REPORT ON THE ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF NO. 24 SHREWSBURY ROAD, DUBLIN 4.
&
OBSERVATIONS ON THE IMPACT OF THE CURRENT PROPOSAL
June 2018
DAVID SLATTERY – Architect – Historic Buildings Consultant
8, Vergemount, Clonskeagh, Dublin 6, Ireland. Tel:+353(1) 2697344 Fax: +353 (1) 2604098
e-mail: [email protected] DAVID SLATTERY – Architect – Historic Buildings Consultant
8, Vergemount, Clonskeagh, Dublin 6, Ireland. Tel:+353(1) 2697344 Fax: +353 (1) 2604098
e-mail: [email protected]
Report On The Architectural/Historic Significance Of No. 24 Shrewsbury Road, Dublin 4 (Walford), And Observations On The Impact Of The Current Proposal
1. Introduction This report has been completed on instruction from Lawrence & Long Architects, on behalf of Celtic Trustees Limited. It should be read in conjunction with the Laurence & Long Architects’ comprehensive planning drawings, verified CGIs prepared by ArchFix and the planning report detailing relevant precedents by Stephen Little & Associates.
It provides an assessment of the significance of No. 24 Shrewsbury Road, its setting and context, and identifies any associated special architectural and historic character and any other features which are of note. A full evaluation of the chronology of the subject site and the building has been included in Section 2. This evaluation has been carried out with reference to a number of important resources. These include the following -
Trinity College Map Library the National Library of Ireland the Irish Architectural Archive the National Archives of Ireland ArchInfo in UCD. Local History Section, Pembroke Library, Ballsbridge.
The report addresses the proposed demolition of the house and proposed new single dwelling development on the site.
In the preparation of this report the site was fully evaluated and photographically recorded internally and externally. These photographs are appended to the report.
The impact of the proposal on the significance and character of the site, streetscape and setting has been assessed in accordance with the 2000 Planning Act and the DoCHG Guidelines on Architectural Heritage.
The house at No. 24 Shrewsbury Road is not included on the Dublin City Council Record of Protected Structures.
The site is zoned Z2, with the objective “to protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas”.
It is noted that areas zoned Z2 in the current development plan are extensive. The development plan notes that all such areas have -
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage AssessmentDavid of Slattery – Conservation Architects Ltd. No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 James Slattery B.Arch., Dipl. ABRCons M.R.I.A.I. - Principal / Director 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 1
’’……extensive groupings of buildings and associated open spaces with an attractive quality’’
However it is crucial to note that this zoning does not seek to protect character in the way that an adopted ACA would. It seeks solely to maintain prevailing overall qualities such as road layouts, scale, massing and material quality of buildings in a built environment. It certainly does not preclude demolition but indicates where more control is needed on development within established areas. Large scale contemporary interventions are therefore likely to be less favoured. It is noted that the assessment of previous applications on this site by An Bord Pleanala elevated the Z2 zoning towards the level of an ACA, please refer below to the assessment section of this report.
The site does not lie within an Architectural Conservation Area and it has not been considered appropriate to elevate the road to such a status. Twenty three ACA’s are listed on the Dublin City Council website, Shrewsbury Road and the surrounding area has not been considered to merit such a status. It is noted Shrewsbury Road has been the subject of many applications and assessments over many years and to date just one building on the road (Woodside) has been deemed worthy of inclusion on Dublin City Council’s Record of Protected Structures, despite opportunities for spot- listing and adaption of ACA’s. Walford has not been deemed worthy of any such status. The NIAH have not carried out an assessment of Walford.
Fig. 1 Zoning Map & Context of Walford on Shrewbsury Road – Walford site outlined in red
Fig. 1A Wider view of extensive Z2 Zoning within which the Ailesbury, Shrewbsury & Merrion Road triangle is set.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 2
Our comprehensive research has revealed there is no reference to the house in any of the Architectural volumes and guides that cover the period in which it was built. These include all of the following:
Architecture in Ireland 1837 – 1921 by Jeremy Williams – - Four buildings on Ailesbury road are referred to, none on Shrewsbury Road. Ireland & The New Architecture by Sean Roherty - Includes a Chapter devoted to ‘The Influence of the Arts & Crafts’ (in Ireland). 20th Century Architecture in Ireland by Annette Becker, John Olley and Wilfred Wang. Dublin – Pevsner Guide by Christine Casey. The study does not extend to the area. Dublin’s Bourgeois Homes, Building the Victorian Suburb’s, 1850-1901 by Susan Galavan. - - Numbers 6 & 8 Shrewsbury Road are referred to and there is a lengthy section analysing plans of houses on the road, Walford is not referred to. Dublin (1910 – 1940) – Shaping the City and Suburbs by Dr Ruth McManus. Dublin Phaidon Architecture Guide edited by John Graby and Deirdre O’Connor. Dublin through space and time edited by Joseph Brady and Anngret Sims. Ballsbridge Then & Now by Hugh Oram - Ailesbury Road is referred to, Shrewsbury is not mentioned. Donnybrook – A History by Beatrice M. Doran - Walford is only referred to in relation to its sale in 2005 and Duggan family ownership. More than Concrete Blocks: Dublin City’s twentieth-century buildings and their stories Volume 1 1900-40 by Ellen Rowley (editor). The New Neighbourhood of Dublin by Michael Fewer, Joseph Hone and Maurice Craig Twentieth Century: Art and Architecture of Ireland by Catherine Marshall and Peter Murray. - Section on Ailesbury area, no reference to Walford. The Arts & Crafts Movement in Ireland by Paul Lamour. Arts and Crafts Architecture – Peter Davey
2.0 Context, Setting, Typology, Chronology
Walford is an early twentieth century house (built speculatively circa 1902 for rental from 1903), the house has no attributed Architect or designer.
