durrow abbey co. offaly conservation plan - Offaly County Council

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MAN MADE FEATURES Durrow Abbey House Durrow Abbey is a large country house, L-shaped in plan, built around two sides of a sunken cour tyard, combining original mid- nineteenth century gothic revival elements with early twentieth century Ar ts and Crafts interventions and alterations. ROOFS The roof of the house is covered with Welsh slate which generally appear to be sound. The flat roofs are lined with torch-on felt roofing. Cast iron gutters and downpipes were installed in the 1920s, most of which are now badly rusted and in need of attention. Some have been replaced with uPVC alternatives. Durrow Abbey House from north-east 30
The massive stone chimney stacks and corner turrets survive from the nineteenth century house although reset at lower heights after the reduction in height of the building. These elements appear to be generally sound, however a structural engineer experienced in the care and repair of historic buildings should carry out an inspection. WALLS All of the external walls are faced with finely jointed limestone ashlar blocks. The stone has weathered well and the thin mor tar joints appear tight and sound. A very old growth of boston ivy (par thenocissus tricuspidata) has been allowed to cover the south, east and nor th walls to the house, the long-term effects of this growth are likely to be destructive to the fabric of the building and removal should be considered. All of the pinnacles and stone enrichments should be inspected from up close to identify open mor tar joints or rusting iron bars. EXTERNAL DOORS AND WINDOWS A small number of timber-framed windows were noted in the house, mostly in the nor th-west service range. Most of the windows consist of side-hung steel casements, which for the most par t, require only regular cleaning and oiling. Defective windows, which have allowed moisture to penetrate into the internal plaster and joinery, causing staining and decay should be repaired or replaced. INTERNAL FEATURES The principal rooms are all to be found on the ground floor of the main house. These include the east entry vestibule and main stairwell, the sitting room to the south, the dining room to the nor th and a relatively small chamber adjacent to the sitting room, facing into the sunken cour t. All of these rooms were similarly finished, with plain lime-plastered walls and ceilings, simple oak joinery and polished oak floors. The simplicity of the internal architectural treatments is in stark contrast to the richness of the external masonry enrichments. CHIMNEY PIECES A number of chimney pieces were noted in the house including a large stone fireplace in the sitting room, a pair of large oak mantelpieces with carved Celtic decoration in the ground floor stairwell, and in the first floor east bedroom, an interesting carved limestone fire surround in the ground floor study and an early nineteenth century cast iron coal grate in the basement. The carved limestone arches over the massive 1830s kitchen fireplaces remain in place, although a 1920s par tition left them standing in separate rooms. Roof detail from north-east Sitting room c. 1990 31
Page 1 and 2: DURROW ABBEY CO. OFFALY CONSERVATIO
Page 3 and 4: This conservation plan was commissi
Page 5 and 6: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT EARLY HISTOR
Page 7 and 8: wall and stream and on the south, s
Page 9 and 10: The rolling hills to the south of D
Page 11 and 12: 1837-8 Ordnance Survey map of Durro
Page 13 and 14: thought that Hector John Toler carr
Page 15 and 16: William H. Byrne, proposal drawing
Page 17 and 18: A simple Ar ts and Crafts style was
Page 19 and 20: c.1926 1950s 1950, February 1950s 2
Page 21 and 22: panels. The slab has suffered damag
Page 23 and 24: DEMESNE AND LANDSCAPE FEATURES The
Page 25 and 26: A stretch of road shown on the hist
Page 27 and 28: west walls measuring 70-85m. Its co
Page 29: LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS KEY TO DRAWING R
Page 33 and 34: EAST YARD An inscribed date of 1833
Page 35 and 36: Octagonal Gardener’s Cottage A sm
Page 37 and 38: ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Durrow A
Page 39 and 40: H I S TO R I C S I G N I F I C A N
Page 41 and 42: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Durrow Ab
Page 43 and 44: The National Development Plan is de
Page 45 and 46: in otherwise significant areas, wil
Page 47 and 48: therefore, only native woodland spe
Page 49 and 50: consultation with the local parish)
Page 51 and 52: Other man made features Policy 29.
Page 53 and 54: GLOSSARY OF TERMS Throughout the fo
Page 55 and 56: ety, Geography Publications Dublin
Page 57: CATALOGUE OF MURRAY DRAWINGS HELD A

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