Swords Masterplan - Fingal County Council

360 St Columba’s Church (19th century church plus ecclesiastical remains,
Round Tower, Graveyard, Whetstone, Cross, Sheela-na-gig)
St. Columba’s Church of Ireland is a detached gable-fronted ashlar limestone
Gothic style single-cell Church of Ireland church dating from c.1815. It was
designed by Francis Johnston. It has six-bay side elevations with stepped
buttresses, pinnacles and crenellated roof parapet. The adjoining round tower is
an instantly recognisable landmark from the town centre of Swords. The tower is
26m high with a stone cross at its apex, an unusual feature in Irish round towers.
361 Sexton’s House
A detached three-bay single-storey ashlar limestone Tudor style sexton’s house
built around 1870 with a central single-bay projecting porch on a triangular plan.
The roof is double pitched and hipped with slate, concrete ridge tiles, a cutlimestone
chimney stack, timber eaves, cast-iron rainwater goods and decorative
timber barge boards to left gable end. The walls consist of coursed cut-limestone
and cut-limestone quoins. The openings consist of pointed-arch window openings
with cut-stone chamfered sills and surrounds.
362 Old Vicarage
A detached three-bay two-storey former vicarage built around 1675, with projecting
two-bay two-storey block attached to right-hand side. The building has been
extensively renovated and around 1990 the building was developed into
apartments. The roof is gable fronted, double-pitched and hipped, slated with
some replacement fibre-cement slate with rendered chimney stacks, yellow clay
pots, timber eaves and uPVC rainwater goods. The walls are random coursed
rubble stone with traces of roughcast/nap render to right side elevation. The
openings are square-headed with granite sills with replacement uPVC casement
windows and replacement tongue-and-groove timber panelled doors.
372 National Irish Bank
This is a five-bay single-storey ashlar granite bank built around 1920, with a
hipped roof behind a parapet wall. The walls are granite ashlar to the front. The
openings are square-headed with granite sills.
362 372
S W O R D S M A S T E R P L A N
CIVIC/COMMUNITY – Seatown Road
This character area around Seatown Road has a different character, and primarily
consists of historic community and civic buildings with a loose urban grain. St
Columcille’s Church is located within the area and represents the town’s most
readily identifiable landmark. Both the church and its setting should be protected,
with particular attention given to key views of the steeple.
The following Protected Structures include:
Record No. Description
350 Courthouse
353 Former Teacher’s Residence – Accord
354 Swords Youth & Resource Centre
356 St. Columcille’s Church (RC)
358 Parochial House
Protected Structures of note include:
350 Swords Courthouse
This detached three-bay single-storey courthouse was built around 1843, with a
double-height central block and flanking single-storey recessed wings. The walls are
coursed limestone with limestone quoinings with square headed window openings.
353 Former Teacher’s Residence – Accord
This building is a detached three-bay two-storey roughly dressed rubble stone
house built around 1890 a with gable over its central bay.
354 Swords Youth & Resource Centre
A detached six-bay two-storey former school built around 1865, with recessed
end bays. The building has recently been sensitively refurbished. The roof is
hipped and slated. The openings are square headed with rendered architraves.
The door entrance is square headed and flanked by rendered Tuscan pilasters
and a timber boarded doors with overlight above.
356 St Colmcille’s Roman Catholic Church
The Church is a detached three-bay gable-fronted single-cell Roman Catholic
church built around 1830 a with single central bay having a tower and spire. The
walls are nap rendered, ruled and lined with a granite course and coping.
358 Swords Parochial House
This is a detached three-bay two-storey
red brick house built around 1895, with
recessed entrance porch flanked by
projecting full height bays. The walls
are red bricked with a flemish bond,
rubble stone plinth course, with
chamfered yellow brick coping, red
brick chevron string courses and
moulded brick string courses.
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358
350
354
353
356
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350 353
354 356