Shrewsbury Road was laid out in the late 19th century, following the establishment of the Pembroke Township in 1863. The road appears in Thom’s Dublin Directories for the first time in 1886, and is illustrated in the 1889 Ordnance Survey map of the area. The area was formerly part of the lands of Simmonscourt Castle, but had been acquired by the Pembroke Estate in 1860 through the Encumbered Estates Court.
Unlike other developments within the Pembroke Township and the wider suburban area of South Dublin, the houses along Shrewsbury Road were developed individually.
No record of a notice of the intention to build Walford was identified, a number of the houses on the road of similar date had been notified to the Town Commissioner and agent for the Pembroke Estate for approval.
It appears that the house was built speculatively on the basis of the Thom’s record in that it was noted as available to rent in the Irish Times - June 27th, 1903 as the following:
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 3
’’ Mrs. and Miss Smyly, late of Rathfarnham, are renting a pretty house on Shrewsbury Road, between Merrion and Ball’s Bridge.’’
The house was not built or designed for an owner – occupier, which might be considered unusual.
2.1 Historical Mapping
In order to determine the chronology of building on the subject site, a number of historic maps were consulted (the relevant plates are appended to the report and should be referred to). These are as follows –
2.1.1 Ordnance Survey Map, 1865-67
Fig. 2 Extract of Ordnance Survey Map, surveyed 1865 and published 1867 Black line representing Shrewsbury Road and redline approximate location of site.
Shrewsbury Road is first recorded as extant on the 1889 Ordnance survey mapping of the area. However by plotting the line of the road and the site boundaries on this earlier map the origin of some of the site boundaries can be better understood. In this case the eastern boundary was formed by the new road, the north boundary followed a pre-existing tree-lined field boundary that was also an urban district boundary. The shorter north-west boundary followed a mature field boundary. The south and west boundaries reflected later development sites on Ailesbury and Shrewsbury Roads.
There is no indication of anything of historic interest in the location of the site and therefore earlier historic mapping is not relevant in this case.
2.1.2 Ordnance Survey Map, revised 1889 and published 1894
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 4
Fig. 3 Extract of Ordnance Survey Map, surveyed 1889 and published 1894, redline approximate location of site.
Shrewsbury road is now recorded but undeveloped. The western boundary of the later site of No.24 is now established by the joint development of two houses on Ailesbury road – Olney and Leighton. The rubble boundary garden wall of Olney remains a feature of the site.
2.1.3 Ordnance Survey Map, revised 1907-8 and published 1911
Fig. 4 Extract of Ordnance Survey Map, revised 1907-8 and published 1911. House named on map.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 5
This map records No.24, Walford for the first time also the development of a large number of houses on the western side of new Shrewsbury Road.
Fig. 4A Further Extract of OS Map 1907-8. House named on map. The following can be noted from the above enlarged excerpt of the 1907-8 Ordnance survey map:
- The house as built was almost square in plan with a projecting gable right of the front door.
- The small service yard to the front of the house was retained when the house was extended by one recessed gabled bay on the north-eastern side, refer plans illustrated below.
- There was a north side projection on the plan that most probably related to the service wing of the house. It was most likely single storey.
- The current layout plan of the house indicates that this projection was retained and built over.
- This might explain the singular large sitting room added at ground floor level and its awkward entrance through the service stairs lobby, despite being the largest room on the ground floor.
- The southern gable conservatory - greenhouse is also shown on the 1907-8 OS Map revision.
- No landscaping is shown on any of the maps, confirmed on this site by its present condition.
- Tree planting in front of all the houses on the road, with none to the rear of Walford.
- There is no indication of a designed garden or landscape to the rear of the house.
- Accordingly the house fails to address its setting.
- In the extended layout an additional gable was added of greater width than the original two.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 6
Fig. 4B – Original Ground Floor Layout – in grey on current layout plan
Fig. 4C – Original First Floor Layout – in grey on current layout plan
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 7
2.1.4 Ordnance Survey Map, revised 1935-36
Fig. 5 Extract of OS Map 1935-8. House named on map.
This map records that the house was extended between 1908 and 1935 and the footprint is consistent with the current layout. At ground level this extension was focused on adding a large car garage, an outside toilet in the front yard and on the garden side a large sitting room.
The layout adopted on the ground floor suggests the accommodation associated with keeping a car, possibly with a driver was the priority, the new and largest room is accessed through the service hall and the pre-existing gable chimney between the existing gable room and new room was retained.
