durrow abbey co. offaly conservation plan - Offaly County Council

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
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