History of Bray · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Bray: 318 buildings on the National Inventory
Bray has kept more old homes than most towns: 8.7% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. The Sites and Monuments Record marks it as a historic town and lists 39 archaeological sites inside it. The earliest building recorded goes back to 1605. For every 10,000 residents, Bray has 95 buildings on the record; the typical town has 48.
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
39
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1605
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
8.7%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
10 photos of Bray’s landmarks, and 8 old views
The oldest building pictured in Bray is Bray Martello Tower, from 1800. 7 of Bray’s recorded places are photographed. Bray before 1950 appears in old photographs from 1860 to 1915.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Through time
Bray from 1860 to 1915
8 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
18501875190019251950The FamineVictorianEdwardianRevolutionFree State
From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The map
Where Bray’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
Regional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 319, by rating
319 Regional and other sites
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
Regional and other sites
319 historic places in Bray
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Main Street16 on the record
Galtrim Road16 on the record
Strand Road15 on the record
Dublin Road14 on the record
Brennan's Parade14 on the record
Florence Terrace13 on the record
Brennan's Terrace12 on the record
Goldsmith Terrace12 on the record
Prince of Wales Terrace12 on the record
Herbert Road11 on the record
Alexandra Terrace11 on the record
Duncairn Terrace10 on the record
Of the 319 records, 310 give a street address.
What’s recorded
In Bray, homes lead the record (87%)
That mix has few churches and chapels: 3% in Bray, against 7% across the National Inventory. Leading the record by rating: Saint Paul's Church and Garrison House. None of Bray’s records is rated of national importance; all are of regional interest.
Homes276
Churches and chapels10
Public buildings9
Inns, shops and warehouses9
Walls, gates and bridges4
Mills, stations and works2
Memorials and tombs1
Farm and estate buildings1
Street furniture1
Other buildings5
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Bray’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries6
19th century 1800–1899272
1900 and later to today40
6 of the 318 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Saint Paul's Church (Bray), from 1605.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Bray
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
39 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
The Ram""Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town
Homes by age
Bray has added few homes since 2011: 3.5%, where most towns have 5.8%
The largest single period is from 1946 to 1980, with 37% of Bray’s homes. Building in the 2000s left Bray with 11% of its homes, below the usual 25%. Homes dated between the wars are commoner in Bray than in most towns: 8.3%, against 3.9%.
8.7%
Before 1919
8.3%
1919–45
37%
1946–80
32%
1981–2000
11%
2001–10
3.5%
Since 2011
BrayTypical town
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Born here
7 notable people born in Bray before 1900
From Denis Dempsey (1826) to Willie Nolan (1897): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Denis Dempsey
Willoughby Wade
Frederick Matthew Darley
Joshua Pim
Clare Marsh
Steenie Mulvey
Willie Nolan
1800182518501875190019251950
Joshua Pim1869–1942 · Irish tennis player
WW
Willoughby Wade1827–1906 · Irish physician
Frederick Matthew Darley1830–1910 · Australian judge
Clare Marsh1875–1923 · Irish still life and portrait artist
WN
Willie Nolan1897–1939 · Irish golfer
DD
Denis Dempsey1826– · Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
SM
Steenie Mulvey1878–1954 · Irish Gaelic footballer and revolutionary
Everyone born in Bray → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Bray has the 4th most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 23,000 to 44,100 residents, by buildings on the record.
Old houses are part of Bray’s character: 8.7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 319 places on the record. Only 3 of the 16 towns nearest its size have more recorded buildings. Main Street alone has 16 places on the record.
Most entries on the list, 87%, are homes. Of the 318 with a date, 272 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Saint Paul's Church (Bray), from 1605. The rest is about typical: per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
•
Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
•
Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
•
Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
•
The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Bray’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Bray?
318 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Bray?
Saint Paul's Church (Bray): the first date on its record is 1605.
Are there archaeological sites in Bray?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 39 archaeological sites inside Bray.
How old are the homes in Bray?
8.7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata and English Wikipedia for people born here · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Raheen-a-Cluig · Photo: 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bray Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH)
Bray Methodist ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
Bray Martello TowerRegional rating (NIAH)
Building misc, Strand Road, BrayRegional rating (NIAH)
Killruddery (country house)National rating (NIAH)+5See all photos
1860
1860s
c. 1900
1900s
1900s
c. 1900
1910
1915