The rear garden is clearly divided some two-thirds down the garden from the house, perhaps indicating a kitchen garden function with two sheds on the northern boundary. Again there is no indication of a designed or planted garden.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 8
2.1.5 Ordnance Survey Map, 1966
Fig. 6 Extract of OS Map 1966. House named on map.
The house and garden remain as illustrated on the 1935 map in all respects.
2.1.6 Current Ordnance Survey Map
Fig. 7 Extract of the current OS Map of the site.
The current map has less detail, the footprint of the house is consistent with that of 1966.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 9
2.2 Historical searches
2.2.1 Thom’s Street Directories of Dublin The following was noted on ownership of the house from the Thom’s Street directories: 1902: Walford not listed, some houses and building sites noted on Shrewsbury Road. 1903: Smyly, John M. Esq. MA, land agent, and 52 Stephen’s Green. 90l. (Rates) 1905: Smyly, John M. Esq. MA, land agent, and 52 Stephen’s Green. 90l. 1906 – 9 Not checked 1910: Lambkin, Chas. E, and 58 Upper Sackville Street. 1915: Lambkin, Chas. E, and 58 Upper Sackville Street. 75l. 1920: Lambkin, Chas. E, and 58 Upper Sackville Street. 75l. 1925: Lambkin, Chas. E, and 58 Upper Sackville Street. 75l. 1926 – 29 Not checked 1930: Walter Sexton, 75l. 1935: Walter Sexton, 75l. 1936 – 39 Not checked 1940: Osterberg, H. Danish Consul. £75. 1945: Osterberg, H. Danish Consul. £75. 1950: Osterberg, H. Danish Consul. £75. 1951 – 54 Not checked 1955: Vacant. 1956 – 59 Not checked 1960: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1965: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1970: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1975: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1980: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1990: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 1995: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 2000: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s. 2005: Duggan, Patrick A. £90. 10s.
2.2.2 Historic Newspapers - The following was sourced from newspaper archives:
2.2.2.1 Irish Times - June 27th, 1903: ’’Mrs. and Miss Smyly, late of Rathfarnham, are renting a pretty house on Shrewsbury Road, between Merrion and Ball’s Bridge.’’
2.2.2.2 Irish Times – February 9th, 1907: ’’Furniture Sales – Wednesday 13th February – Walford, Shrewsbury Road. Modern and Antique Furniture…James R North and Co., having sold the Residence will sell by auction the Furniture…’’
2.2.2.3 Irish Times – June 5th, 1954: “By Direction of H Osterberg, Esq., Auction of the Contents of Walford, Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, on Wed. next, June 9th at 11am precisely. Among the items offered are a Collection of Modern Paintings, 3-Piece Suites, Occasional Chairs, Mahogany Dining Table, 12 Mahogany Side Chairs and 2 Carvers, Bedroom Suites, Storage Heaters; a Boudoir Grand Piano (Hormung and Moller); Ornamental China, Silver; a 4 ½ Pint Hammered Silver Cocktail Shaker; Glass, Carpets and Rugs, Curtains; a Frigidaire; Garden Tools, including a Roller, a Rotoscythe; over 200 Pot Plants, etc. Etc.’’
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 10
2.3 Context and Setting: Shrewsbury Road has a verdant and sylvan quality due to the large numbers of original planted trees on it and within the front gardens of the houses facing onto it.
Following are a number of views related to that setting -
Fig 8. Shrewsbury Road from its entry point off Merrion Road
View of Shrewsbury Road from Merrion Road The view above characterises the impact of this early twentieth century suburban road, a sylvan setting with buildings setback behind strategic verge and front garden tree planting. The extant trees are a mixture of mature deciduous and conifers, with many scots pines set in front gardens that deliver a considerable impact in scale terms along the road. Buildings are glimpsed through this setting like vignette’s and appear secondary to the sylvan setting.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 11
Fig. 9 View northeast on Shrewsbury Road with the roof of Walford just visible through the trees
Fig. 10 View southwest on Shrewsbury Road with Walford concealed by trees, gable of Marfield in view
Views of Walford setting in context of Shrewsbury Road The multi-layering and scale of some conifer trees along this section of road give Walford and other houses a woodland setting. The building set-backs adopted for development of the road also enhance that effect.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 12
Fig. 11 View opposite boundary between Marfield and Walford
Fig. 12 View opposite boundary between Walford and Runnymede
Views of Walford setting in context of its road frontage to Shrewsbury Road Both the views above show Walford in the layered roadside context of verge trees, pavement, granite rubble boundary wall, verdant garden with mature scots pines behind all of which the front façade sits, seeking to replicate a totally rural idyll in respect of each house.
3. Description
Detached two-storey house with attic floor on northern service wing side. The house has been lying vacant in an increasingly dilapidated state from at least 2004. Walford was built circa 1902 (based on Thom’s). The house was built in a limited palette of materials, brick, slate stone cill’s, painted casement windows compared to houses on the same road and locally. It lacks the detail of Marfield or the scale and detail of Runnymede on either side.
