The city of Galway has a rich body of historic buildings that date from its establishment in the thirteenth century to the present day. The city is positioned on the estuary of the River Corrib where it enters Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. It was initially founded by the Norman Richard de Burgo, who chose to build his castle here around 1220, and, despite Gaelic opposition, a Norman urban settlement had became permanently established by 1270. Shortly afterwards, work began on the defense of the settlement by a town wall that enclosed around eleven hectares, and work began on forming riverside quays. Inside the walls the town was laid out in an irregular street grid that included Market Street, Shop Street, Middle Street, St Augustine Street, Abbeygate Street and Cross Street, all lined with closely packed medieval houses, with the parish church of St Nicholas in a central position. A number of religious orders, such as the Augustinians, Franciscans and Dominicans, established houses outside the walls. This highly illustrated work explores that heritage through the medieval, Victorian and Georgian periods.