14 Henrietta Street

A rare insight into an oft-overlooked chapter of Dublin’s history

 

One of the newer museums in Dublin, 14 Henrietta Street gives a really immersive insight into the history of one of Dublin’s oldest tenement buildings- a side of Dublin that is not often focused on, but that was a daily reality for so many people: some of them still living to this day.

A visit to 14 Henrietta Street allows you to see and understand how tenement living developed, through the mass conversion of the mansions of Dublin to house the families of workers not lucky enough to be securely employed in companies who were building housing, such as Guinness. It also looks at the development of urban life, including suburbanisation, housing and development policy and the social and cultural life surrounding all of these.

Access to the tenement block is only by guided tour, Wednesday to Sunday. The knowledgeable tour guides will bring you on an intimate journey that connects to the personal stories of many of the house’s former residents to reveal the building’s hidden histories. These stories are told through recreated immersive rooms, audio, film and through the walls of the house itself.

It is a great and rare opportunity to have an insight into 18th century Dublin and get to grips with the complex social history of this great city.