boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council

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PART I: INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT Chapter 2: Historic Context, Settlement Policy & Vision 2.2 A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOYLE TOWN THROUGH ITS BUILDINGS Boyle is one of the principal towns in County Roscommon, and is situated on the banks of the Boyle River, which connects Lough Gara and Lough Key. The town is located within a steep valley which has resulted in many streets having a sloping and undulating character. Its narrowest street, Green Street, is built on the ancient path that led from the ford over the river to the Curlew Pass through the Curlew Mountains, which was used for at least two thousand years. From about 1729 it became the old mail coach road out of Boyle with extra horses yoked up to climb the steep hill over the mountains. The town owes its existence to Boyle Abbey which was established here in 1161 as a Cistercian monastery by monks from Mellifont Abbey in Co. Louth, under the patronage of the local ruling family, the MacDermotts. It is one of the best preserved abbeys in Ireland. It was invaded by English forces under lordsjustices Maurice Fitzgerald and MacWilliam in 1235. In 1659, the Cromwellians occupied the monastery and did a great deal of destruction. It was mutilated again during the 17th and 18th centuries when it was used to accommodate a military garrison. In 1603 a lease of the abbey and its lands was granted to Sir John King by James 1. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1613. The King Family, Earls of Kingston, built six mansions over the next 200 years in the town and in Rockingham, including King House from c. 1730, which survives today. The development of the majority of present day Boyle Town began around the mid-18th century. Henry Fry arrived in Boyle in 1742 at the invitation of the Kings and set up a weaving industry in the town; he built Frybrook House c.1753 for himself. A new Church of Ireland church was built on land donated by Lord Kingston in 1765, consecrated in 1773. Freeman’s Royal Hotel opened with the landlord’s approval on the south side near the bridge in 1788, later known as the Royal Hotel. A new small Catholic chapel was built to the east of the town. However it was in the early 19 th century that development really kicked off and most of the buildings that survive today date from this century. Works were coming to an end on the Kings’ final family mansion at Rockingham by architect John Nash, later John Lynn, under the first Viscount Lorton. A new suburb east of King House was developed with key buildings located here - Abbeyview House, c.1790, later occupied by their land agent, the estate rental office from c.1800, a glebe house from 1806, and a constabulary barracks around this time; these were consolidated with later buildings, a school, dispensary, bank, charitable loan society, lectureroom. A new bridge was built over the river, a single-arch structure, to the east of the town in 1817, as part of a national scheme for improving mail coach roads. This meant that the town centre was bypassed and this was the start of a whole network of new roads though the grounds of the abbey. Carrick Road was cut through c.1825 and Military Road laid out. The military were now occupying King House and Main Street was slowly being leased from the Kings for development from c. 1825. A new provisions market was established by Lorton on the north side near the old Boyle Bridge in 1826. The Crescent was laid out c.1828. A new courthouse was built c.1830, subsidised by Lorton on a site he donated; it was accompanied by a bridewell grant-aided by central government. The fine Tangier House was built to the rear. A new Boyle Bridge in the centre was erected between 1832 and 1836, half of which was paid for by Lorton. Intensive development tracked these changes; this was undertaken by individuals usually with a lease from the landlord. The buildings were generally built of limestone with sandstone used in some public buildings. A very good description of the town from 1832 by Isaac Weld testifies to all the new development going on and recording the economic boom in trade and retail. The town served an extensive agricultural region and sent exports of corn, butter and yarn to Sligo and to Drumsna for carriage to Dublin. The mid-19 th century saw a consolidation of these new developments. A new Presbyterian church and house was erected in 1858 on Carrick Road. There were also places of worship for Wesleyan Methodists and Baptists. The railway arrived in 1860 which opened up more of the southern end of the town for terraced housing and added new bridges and workers’ cottages to the townscape. Another new Boyle Bridge was built in 1864. Patrick Street to the west was widened about this time and the old thatched cottages replaced. Market Square, now known as The Crescent, was very busy. It gained a tower clock erected c.1880 to the memory of the Hon. Laurence Harman King-Harman, who died in 1875, by his tenants. The fine Catholic St Joseph’s church was built to the east in 1876 amid the cluster around the Convent of Mercy which went on to include schools, a nun's chapel, laundry, presbytery and outbuildings; this church was replaced again in 1978. Boyle Local Area Plan 2012-2018 Page 6
PART I: INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT Chapter 2: Historic Context, Settlement Policy & Vision In the 20 th century the Stewart family, owners of Boyle mill, supplied electricity to the town from 1901 until the Electricity Supply Board took over in 1966. The town grew in an outward direction to the south and in a north-easterly direction. This latter section has become a tourist hub today with the amenity areas of Boyle Abbey, the Boyle Canal Link to Lough Key and the Lough Key Forest & Activity Park. With the exception of a few local indigenous industries, the supply of services to the local community and the tourism industry are the key business activities in the town. RCC recognised the historical, architectural and cultural importance of King House and began a restoration project here in 1989. Skilled artisans and local craftsmen used traditional techniques and materials to restore the three floors and basement. The grounds are still in use by the Irish army. The town was by-passed again in 1998 by the New N4 National Primary Route. A walk along the river has been developed in the town centre which has greatly added to the charm of the centre. Photo 7: The Boyle Bridge (old photo) In 1788 the King Family moved to Rockingham and King House was used as a military barracks. While the Irish Army Reserve still has a presence at King House, it is owned by Roscommon County Council and has been fully restored to provide a unique insight into the cultural traditions of our past, for both the local community and visitors. Several rooms in the house are frequently used for temporary exhibitions and are open to visitors, usually at no extra charge. 2.3 POPULATION CONTEXT 2.3.1 Population calculations Boyle Urban District Electoral Division (DED), which constitutes the majority of the town core, showed an overall percentage population decrease of 2.7% between Census 2002-2006. It should be noted at this stage that the Central Statistics Office (CSO) uses DED and Census Town Boundaries when calculating population and these areas tend to differ from defined settlements which makes more accurate figures difficult to calculate. With regard to Boyle, the 2006 CSO census town boundary is similar in terms of extent to the LAP boundary. This area comprises almost all of the residential development within the town and is considered a reliable measure of the actual town population given its close relationship to the LAP boundary. CSO 2006 indicates a population of 2,522 persons for the Boyle Census Town, which marked an increase in the 2002 figure of 2,205, a 14.4% increase. However, there is some additional residential development outside the census town boundary but within the LAP boundary and vice versa, and therefore the population results have been refined further to reflect this. The following methodology, which was applied to calculate the population figures for the Roscommon County Development Plan 2008-2014, has been used. Firstly, in order to calculate the number of households within these areas, the An Post Geo-directory was used. This is a database which provides the number of residential units with postal addresses in an area and is updated on a three monthly basis, which ensures that the information provided is current. Secondly, in order to establish the total population, the average number of persons per household was multiplied by the number of households in these areas. The 2006 census information was used to establish the average number of persons per household for the towns in Roscommon i.e. 2.6 persons for aggregate town areas up to present. The results, excluding vacant dwellings, yielded an additional 97 residential units. When the household size factor of 2.6 is applied, this equates to approximately 252 persons, therefore the total population of the Boyle LAP area is estimated at approximately 2,774 (252+2,522). It should be noted that the first results of Census 2011 were released on June 30 th 2011, just 12 weeks after census day. However, only the preliminary results are available to date, therefore where census figures are required in this LAP the 2006 census figures have been utilised. In addition, projected population figures which form part of the Regional Planning Guidelines for the West Region, 2010-2022 are provided in Section 2.4.1 below. Boyle Local Area Plan 2012-2018 Page 7
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boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council

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