The village of Palmerston, located near the River Liffey, about 8km west of Dublin City Centre, is relatively modern, but some old features still survive. Stewart’s Hospital is located in Palmerstown House, a stunning property built in 1763 by John Hely-Hutchinson, later Provost of Trinity College and Secretary of State. At the corner of Mill Lane is an old coaching stables where the mail coaches used to stop, now with the front entrance and windows blocked up. Within the enclosed yard there is an open arched area which gives the place a rather quaint old world appearance. In the 19th Century, its position on the Liffey meant that Palmerston had a thriving mill industry. Evidence of this can be seen in the remaining mill buildings on Mill Lane, and the nearby quaint cottages built for the mill workers. Overlooking the Palmerston Mills is a very ancient burial ground in which are the ruins of a church. It is a fine example of the earliest type of nave and chancel church built before the Norman invasion and probably dating from the tenth or eleventh century. A little upstream of the mills at Palmerston there is a prominent white bridge crossing the Liffey at a great height above the road and river. This was built about 1881 by Lord Iveagh to convey water across the Liffey in order to supply his house, Farmleigh. Today, Palmerston is a quiet, sleepy village but is easily accessible from the M50 and from Dublin City Centre and the West via the N4. It is also adjacent to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. |