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Scaffolding surrounds a famous Dublin landmark, as there is a fundraising call to arms for the restoration of the Southside church. St. Stephen's church, located on Mount Street in Dublin, Ireland, is a long-standing historic landmark and one of the most distinguished structures in the country. St. Stephen's Church features a dome, providing the church its nickname, "Pepper Canister." The illustrious dome, after which the church is named, however, is in need of immediate restoration to save the sanctity of St. Stephen's Church.
Though scaffolding may encase the church now, St. Stephen's was originally constructed in 1824. St. Stephen's is the last in a series of Georgian churches erected by the Church of Ireland. It remains one of the most significant buildings in Dublin, and one of the critical components of the city's skyline. To restore the building from work done on the church in the 1960s, major restoration efforts have been made recently to give the church a much-needed facelift.
The church received funding from the Department of the Environment, Dublin City Council, Heritage and Local Government and the Church of Ireland Fabric Fund for the renovation efforts. As part of the restoration process, major work was conducted on the façade of the church, where scaffolding was used to replace windows, do electrical work and other repairs to the outside of St. Stephen's Church. Although the church has already received €300,000 for the renovation, more funding is necessary to restore the church to its full glory.
As the renovations were taking place, it was discovered that at least two of the eight stone columns supporting the copper dome of the church have moved out of place. If these columns are not restored within two years, permanent damage is possible, and the dome could potentially collapse. An engineering firm loaned the church scaffolding to assess the damage to the columns, and serious structural defects were identified.
Approximately €100,000 is needed to repair the stone columns supporting the copper dome. The engineering firm who lent the scaffolding to the church is allowing St. Stephens to keep the scaffolding as a temporary support system for the dome. Until the historic landmark that is St. Stephen's church receives the necessary funding it needs to replace its dilapidated columns, the "Pepper Canister" will have to rely on scaffolding to maintain its famous dome, and likewise, Dublin's famed skyline.