Athy's protected structures

The public advertisement in the local newspapers last week of the proposed development of a Food, Drinks & Skills Innovation Hub at the former Model School on the Dublin Road is very welcome news for Athy. Coming so soon after confirmation that work on the Outer Relief Road is on schedule to begin towards the end of this year, it represents a huge vote of confidence in the future of the town. The Model School building was built in 1851-2 to house both a Model School and an agricultural school. Built on a site provided by the Duke of Leinster, the school was opened in August 1852. It served the dual purpose of providing schooling for local children on a non-denominational basis while also providing preliminary training for candidate teachers who had been selected by the Commissioners of National Education and who attended the school as boarders for six months. The Model School complex also included an agricultural training college to which was attached a substantial farm. The college closed within a few years and the farmlands were subsequently auctioned. The non-denominational aspect of the early school was undermined by the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in the town in 1852, followed by the opening of the Christian Brothers schools in 1861. The building, constructed in the Tudor style, was destroyed by fire some years ago and was subsequently acquired by Kildare County Council. The building was designed by Frederick Darley, an Irish-based architect with an international reputation who is also believed to have been the architect of the local courthouse; the Presbyterian church and former manse on the Dublin Road; and the Methodist church on Woodstock Street. Darley, who came to Ireland from Yorkshire, designed the King’s Inns buildings at Henrietta Street, Dublin, as well as the Royal Dublin Society’s headquarters in Ballsbridge. His work in Athy stemmed from the patronage of the Duke of Leinster, who engaged Darley to remodel his residence at Kilkea Castle. The number of buildings in Athy linked with Darley is quite remarkable and represents a unique architectural legacy for an Irish provincial town. The County Council advertisement was required under planning legislation as the Model School is included in the Council’s Record of Protected Structures. Buildings recorded as protected structures are so listed because the county councillors, advised by experts, have identified those buildings as having special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical merit. Owners of such properties must protect them, for if the County Council feels that a protected structure is endangered, the Council can serve a notice on the owner requiring remedial work to be carried out to protect the building. Failure to comply with such a request allows the County Council to carry out any necessary work to save the building and to subsequently recover the cost of such work from the owner. In addition to these maintenance requirements, planning permission is required for any work to be carried out on a protected structure which might materially affect its character. The responsibility imposed on property owners whose buildings are declared to be protected structures are onerous, and there are few private owners who would willingly take on the responsibility of owning a protected structure. However owners have little choice in the matter when the County Council declares a building to be a protected structure. The Athy Town Development Plan which is currently up for review has a large list of local protected structures. These range from a mid-nineteenth century coach house on Church Road to an early nineteenth century two-storey house on the same road. Pubs on the main streets make up many of the listed protected structures in Athy representing, as many of them do, structures dating back to 1800 or thereabouts. Several buildings are included on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as well as being on the County Council record of protected structures. That inventory aims to promote an appreciation of architectural heritage by systematically recording the built heritage on a nationwide basis. These include Cromaboo Bridge, St Vincent’s Hospital and the gazebo at the rear of the Allied Irish Bank. Another building listed as a protected structure is White’s Castle, which is included in the Record of Monuments and Places - a list of historical sites first compiled under the National Monuments Acts and maintained by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Regrettably, the opportunity to declare the castle a national monument – one which was presented to our late TD Joe Bermingham when he was Minister of State at the Office of Public Works in the 1970s - was not availed of by the Castlemitchell man. If the Minister of State had made the decision to declare White’s Castle a national monument, the future of the most important building in Athy would have been assured. Kildare County Council is seeking submissions or observations on the proposed Food Hub development in the former Model School and is complying with the law relating to protected structures under the planning and development Acts. The proposed development should be welcomed by everyone in this area and hopefully the project will progress without undue delay. With daffodils appearing in my garden I’m reminded that the Daffodil Day annual collection taken up on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society has had to be cancelled yet again. However, anyone wishing to donate to this worthy cause can send their donations to Rainsford Hendy at Woodlawn, Timolin, Ballytore. Rainsford has organised the Daffodil Day collection in Athy for the last 34 years.