Reading Architecture: St. Andrew's Church, Dublin, 1670-1990

Although historians are becoming more and more attracted to visual evidence, few have taken on board the findings and methods of architectural history. In response, this article, focusing on the unusual architecture of St. Andrew's church in Dublin (1670-1674), attempts to show how the close study of a single prominent building can be used to investigate several cognate issues, which in this case range from the politics of religion to elite cultural practice. The conclusion, moving away from the particular building discussed, makes a few general suggestions about the interpretation of the modern and early modern built environment.