The site of the house appears to be the largest on the road. A small section of the rear boundary adjoins the Old Belvedere rugby grounds (on Anglesea Road), a further section backs onto a long plot originally associated with a house called ‘Olney’ on Ailesbury Road. North and south boundaries are to houses on Shrewsbury Road.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 13
The house was extended between 1908 and 1935 based on cartographic evidence and the extension was kept in the design vein of the existing house presenting a much larger house to the road. The interior details adopted in this large extension are typical of the mid 1930’s. The arrangement adopted is a gabled pastiche of what already existed.
The house has a hipped slate roof (with modern slate, original slate finish unknown) with a darkish toned machine cut red-brick facing to the external walls and chimneystacks. Rainwater goods are in cast iron, windows are white painted casements with top-lights including coloured, squared leaded lights typical of the period in houses of all sizes.
The layout of the original house is centred on a stairs hall with timber paneled stairs. There is an unused chimney stack in the hall space opposite the stairs. Apart from the entry door, guest toilet door under the stairs, there are single standard size doors to three reception rooms, one door to the service wing side of the house and the stairs with spiral steps in one corner. The first reception room opposite the entrance was likely the dining room (service side), with the drawing room similarly ‘L’ shaped adjacent and opposite the bottom of the stairs. A third small reception room is on the side that leads in to a southern aspect conservatory.
The northside rooms on the front house the kitchen areas and the north extension is a service wing at the upper levels with a flat roofed garage on the gable end. The additional large room added in the mid 1930’s in this wing is accessed through the service hall/ staircase area. This later room has direct access to the garage and may have had a narrow circulation corridor removed.
Upstairs similarly the bedrooms are accessed off the main stairs with secondary accommodation off the service stair original and later extension. There are three small rooms at second floor level all accessed off the back stair. The front bedroom over the likely kitchen appears to be in the original footprint.
3.1 External
Front setting: The site has a considerable road frontage setting centrally located on Shrewsbury Road. . The house appears lower in roof profile than its immediate neighbour ‘Carahor’. Strategic tree planting exists along the road within the front gardens of the houses. The rest of the site has long been cleared. The trees to the front create shade that reduce the impact of the structure on the road. The boundary wall is of coursed granite rubble round topped, the current metal gates are not original, and the gate piers do not appear original.
Front façade: The front façade is comprised of a machined red brick with profiled brick used to form a plinth, string courses on the porch and chimneys. There are sandstone details to similarly make transitions in wall thickness of chimneys etc.
The entrance has a projecting single storey flat roofed area harbouring a recessed arched porch and the guest toilet (accessed by a door in the stair timber panelling).
The front facing gables including the stair dormer have projecting roof timber eaves treatment typical of the period in black and white. The vertical faces of which have half-timbering in black and white in vertical and angled patterns. There is an inset stone plaque in sandstone on the kitchen chimney,
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 14 without anything inscribed. Most of the windows have arched brick heads but with squared window frames/ the front facing windows and a few others have top-light square shaped coloured leaded lights and all windows have plain granite cills.
Side elevation south: The south facing fenestration is dominated by a domestic size conservatory- greenhouse in a dilapidated state. The south facing façade has very few windows with narrow splayed windows on ground and first floor built into the chimney recess of the vertical stack.
Rear elevation west: The rear elevation excluding the later north gable has a small verandah between projecting gables. The timbered gables differ in treatment. The north 1930’s gable is of a larger scale than the original house and has double doors at ground and first floor balcony level. One set of double doors connects the original drawing room to the garden. The dining room had a single door under the small verandah.
Rear setting: The garden has been cleared for some time and no evidence of a designed garden has ever been established. The rear garden currently is presented as an open field. The boundary treatment varies, mostly metal fenced in hedgerows. Only the section associated with Only on Ailesbury road has a granite boundary wall.
Roof: The roof is arranged on the basis of gables front and back with a cross roof between the two. There are brick chimneys with capping’s, string courses and projecting flues for each major room on the ground floor. The kitchen chimney is located on the front wall with very small windows either side on the upper floors.
A chimney over the hall was removed or dropped from the design at a late stage. The original roof ridge tiles were red, now concrete. The roof has been re-slated in what appears to be a natural slate with a modern felt underlay.
3.2 Internal It is noted in respect of all rooms wall decoration such as wallpapers has all been long removed and the house is in a vacated shell, in a dilapidated state. The joinery (doors, skirting’s and architraves), also the ceiling cornices/ plasterwork are standard throughout with mouldings and details typical of machined examples of the period the house was built. The floors are primarily raised timber floors with standard deal type abutting floorboards. Radiators are modern dating from a previous partial refurbishment.
Ground Floor Level: Refer to general notes on layout of the house above.
Room G1: Entrance Porch Keyed brick archway in flat roofed front projecting single storey area containing porch, guest toilet and vanity area. The porch surface is finished in red clay terracotta type tiles with granite threshold/ entrance step and wide multi-flat-panelled entrance doors with simple mouldings, upper panel projecting moulding all in a full width frame incorporating matching side panels with letterbox and bell. Side walls in façade brick and ceiling in diagonally laid painted timber boarding, with simple timber cornice and small electric lighting lantern.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 15
Room G2: Entrance Hall The entrance is under the stair quarter-landing with painted panelling, doors and surrounds. On entering the hall the stair is orientated overhead. The side of the stair again is covered in painted plain recessed panelling with inset mouldings. The stair is missing its balustrade and newel posts.
