Casino Marino

The ‘little house by the sea’, near Dublin, on what was formerly the Marino estate, is one of the most elegant small buildings in Europe. A garden pavilion, it was designed from 1758 by the Scottish architect Sir William Chambers for the 1st Earl of Charlemont. Originally the design had been included in plans for a wing of Harewood House in England, but these were rejected. Simon Vierpyl, a sculptor and builder from Rome, worked on the construction using the best materials. The pavilion contains many fine examples of 18th-century architecture and was given protection under the National Monument Act in 1930, the only post-medieval building to gain this status. Major restoration work has been carried out by the Office of Public Works.