Old Library, Dublin

This is the Old Library, an early 18th-century building within Trinity College Dublin and part of the college library. Its construction unfolded from 1709 to 1732 under Thomas Burgh’s design, with Isaac Wills supervising stages of the work. The building’s celebrated Long Room has a barrel-vaulted ceiling and holds the 8th-century Book of Kells.

When the library opened, its capacity exceeded the college’s book collection; only by the mid-19th century was more storage needed. Look along the Long Room for the marble busts commissioned in the 1740s through Claudius Gilbert’s bequest. Peter Scheemakers signed eight of the original group, while six are attributed to Louis-François Roubiliac. The interior vault replaced an earlier flat ceiling during work carried out from 1859 to 1861, giving this library the soaring form that defines its appearance today.