User:Financefactz/sandbox/The Georgian Society

The Georgian Society was an architectural conservation and preservation organization established by John Pentland Mahaffy, Walter G. Strickland and Richard Orpen on the 21st of February 1908 to promote and record Irish and primarily Dublin architectural and social history of the Georgian era (1690 - 1801).

The society operated via a subscription of £1 and 1 shilling a year for which each member also received an annual edition of the Georgian Society Records. It originally only intended to last for a period of 5 years however, as the membership grew, so did attention to and interest in, the Georgian era. While the last official record was produced in 1913, a later unofficial edition dealing in more detail with Irish country houses was printed in 1915. The work and records of the society are regarded to be the seminal as well as first serious work detailing post 1700 Irish residential architecture.

Background
One of the core reasons for establishing the society was to promote and record architecture and design of the Georgian era and reinvigorate a sense of pride among the populace in high quality native craftsmanship. It was in this vein that Mahaffy famously remarked Dublin "is not a provincial town, but a fading capital".

The establishment of the society was a watershed moment marking a renewed interest and pride in Georgian architecture and society both in Ireland and abroad and helped spark the establishment of various successor societies, most notably the Irish Georgian Society and the UK based Georgian Group. The society also helped to indirectly lay the foundations of modern architectural conservation and preservation societies and national trusts. Its subscription model with public voluntary contributions and active participation provided the framework off which many national trusts operate to the present day.

The Georgian Society Records
The Georgian Society Records (officially The Georgian Society Records of Eighteenth Century Domestic Architecture and Decoration in Dublin) was a set of five heavily illustrated annual limited edition publications released in book form to members of the Georgian Society between 1909 and 1913. The records were published at the Dublin University Press by Ponsonby & Gibbs.

The collection sets out in detail the social and economic position of Ireland and particularly Dublin during the Georgian era mainly for the aristocratic classes. The records are heavily laden with prints, sketches, illustrations and photographic plates as well as measurements which help to form the architectural detail around which the text is written. As well as architectural and social observations, the records also include directories and addresses of current subscribers and notable figures of the era thus also acting as a a quasi magazine, social networking directory and year book for the ascendancy.

They are notably descriptive and appealing to the layman rather than overly analytical and overtly technical. The layout is at times notably meandering and without focus resulting in patchy coverage of some areas and styles while the scope and chronology are also at times vague. This failing is largely as a result of the broad target to which the writers were given the target of appealing to.

Although only several hundred copies of the original books were printed, a reprint was undertaken by the successor Georgian Society and Desmond Guinness in 1969.

A detailed breakdown of some of the core items in each yearbook is detailed below.

Volume 1 (1909)
Volume 1 came in a limited edition of 300 copies.

Volume 2 (1910)
Volume 2 came in a limited edition of 400 copies.

Volume 3 (1911)
Volume 3 came in a limited edition of 550 copies.

Volume 4 (1912)
Volume 4 came in a limited edition of 550 copies.

Volume 5 (1913)
Volume 5 came in a Limited edition of 600 copies.

Properties specifically written about in this volume include;
 * Mount Ievers, Co. Clare
 * Rossanagh, Co. Wicklow
 * Bellamont House, Co. Cavan
 * Castletown House, Co. Kildare
 * Summerhill House, Co. Meath
 * Carton House, Co. Kildare
 * Russborough House, Co. Wicklow
 * Castletown Cox, Co. Kilkenny
 * Rathfarnham Castle, Co. Dublin

Georgian Mansions in Ireland (1915)
A later sixth volume titled Georgian Mansions in Ireland was printed in 1915 in the same style and format by related individuals, namely Page Lawrence Dickinson, joint secretary of the Georgian Society and Thomas Ulick Sadlier, member of the editorial committee of the Georgian Society, however it was not authored directly under the auspices of the society. It was also produced as a limited edition of 700 copies. An outline of the main sections described in the book are detailed below.


 * I - Evolution and Development of Georgian Architecture
 * II - Abbeyleix House
 * III - Beaulieu
 * IV - Bessborough
 * V - Caledon
 * VI - Cashel Palace
 * VII - Castle Ward
 * VIII - Curraghmore
 * IX - Desart Court
 * X - Dowth Hall
 * XI - Drumcondra House
 * XII - Florence Court
 * XIII - Furness - see Furness Church
 * XIV - Platten Hall
 * XV - Turvey
 * XVI - Belgard, Castle Upton, Heywood