The original Four Courts building of 1796 consisted of eastern and western wings linked by connecting buildings with colonnades on the ground floor. 

A central block surmounted by a large dome contained a circular hall, known as the Round Hall, providing access to the four courts of Chancery, King’s Bench, Common Pleas and Exchequer. As far as Dublin citizens were concerned, it also constituted a gathering place for news and excitement.

In the early 19th century, following the acquisition of additional land by the Wide Streets Commissioners, an extension was erected behind the original Four Courts building, comprising professional rooms and some additional courts.

Comprehensively destroyed during the Battle of the Four Courts which took place during the Irish Civil War in 1922, the Four Courts was reconstructed in the 1930s along the same structural lines as the pre-1922 buildings.

For posts on the first and second Law Libraries in the Four Courts, click here.

Scroll through posts about other locations within the Four Courts, and building issues generally, click here.

A series of historical images of the exterior of the Four Courts building can be viewed here and here.