Trinity’s motto, while perhaps too profound to reflect the typical undergraduate education, is a convenient phrase in a piece like this.
Founded in 1592 and now home to 19,000 students, centuries of history have left their impression on the grounds of Trinity College Dublin.
Today’s campus resembles a series of geological strata deposed alongside one another, a stroll through the college quickly becoming a series of encounters with bygone eras, its edifices forming a vivid tableau spanning hundreds of years.
In this post, I consider this perspective in terms of the university’s opening quadrangle, affectionately known as Front Square, which in fact is made up of two squares; Parliament Square and Library Square.
To delve deeper into the captivating history and hidden stories of Front Square and the rest of Trinity, join us on a Trinity Trails guided tour.
Explore the architectural marvels, learn about the vibrant student life, and discover the hidden gems of this historic campus.
History of Parliament Square
Generally known as home to much of the university’s 18th-century portfolio, its use actually predates the university’s foundation by almost over four hundred years.
During term, I start most days in Parliament Square, that is, your surroundings when entering the university via its main entrance on College Green.
From the 12th century, it was home to the Augustinian Priory of All Hallows.
Founded by the High King of Leinster almost nine hundred years ago, its monks were engaged in prayer and manuscript production until its closure as part of the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538.
Imagine the monks going about their day, busily moving through the cloister in all directions.
That is, much more has happened in Trinity than a superficial reading might suggest. Scholarship has been fundamental to this space for almost twice as long as the university’s lifespan, which gives my time here a sense of perspective; a tiny blip in an almost millennium-long history of occupation.
In fact, while little physical evidence of the priory remains, the contours of Parliament Square are still in part dictated by the abbey. In front of the university’s imposing façade, for instance, is a pair of trees.
Both examples of Erman’s Birch and both planted in 1948, they are unusually asymmetrical – one on the verge of emaciation while the other proudly flaunts a mane of vibrant foliage.
It is the foundations of the monastery which produce the irregularity, their proximity to the surface stunting the growth of the seemingly infirmed specimen.
Every May, the greenery around the trees is allowed to grow wild. It’s always, for some reason, in that slightly rugged, primitive and unspoiled scene that the priory, along with a profound and grand sense of history comes alive.
Trinity Exam Hall and Trinity Chapel
Monastery aside, the architecture of today’s Parliament Square is to the greatest extent shaped by 18th-century neoclassicism, the university often considered the most substantial example of 18th-century architecture in Ireland.
To take an example, consider the identical and rather sober pair of buildings facing each other in the middle of the square, the Exam Hall on the right and the Chapel on the left (when you enter through the front gate).
Designed by William Chambers and completed in 1798 and 1785 respectively, both feature a rather minimalistic temple façade and capture the essence of the neoclassical – order and structure clearly the flavour of the month.
When an institution exists for centuries, certain periods tend to become formative and capture its essence – ancient foundation myths and times of colonial struggle in the case of the nation-state, for instance.
The 18th century’s near-monopoly over Parliament Square transports you back in time and induces a sense that Trinity was at its most quintessential in the 1700s.
You walk in the footsteps of Burke and Goldsmith, can practically hear the hoofs clip-clopping across the square and almost get caught in the flurry of students heading through Front Arch in the direction of the Houses of Parliament.
Faced with the Chapel and the Exam Hall on a cold winter’s day, Trinity becomes Anglo-Irish, Georgian and tied up with practical politics.
Yet move past Front Square and you might find yourself confronted by Stoker and his Gothic outside the Graduate Memorial Building or Wilde’s aesthetic and frivolous vision in the Rose Garden.
The Campanile
Moving through Parliament Square you eventually find yourself in Library Square.
The interface between the two is delineated by the Campanile, perhaps Trinity’s most iconic structure.
The bell tower is relatively modern, only completed in the 1850s.
For such a fundamental building, it is of rather contingent origins; after much demolition work in the early 19th century, an initial plan would have had a smaller structure at the central axis, with colonnades running to the south and north of Library Square.
Today, however, the tower is fundamental to any illustration or imagining of Trinity College. Its most interesting features are those which preserve evidence of one-time academic structures of the university.
Above its arches, for instance, are four heads, all depictions of Ancient Greek literary figures – Homer, Socrates, Plato and Demosthenes.
They represent the arts, as the typical traditional undergraduate education composed mainly of classics, maths and philosophy until the middle of the 19th century. Specialised undergraduate degrees, now effectively mandated from first year by the university, were unheard of in Trinity until the 1830s.
Similarly, above the main structure are four figures, physical depictions of the faculties of Law, Divinity, Science and Medicine.
Designed by Thomas Kirk, the namesake in Irish sculpture responsible for the statue of Horatio Nelson which traditionally topped his eponymous pillar until its destruction in 1966, the figure of science, a relatively new and emerging discipline, is perhaps the most interesting.
The Campanile dates from and captures the period of most fundamental change in modern academia. Listen to Trinity Professor in Architectural History and History Of Art Christine Casey speak about the Campanile here:
The structure of the university changed dramatically and rapidly around the 1850s.
New professorships were emerging at an unheard-of pace – twenty in total between 1830 and 1900, particularly in the human sciences of biology and economics – and religious examinations were soon to be made optional outside of the Faculty of Divinity.
The Campanile, perhaps the last building constructed in Trinity with a decidedly ancient feel, marks a watershed moment in the university’s shift towards modernity.
These are but a few examples from one of Trinity’s many microcosms: 400 years of history extending over 47 acres, carefully preserved yet never tempted to stiffen and congeal or confine itself to the past.
The campus continues to change and grow, comfortably overlapping its present with its past.
Front Square at Trinity College Dublin is a historic and vibrant hub that encapsulates the university’s rich heritage.
Dominated by the imposing West Front, this iconic square seamlessly integrates centuries of academic tradition and architectural splendour.
Within its vicinity, the Dining Hall serves as a central gathering place, echoing the lively history of student life.
The square also houses lecture rooms that have hosted countless intellectual discourses, contributing to the fields of art history and beyond.
Nearby, New Square and Botany Bay offer additional glimpses into the college’s evolving landscape, while the New Chapel stands as a testament to the institution’s spiritual heritage.
Together, these elements make Front Square not just a physical space but a living chronicle of Trinity College’s enduring legacy in Dublin.
Explore Trinity College in person
If you find yourself in Dublin and you want to explore the fascinating blend of history and modernity at Trinity, my Trinity Trails guided tour aims to illustrate it in detail – a monument to the past in constant interaction with the present.
To truly appreciate the rich tapestry of Trinity College’s history, don’t miss the chance to see the renowned Book of Kells up close and opt for a combined Book of Kells Experience & Trinity Trails tour.
Reserve your place and join us for a walk through time!
