is a handsome, Doric, fluted column, sur-
mounted by a statue. This was erected by the citizens as a
testimonial of gratitude and respect to the Right Hon. T.
Spring Rice, Esq., (now Lord Monteagle,) for his services
to the town. The noble lord has since, however, fallen,
some how or other, into bad odour with the inhabitants ge-
nerally, and the monument is not regarded with any high
feelings of respect.
In the environs, on the Cork Road, are the County Hos-
pital and the District Lunatic Asylum, both noble and ex-
tensive institutions, well worthy of inspection. Here too, is
the County Gaol built in the usual form, the buildings ra-
diating from the keeper's house, with a view to a better sur-
veillance.

Barringtons' Hospital, or City Infirmary, erected and
founded by Sir Joseph Barrington and his three sons, in
1829, for the relief of the poor of their native city, is also a
fine institution ; but, though it is the only city infirmary, it
is inadequately supported.
The Mont-de-Pi6t6, or Charitable Pawn-office, is one of
the most interesting institutions in the city. It was erected
under the auspices of Matthew Barrington, Esq., one of the
builders of the hospital just noticed, and with the double
view of better maintaining that establishment, and benefit-
ting the needy. This handsome building is of stone, with a
collonade in front, and a circular centre-piece with windows
round it, and surmounted by a cupola. In common with
similarly-named establishments in France, its principal ob-
ject is to relieve the temporary wants of the poor by advanc-
ing money on pledges, at a lower rate than is charged by the
pawnbrokers ; the profits, after paying the interest of the
capital and expenses, to be devoted to the use of the persons
from whom they are derived. No charge is here made for
tickets, and this, together with the reduction of the interest,
effects our immense savings annually to the necessitous of
the city. In the item of tickets alone the sum of £2431 was
saved in four years! The immediate destination of the pro-
fits of this particular establishment is the support of Bar-
rington's Hospital, and its funds are in a flourishing condi-
tion. From the example here furnished by the philanthropic
Barrington, similar institutions have been established in
many of the larger towns in Ireland, and others are in con-
templation..

The neighbourhood of Limerick and the Shannon in
our next.)

SKERRIES LIGHTHOUSE

SHERIFF'S COURT, BEAUMARIS-IMPORTANT ADJUDI-