I seem to be one of the last people to find out about this or are you maybe also new to that concept? A Time House is a venue where you pay for the time you spend there and already for just about a year :-O there is a Time House in Dublin. My excuse is that it is not free, therefore I didn’t find about it earlier, but it is a really interesting concept and therefore I want to tell you about it today.

The Clockwork Door is Dublin’s first and only (as far as I know!) Time House. It is located at 51 Wellington Quay, which is very near to Ha’Penny Bridge, next to EaTokyo and they run lots of different events.

But how does it work? Well, it is intriguingly simple. You pay for every minute you are in the Time House (8 cent per minute in the first 2 hours, 6 cent per minute in the next 2 hours and 5 cent for the rest of the day). So if you stay there for 3 hours, it would cost you 9.60+3.60=13.20. For that you will get unlimited tea, coffee, biscuits, wi-fi, board games, video games and the use of 5 different rooms + kitchen. The max cost per day is EUR 20 but you can also go for the membership option where you pay EUR 60 for the whole month and you have unlimited access for that price.

Events don’t cost extra and – because the people running the place would love you to stay there for a looong time ;-) – there are always interesting events happening. (You can bring your own food, but alcohol is not allowed.)

The rooms are kitted out for working/studying, or for lounging or for playing (board and video games) etc. The website has pictures of the rooms and lots more information. Oddly the website doesn’t specify the opening hours, but I found elsewhere that the Time House is open from 10:00-22:00. I really like the idea and for a price of between EUR 3 and EUR 4.80 per hour with tea and biscuits and wi-fi included, it could be an interesting drop-in place for some, even during the day. Beats Starbucks any day! ;-) Find out more details here www.clockworkdoor.ie/the-clockwork-door/ the Facebook Page is here www.facebook.com/theclockworkdoor/

[They also have a separate “Escape Room” where you play games to find the key to get out again. It is called The Clockwork Key but is not included in the “Time House” concept, it is a separate operation and priced differently.]