Who was James Franklin Fuller?

His name no longer resonates in Irish architecture, yet the architectural legacy of James Franklin Fuller (1835-1924) is quite remarkable. He was responsible for some of Ireland’s best-known buildings. Kylemore Abbey, Ashford Castle, Parknasilla and Farmleigh are all his, but while many Irish people would recognise one or more of these, very few indeed could name their architect.

Even a cursory glance at a list of his projects shows that Fuller deserves to be better known. It is hoped that this exhibition marking the 180th anniversary of his birth, and featuring mainly nineteenth-century photographs of some of his buildings and a handful of his surviving drawings, will spark new interest in his career and his architecture. Perhaps too it will lead to a rediscovery of more of his drawings and correspondence so that, by the time we come to celebrate the centenary of his death in 2024, James Franklin Fuller will have been restored to the place he undoubtedly considered he deserved in the pantheon of Irish architects.