Madam, - Miriam Lords's piece in Saturday's issue on the speaker-clock which was owned by Francis Johnston, designer of the GPO, raises the question as to how he came to be in possession of this clock.
As well as designing the GPO and the Armagh Observatory, Johnston was the architect engaged by the Bank Of Ireland after they purchased Parliament House in 1802.
His brief was to convert the premises from parliamentary use to banking, office and commercial use, and perhaps the clock came into his possession during this process. Interestingly, a condition of sale of the premises to the bank dictated that "all evidence of its former use be removed and converted in such a way as to render it unsuitable for its original political function".
That is why we no longer have the House of Commons from Grattan's parliament, but happily we do still have the House of Lords, where parliament first sat in 1731 and where the Act of Union was passed in 1800.
The House of Lords is open to the public during normal banking hours and there are talks on the architecture and history every Tuesday at 10.30, 11.30 and 1.45.
Admission is free and all are welcome. - Yours, etc,
SEÁN LEAHY,
House of Lords,
Dublin 2.