In our Behind Closed Doors Series, we talk to Julie Kennedy from Tramore, Co Waterford about the guided tour of 3, 4 and 5 Cathedral Square. This tour showcased: the ongoing works to restore the buildings, the various features discovered during the works, and tells the story of the evolution of the building over the past 6 centuries.
Cathedral Square itself is the site of the oldest graveyard in Ireland’s oldest city. Numbers 3, 4 and 5 Cathedral Square contain elements of the fabric of an almshouse founded on All Souls Day 1478 - the purpose of which was to provide accommodation for the respectable aged poor.
Later in the late 18th century the architect John Roberts, who designed Christ Church Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, lived in what is now called the John Roberts building in 1-2 Cathedral Square. His wife Suzanna gave birth to 22 children so Roberts gained possession of numbers 3, 4 and 5 presumably to create living space for his growing family. By the 19th century the houses in Cathedral square were subdivided and became essentially tenements.
Over the past few years, Waterford City and County Council have been working with Eamonn Mc Eneaney, Director of Waterford Museum of Treasures to develop these buildings into a museum which will explore the traditions, superstitions and customs associated with death over the centuries. When works are completed, the museum will have an extensive collection of very rare objects associated with death from the earliest times to the 20th century.
Imagine Arts Festival: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - CATHEDRAL SQUARE
imagineartsfestival.com/ Video by Gringo Pictures © 2022 www.gringopictures.com/
26 янв 2023