The principal room doors are similarly (5 panel) flat panelled single doors with machine profiled architraves and skirting’s of the period of construction.
There is a chimney breast in the hall without a fireplace. There is no chimney on the roof related to this feature.
The ceiling cornice is heavily detailed but straight run-mouldings with no applied decoration.
There is a single large panel door immediately beside the front door to a vanity area and toilet under the stair and in the projecting front porch section of the house.
Room G3: Likely original Dining Room This room is entered by a single leaf standard 5 panel door opposite the front door. The room has an L shaped layout with chamfered arched opening to the splayed bay window overlooking the garden. On the return side of the bay window a single door leads to a small verandah and to the garden. The fireplace location (mantel removed) is on what would have been the gable wall/ now internal to the north wing extension. There is a single matching door to the service stair/ hall directly opposite the kitchen (G8), giving access via the service hall to the larger sitting room built in the extension.
Room G4: Likely original drawing room This room is accessed opposite the bottom of the stairs, diagonally across the hall from the entrance. In layout terms it is a handed layout of the dining room adjacent with two chamfered arches, one to a cross wall, the other to a squared bay window recess. The fireplace location (mantel removed) is recessed marginally using an arch. The recess has slot like narrow casement on the splays that are boarded up. There is an inward opening standard height half-glazed double door with top-light opposite the hall door that provides access to the garden. The cornices are the same throughout the ground floor principal areas, of a straight run heavily detailed type, a section of lath & plaster ceiling has fallen in this room.
Room G5: Likely original day-room/ sitting room Another single door at the bottom of the stairs leads in to a secondary sitting room that is connected to a conservatory/ greenhouse on the southern end façade. The hall door opens against the fireplace, there are double doors with coloured glass squared leaded top-lights to the conservatory. There is a double casement window on the front elevation also with top-lights. The room is in poor condition, broken windows etc. (refer photographic record)
Room G6: Conservatory - greenhouse This room is of brick construction to a cill height of circa 75 centimetres, there is a single half glazed door to the garden on the west side of the room. The floor is a standard plain terracotta square tile. The structure along with its single glazing is in a dilapidated state.
Room G7: Service stair & hall
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 16
The service hall is accessed directly from the front lobby via another single door leaf that overlaps the bottom of the service stair flight of steps. The small hall has an under-stair cupboard, door to the original kitchen at the front of the house, door to the dining room and door to the 1930’s room (library?). The headroom is restricted and the stairs are plainly detailed.
Room G8: Kitchen Rooms 8A, B, C, D & E The position of the range is on the front gable wall, the chimney being clearly visible close to the entrance externally. This room is bare and has been part rendered with modern plaster finishes. There is a single window to the small yard on the north side of the house. The kitchen is open to a lobby area with three small rooms/ stores and possibly a staff toilet. The lobby area and toilet have windows to the small walled yard at the front of the house, with a single access door.
Room G9: Large sitting room This room in the extended area of the house is accessed from the service stair lobby and adjacent to the kitchen-dining room door
The gable fireplace and surrounds in this room have a clear 1930’s influence and have access to the garden by way of centred half-glazed doors with side casements and top-lights, also a smaller gable window. There are two heavily expressed ceiling beams, one reflecting the first floor balcony wall, the other a symmetrical dummy beam, the ceiling is without cornices but has a battened finish to appear like expressed floor joists. The hall and garage door are directly opposite each other and while a corridor may have connected both there is no evidence of one.
G10: Large car garage Low ceiling, beams and exposed brick/ block, ceiling joists, flat roof and hinged timber doors. A large functional space.
G11: Later Yard Rooms In the later extension of the house three small rooms were added to the north end of the yard along with a light well space to an existing window of the pre-existing kitchen store rooms. One of these is a small outside toilet/ possibly displacing an internal one.
First Floor Level: The original layout of the first floor prior to its extension was two bedrooms on the south gable with a small bathroom in the arched lobby area overlooking the garden. The bedroom at the top of the stairs was probably the master suite. This would have been open to the adjacent room and taking up the full footprint of the dining room below. If this assumption is correct the room over the kitchen and corridor area may have been its bathroom/ dressing room with a door to the back stair.
Room F1: First Floor Stair Hall Stair running along front wall of house with a small open well to the ground floor, it traverses a stair triple casement window with leaded glass top-lights contained within a dormer feature overlooking the front garden. This overlooks a copper finished flat roof and raised parapet of the porch/ guest toilet. Cornices are restricted to the flat ceilings, due to the sloped ceilings over the stairs and dormer window. The stair landing alights opposite a bedroom door, likely the master suite. There is a landing extending the full width of the hall on the first floor giving access to two original south gable rooms (one door now blocked up). The second of these rooms is entered via an arch in line with the hall chimney breast. A small room off this area was likely a bathroom, the door is blocked up and it is now accessed from the central bedroom.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 17
On the opposite side of the hall turning right at the top of the stair there is an opening to the service stair area, possibly an alteration when the house was extended.
