The Tholsel, Kilkenny

The Tholsel, High Street, Kilkenny, Ireland was built in 1761 by Alderman William Colles (b.1702). It was built as place for collecting tolls, but has also been used as customs house, a courthouse and a guild hall. It is used today as the town hall, and that’s the name that many local people would know the building by.

A key feature of the building is the open arcade on the ground floor which straddles the pavement. Another feature is the octagonal copper clad tower which projects from the hipped slate roof. There is clock and a viewing platform in the tower. On the southern façade there is a relief sculpture of the City’s coat of arms. The Tholsel commands a central position on High Street and contributes significantly to the street’s unique character.

The Tholsel’s arcade is an ideal place for carol singers or buskers to perform in and is a traditional meeting point. In many ways it acts as a kind of covered ‘piazza’. It is also used as a temporary exhibition space during Kilkenny’s annual Arts Week and Christmas in Kilkenny wouldn’t be the same without the Crib on display there.

External links

* [http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/kilkenny/kilkenny/tholsel.html Archiseek]
* [http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?county=KK&regno=12000061&type=record Buildings of Ireland]
* [http://www.kilkenny.ie/eng/About_Kilkenny/History/Famous_Landmarks/The_Tholsel.html Tholsel on Kilkenny.ie]
* [http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1004365461013845511XQEZYSHRPN A photo of the Tholsel]
* [http://www.kilkennycityonline.com/commun_photos.asp?GALLID=13&GALLTYPE=0 A collection of images of the Tholsel at Christmas]