The Henry Roe Room / Christ Church Cathedral Music Room (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR)
In the introduction to A History of Music at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin reference is made to cathedrals having a place in the social and cultural lives of cities. An example of this occurred last May. People assembled in the Henry Roe Room, formed a choir and sang at an event for the Cultural Date with Dublin 8 festival.
An Order of Service printed for a service of nine lessons and carols in 1980 includes a brief history of the cathedral and a definition which defines a cathedral as a place where people assemble.
Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, Tiles (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR)
Today there are different reasons why people may assemble at the cathedral. For some it will be to worship, for others to visit the cathedral as one of the city’s visitor attractions. They may attend a lecture, concert or workshop on the cathedral’s tiles.
As it prepares to mark its millennium in 2028, this blog post introduces some items within UCD’s Special Collections which relate to Christ Church Cathedral Dublin and its history.
On the first of May, St Philip and St James Day in 1878 people assembled in the cathedral to mark the completion of work to restore the building. The restoration of the cathedral features in literature on the cathedral’s history within our collections.
Gabriel Beranger watercolour, W front of Christ Church Cathedral (IE/ UCD/SC/WAT)
Thirty-nine watercolours by Gabriel Beranger are held in UCD’s Special Collections. Among them is Beranger’s watercolour of Christ Church Cathedral’s west door. This watercolour appears in the cathedral’s conservation report published in 2023. It depicts the cathedral’s door prior to its restoration in the 1870s. An image of the west door after the cathedral’s restoration can found in Edmund Street’s The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity commonly called Christ Church Cathedral Dublin : an account of the restoration of the fabric.
Christ Church Cathedral Dublin’s west door after restoration (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR)
Within the O’ Loughlan Collection researchers will find a copy of Edward Seymour’s Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. Addressing his reader Seymour asserted that his book was a “humble attempt to arouse an interest in the cathedral.” While Seymour was concerned with developing an interest in the cathedral, interest was to grow with the building’s restoration.
William Butler’s drawing, the Crypt, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (SC.Arch 726.6 BUT)
In 1870 William Butler entered a competition for the Fitzgerald Prize Medal. His drawings provide their researcher with insight into how the building was prior to its restoration. These drawings were later published in 1874. In the preface to Butler’s work Christ Church Cathedral: measured drawings: and historical sketch the reader is informed that the restoration of the cathedral had “aroused an almost national interest” in the building. Butler dedicates these published drawings to Henry Roe.
George Edmund Street’s account of the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR)
On completion of the Cathedral’s restoration The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity commonly called Christ Church Cathedral Dublin: an account of the restoration of the fabric by George Edmund Street with a historical sketch of the Cathedral by Edward Seymour was published. This large volume was also dedicated to Henry Roe. Two copies of this book are held within UCD’s Special Collections one formerly housed in the Carton House Library, the other belonging to the Royal College for Science in Ireland. Both are bound in vellum and are richly ornamented.
Thomas Drew’s proposed improvements (35.G.4/9)
In 1891 architect Thomas Drew proposed further changes at the cathedral. This time attention was placed on improving the Grammar School facing Lord Edward Street.
In the book Diocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin: a proposed improvement, a list of proposed improvements was presented to its reader. This included the need for a library in the cathedral. It was noted in 1891 that “no provision was made for a small collection of old and some interesting books which have been stored away. Also required was a place where the clergy and choir could spend time should they need to stay in the cathedral between services and improved levels of light for eyesight.
Two images which can be seen above were printed in this publication, one depicting the school as it was in 1891, the other Thomas Drew’s vision of how it could be. Boys had been educated at the cathedral since 1480 while girls would later sing in the cathedral from 1995 after the Grammar School’s day. The school closed in 1972.
Inscriptions on the monuments, murals and tablets at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (39.K.60)
The cathedral features in guide books for the city of Dublin. In his 1821 Historical Guide to Ancient and Modern Dublin, Rev. G.N. Wright drew attention to an organist named Dr. Woodward and the monument dedicated to him in the cathedral. He notes that Dr. Woodward’s monument is “remarkable for bearing upon its font a musical Epitaph.” The inscription from this monument appears in Rev. John Finlayson’s book on the cathedral’s monuments and their inscriptions, published in 1878.
In The Picture of Dublin in 1834, M. Starrat noted that the “organ was well.” Commenting on work undertaken to restore the organ he explained to his reader that;
the additional improvements are as follows an entire new range of pedal pipes, new bellows, keys, action &c., and several new stops of pipes producing a powerful and at the same time melodious body of sound
Image of the cathedral’s organ after restoration (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR)
Further work was expected. In 1834 Starrat informed his reader that “where so much has been done to restore the ornament we have very much reason to expect the remainder will be effected in due time.” As expected, it would not be the last time work was undertaken to maintain an organ in the cathedral. The cathedral’s newsletter for March 2025 refers to future plans for a new organ to mark the cathedral’s millennium.
The section below includes some further items within our collections which may be consulted when researching Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and its history. This includes books which were formerly part of the History Source Collection in the James Joyce Library and are currently administered by UCD’s Special Collections. These items and those referenced within this blog post may be accessed in our reading room by appointment.
Further Reading
- Butler, W. (1905) Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin: Its present lamentable condition
- Crosthwaite, J. (1844) The book of obits and martyrology of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, commonly called Christ Church, Dublin. / Edited from the original manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Dublin Irish Archaeological Society.
- Gillespie, R. (1997) The First Chapter Book of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin 1574 – 1634 Dublin Four Courts Press
- Gillespie, R. and Refaussé, R. (2006) The medieval manuscripts of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin Dublin: Four Courts Press
- Refaussé, R. and Lennon, C. (1998) The registers of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Dublin: Four Courts Press
- Street, G.E. (1871) Report on the rebuilding of the choir of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, and on the erection of a Synod Hall for the Church of Ireland Hodges Smith and Foster
This post was written by Patricia Bedlow, Library Assistant, UCD Special Collections / Information and Learning Services