Room F2 & F3: Bedroom at top of stairs This room was likely part of F8 adjoining reflecting the dining room layout below. There are double and single casement windows with plain linings are architraves. The small bathroom between it and F4 has now been reconfigured as an ensuite for the room with a new access door. The bathroom has a single casement window that is symmetrical with the one in the bedroom on the garden façade. Cornice is a straight run multi-lined type of an average size and typical of the period, provided in the principal bedrooms. Doors are 5 panel- flat with inset mouldings as the ground floor.
Room F4: Gable bedroom overlooking garden This room would have been the second principal bedroom over the drawing room with a recessed fireplace with flanking splayed windows in keeping with that adopted in the drawing room below. Here it is floor to ceiling with the lower ceiling. Simple modern fireplace surround. Cornices and doors as noted under F2.
Room F5 & F6: Front corner bedroom on south side. This bedroom was originally accessed off the landing (opening clearly blocked up) and the room is now connected to F4 with a door on the side of the chimney stack. The room has been divided in two to act as a dressing area/ bathroom for F4. It has casement windows to the front and south, the front only has coloured leaded top-lights. Small tulip relief decorated white cast-iron fireplace and wallpaper remnant, likely both dating from the Duggan family interior fit-out of the house in 1956 through Brown Thomas (noted in Kelly & Cogan report on Planning File Reg. Ref. 6008/06). Cornices and doors as noted under F2.
Room F7: Service stair and landing This area appears to have been opened up to the main staircase when the house was extended and presents the service stair now in view at the top of the stairs. There is a cupboard feature accessed from both sides of the service stairs/ hall. There is a short flight leading down to a room over the kitchen. The service stair details are plain with squared spindles.
Room F.8: Bedroom off F7 hall This room is over the dining room and like it has a bay 4 casement window overlooking the garden without an archway. As noted above this room was probably connected to F2 adjoining. Small rose decorated white cast-iron fireplace and wallpaper remnant, likely again both dating from the Duggan family interior fit-out of the house. Cornices and doors as noted under F2.
Room F9, 10, 11, 12 & 13. Service corridor and minor spaces to extended north wing. This area is a service level - split level between the ground and first floors, part of which (over the kitchen), pre-dated the extension. There is a built in hot press type cupboard on the stair side that appears relatively modern. On the east side of the corridor there are three small spaces, the first (F10) is a cupboard, followed by F11 with front casement window & F12, possibly staff toilet and washroom. F13 is a double sided cupboard, opening to the corridor, but also on to the half landing of the service stair. As noted above the service stair would have had a gable window, here used as a cupboard. The corridor returns to a bedroom on the garden side accessed via three steps that allow for better headroom in the additional ground floor sitting room. The doors in this area are half glazed four panel doors with mottled glazing, no cornices and the ceiling height is restricted.
Room F.14: Bedroom (?) over kitchen.
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It is supposed above this room was originally associated with the master bedroom suite and F9 adjacent may have been as well with a gable window. The room has two small casement windows facing the front of the house and a double casement facing north over the service yard with a lower cill height. There are no cornices and the ceiling height is low. The room has been partially altered to put in a shower.
F.15: Corner Bedroom (?) over kitchen stores. Small corner room, with casement window to front over yard, low ceiling, no cornices or joinery save window surrounds.
F.16: Bedroom (?) over ground floor sitting room in extended wing. This room has similar window treatment to the lower floor extension, here with top-lights in keeping with those employed elsewhere in the house. There is a reasonable sized asphalt finished balcony with plain balcony railing, (possibly not original to the extension). The fireplace on the gable wall has been blocked up. There is one small casement window facing north on the fireplace wall. Cornice is a straight run multi-lined type of an average size.
F.17: Ensuite to F16. Small room, north facing casement window, joinery removed save window surrounds, no cornice.
Second Floor Level: This floor is an assembly of attic type rooms, one room in the original house and two in the north wing extension accessed via a second flight added to the service stair half landing. A velux type rooflight has been added over the landing to add some daylight to the enclosed staircase.
Room S1 & S5: The service stairs returns to a half landing type corridor with small flights of steps taking off in opposite directions, one flight leads to S5 an attic space for water tanks. There is a door on the landing to the attic space room stacked over the original kitchen. This room would have existed before the extension and the north gable extension was re-configured to tie in with the split levels of the existing arrangement.
Room S2: Front attic bedroom (?) Two floors up from the kitchen this room is restricted in height with sloping roof walls and two low level small casement windows. It was likely the house-keepers room originally. There may have been a small fireplace between the windows where a chimney vent now exists. No cornices, plain flat 4 panel doors as lower floor wing area.
Room S3: Front attic bedroom (?) of wing extension This room is a reasonably sized attic room, with a central low height triple casement window facing east to Shrewsbury Road. No cornices, sloped ceilings and flat 4 panel door.
Room S4: Garden side attic bedroom (?) of wing extension This room is a smaller elongated attic room, with a central low height double casement window overlooking the garden. No cornices, sloped ceilings at cornice level only and flat 4 panel door.
