St. Brigid's Well Brewery Archway

St Brigid's Well Brewery Archway

This archway was erected in 1862 by John R Dower the then owner of the St Brigid’s Well Brewery.  The arch was designed by little-known architect Henry Sinnott who also designed the Infant School at the Convent of Mercy, Church Street and smaller local projects such as a set of bathing boxes on the Cunnigar commissioned by John R Dower.  The arch is composed of rusticated limestone with variegated mountain granite for the arch surround and parapet moulding. On the top of the arch is a sitting lion possibly made of Coade stone (a hard-wearing composite stone). The central key stone is inscribed: J.R.D. 1862.

The Waterford News published a story about the new arch in June 1862:

The face of the blocks of stone are set in the work as when quarried, except the joints which are chiseled with minute exactness, and set in order by Mr James McCarthy, foreman mason.  The whole is executed in limestone and variegated mountain granite, the latter of rare quality.  The finish…is admirable…and speaks in high terms of the of…Mr Henry Sinnott, the architect…and of the tradesmanship of Thomas O’Neill, James and John Lyons…Mr Dower has constructed a passage by this beautiful entrance to Saint Brigid’s Well, where the inhabitants residing in the locality are supplied with a superior quality of water.

In July the paper reported that Mr Dower had purchased in Dublin ‘at a very high price’, a magnificent figure of a lion, to be placed directly over the keystone.

When the brewery was purchased in 1917 by Thomas Power from the Marquis of Waterford a new sign was fixed to the arch with metal letters: ‘Thomas Power & Co’.  Although the brewery site has been redeveloped in recent years, the arch has been preserved.