St Stephen's Green
Dublin
St Stephen's Green is the large public park in the centre of Dublin, at the end of Grafton Street. It has been open to everyone since 1880 and covers about 9 hectares.
From marsh to garden
The name comes from a church of St Stephen that stood here in the 1200s. In 1663 the city marked out the park, about 11 hectares in size. It leased the land around it for building houses. That money paid for walls and roads.
In the 1700s the park became fashionable. Elegant families strolled along its walks, such as the Beaux Walk on the north side.
A park closed and then reopened
In 1814 the park passed to a committee of local residents. The broken wall was replaced by decorated iron railings, and the park became private. Many citizens protested. In 1877 Sir Arthur, later Lord Ardilaun, paid off the debts of the park. He obtained a law that placed it in the care of the Office of Public Works. The works for the new garden cost about 20,000 pounds.
What to see
The park still has its layout from the 1800s, with trees, shrubs and seasonal flowers. There is a lake, a waterfall among the rocks on the west side and several sculptures.