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4. Assessment of Cultural Significance
I the foregoing assessment Walford has been considered under a variety of headings in accordance with the DoCHG Guidelines and it has been found to have no significance at all under most of these. It’s sole significance relates to the very minor contribution it makes to the character and setting of Shrewsbury Road.
This building is not a Protected Structure and clearly does not merit that status. Our assessment of the significance of the Walford site concurs with the Dublin City Council view that the house is not worthy of protection.
4.1 Architectural Significance This section considers the architectural merits and significance of Walford, and the significance of the Shrewsbury Road streetscape.
Dublin City Council have determined, quite correctly and over the period of three development plans, that this building is not worthy of Protected Structure status. It is an early twentieth century suburban house of a quite ordinary quality which contributes only in a very limited way to the character of the streetscape, primarily through its granite boundary wall, boundary planting, front garden trees and glimpses of the façade and roof material from the road.
Shrewsbury Road has been described in previous planning applications and assessments as being ‘Arts and Crafts’. However, whilst the road does have a number of buildings which employ materials such as brick and clay tiles, and sometimes half-timbered, gables which might be associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, the buildings themselves bear no relation in their conception, design or execution to that movement, established in the middle of the previous century.
Walford has nothing that could be considered finely crafted – the joinery elements, cornices and other architectural details are mass produced elements and there is nothing artistic contained within the building.
Clearly the house is back to front and fails to relate to its setting. Frank McDonald the well-known architectural commentator (from a video report on the house in September 2011 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgf_z99m5Ko), noted that the front of the house faces on to a ‘ploughed field’ and the back faces the road. Throughout the piece McDonald also note’s the ‘grim condition’, the ‘lack of grandeur to its rooms’, the fact that it has had a large extension added and has poor day-light serving the spaces, which without exception are single-aspect.
The house cannot be considered to adhere to any of the guiding philosophies of the Arts and Crafts movement and infact contains of them. It might be considered a Tudorbethan pastiche with a similar extension completed thirty years after the original construction.
The Dublin City Council’s Conservation Officer’s report on the 2006 Planning Application (Reg. Ref: 6008/06), made reference to the Architectural style of buildings in Shrewsbury Road belonging to a style – ’’ fondly known as Wimbledon Transitional… etc’’
This, in fact, is a derogatory and satirical term, it is a term used in Osbert Lancaster’s book Pillar to Post (1938), as one of three so-called versions of Tudorbethan pastiche: Wimbledon Transitional,
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Stockbroker Tudor and Bypass Variegated. All are terms which wordplay on the suburban migration and the likely purchasers of such houses. Osbert Lancaster was an English author, who wrote extensively about architectural matters for a wide public audience and had been an assistant editor of the Architectural Review under John Betjeman. These terms clearly relate to developers-builder’s poorly observed imitations of the Arts and Crafts, Tudor and Elizabethan styles, done on the cheap.
It would be wrong therefore to attribute architectural significance to this house. It is best described as a speculative build (for rent), originally a medium-size, 4 bedroom house, built circa 1902 on a giant plot. Access to both the rear and front gardens is awkward and restrictive through two small doorways and the house fails utterly to engage with its large setting, particularly to the rear where its scale is dwarfed by the large field. There is no evidence at all that the surrounding garden was ever a designed garden either on the ground or in the historic mapping, it has been cleared and is now an open field to the rear. The sides of the house accommodate the garage area on the north, a small conservatory on the south without a garden. The front retains the scots pine trees, boundary hedging and granite wall and gates which are important features in respect of the Shrewsbury Road streetscape.
Fig. 13 View of rear setting looking towards the rear of the house. The house fails to command the vast space which contains no landscape features of interest.
It is important to note that the building does not meet the DoCHG’s own criteria for protection. These criteria and how the subject building fails to meet any of these are set out below.
1. Whether the structure is a generally agreed exemplar of good quality architectural design;
Comment: The structure is not an exemplar of good quality design, it fails in design terms in respect of its setting, its layout, its exterior elevations and its interiors.
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Fig. 14 Front Elevation with area of 1930’s extension coloured.
Front Elevation – The front elevation comprises a haphazard collection of gables, with features perhaps gathered together from a pattern book, and cannot be described as a composition of interest. The addition of the conservatory - tacked-on to the north gable as part of the original design – sums up the composition which singularly lacks any balance or harmony. The larger gable, added to the building in the 1930s, serves only to exacerbate these flaws. The elevation has no large window openings contrary to what might be expected on an entrance front of a large suburban house and the main entrance fails to announce itself, instead presented diminutively under a small arch. It, in fact, has the appearance of a rear or secondary façade. The facade is dominated by small windows, some rather bizarrely located in order to provide light into the upper floors and all of the windows bear down on the front driveway without any consideration for view or light. The negative impact of such a mean approach to the fenestration is suffered to an even greater degree within the building.
