durrow abbey co. offaly conservation plan - Offaly County Council

A simple Ar ts and Crafts style was adopted for
the interior. The rich detail indicated in the sketch
drawings was not realised.
Twentieth-Century Ownership
St Columba’s Church was in use until about 1888
when the new Church of Ireland church was built in
Durrow village. The cemetery was closed by Order
of the Local Government Board in 1913, however,
access to the graveyard was maintained for the
public. In the 1950s the state took guardianship of
the High Cross and of three early Medieval grave
slabs.
Ownership of Durrow Abbey estate passed out of
the Toler family in the 1950s. A sale of furniture and
effects was held in 1950. The 1950s sales catalogue
is held at the Irish Architectural Archive and provides
a full description of the service yards at this
time. The house was subsequently occupied/owned
by Mr and Mrs Ralph Slazenger and then by Mr and
Mrs M.M. Williams before being bought by Mr and
Mrs Patrick O’Brien.
In 2000 a planning application was submitted to
Offaly County Council by Radleigh Developments
for a Hotel and mixed use development at Durrow
Abbey. Following great pressure for the conservation
of the site, in December 2003 the state purchased
Durrow Abbey House along with thir ty one
hectares of the surrounding demesne from Mrs.
O’Brien.
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