The whole front elevation has a very poor inter-relationship with the building’s front setting. Only one principal room window looks over the front and the covered entrance porch is limited in size, provides no view through to the interior and shares a flat roof projection with a toilet area which is visible immediately upon arrival. The brick finish lacks any generosity with almost no relief or use of special bricks. The hackneyed, half-timbered, Tudorbethan treatment has been extended from two gables across a third one as part of the 1930s extension but the use of this feature is just a failed attempt to impose some order and consistency on the brick elevation.
Fig. 15 Rear Elevation with area of 1930’s extension coloured.
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In addition to failing to address its front setting, the composition also fails to adequately address the internal spaces with many of its windows appearing at strange heights and locations within the rooms resulting in a lack of visual connection with the vast exterior space and a paucity of good light.
Rear Elevation (West) – The rear elevation as constructed in 1902 would appear more appropriate as an entrance front and, as noted already, the building appears to be somewhat back-to front. There is a tiny veranda between the gables which is an utterly comical addition in the context of the vast rear field beyond it. The rear elevation fails to model itself in any manner to gather in the rear setting. It is a flat façade that would more appropriately form a front within a streetscape. The casement windows are of a standard domestic size with central dividing mullions interrupting any views. The half-timbered cladding effect is rather bizarrely applied above the two-storey bay window volume to the centre of the composition. When extended in the 1930’s the composition became confused further with an attic storey added and a first floor balcony. The fenestration lacks consistency on this side also and the elevation is utterly inappropriate both to its rear setting and to the quality of housing in the area.
Fig. 16 North Elevation.
North Elevation – The north side was reconfigured in the 1930’s to accommodate the garage and is a very ordinary and relatively blank elevation that cannot be considered to have architectural qualities.
Fig. 17 South Elevation.
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South Elevation - The south elevation has a small conservatory-greenhouse with the single door on the west side to the garden area. There is no ground floor windows just one bedroom window on this façade, the façade makes no connection with the space outside apart from through the poorly detailed conservatory which is in a very poor condition. Again, it is a very ordinary and relatively blank elevation that cannot be considered to have architectural qualities.
In light of the foregoing, the building cannot be considered as an exemplar of good quality architectural design.
2. Whether the structure is a work of a known and distinguished architect, engineer, designer or craftsman;
Comment: The structure is not the work of a known and distinguished architect, engineer, designer or craftsman. No evidence was found despite our comprehensive searches that any architect was involved in this building and the complete lack of design qualities to the building are reflective this.
3. Whether the structure is an exemplar of a building type, plan-form, style or styles of any period but also the harmonious interrelationship of differing styles within one structure;
The building clearly lacks architectural quality and cannot be considere and exemplar in any sense. It is not an exemplar of a building type, plan-form, style or style of any period, nor does it represent a harmonious interrelationship of differing styles within one structure. Indeed, there is a clear disharmony between the front and rear facades and the respective settings and interiors they serve. The facades, in fact, appear to have been designed quite independently of the interior spaces and the rear and front setting.
The issue of style has been given detailed consideration and it is demonstrated that the house cannot be described as an Arts and Crafts design. Similarly it cannot be considered as a harmonious example of Tudor or Elizebethan style. It is a very poorly conceived and executed ‘Tudorbethan’ pastiche.
4. Whether the structure makes a positive contribution to its setting, such as a streetscape or a group of structures in an urban area, or the landscape in a rural area.
In order to address this point, the wider context has been considered. The surrounding area comprises Shrewsbury Road, Ailesbury Road and the southwest side of Merrion Road. It is a suburban area that developed in the early 20th century. The majority of houses appear to have been built in the 1900-1914 period with 60% of the houses on Shrewsbury Road noted on the 1907 Revision to the OS. The sites on the west side of Shrewsbury were the first to be fully developed.
Shrewsbury Road would seem to be the most verdant of the three aforementioned roads with boundary planting concealing many of the house fronts, including Walford, to a large extent. Some of the houses on the road are considered below in order to assess the character of the area and the setting.
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Fig. 18 – Woodside, Westside No.18 Shrewsbury Road. Quite concealed by the boundary treatment and planting both within the front garden and on the road.
Woodside This house is the only Protected Structure on the road. The Dictionary of Irish Architects identifies it as having been designed by Silvanus Trevail (a prominent English Architect from Cornwall) – with a construction date of 1903 and notes the following–
’’New house 'of the modern villa type but of palatial proportions, in red brick and yellow terracotta', for John C. Parkes, iron and brass founder. Completed 1903. (Later became CI Archbishop's Palace) Refs: Designs in Cornwall County Record Office, Truro, and set of blueprints in Representative Church Body Library, Dublin.’’
The house is described by Jeremy Williams as –
“…a grimly serious 14th century French Gothic-style house in red brick and Bath stone dressings…”
The mix of materials and colour is nevertheless of clear interest. It has a steep gothic type slated roof with double-storey canted bay windows to the front, south side and rear where a formally landscaped garden is located. It is has particular architectural qualities to its setting, composition and interiors - in stark contrast to Walford and is certainly the most complex, generously decorated and materially rich of all the houses on the road. Woodside is the single Protected Structure identified by Dublin City Council on this road.
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Fig. 19 – Balholm above in context and façade detail right, on the westside of Shrewsbury Road.
Balholm This house (built circa 1900) is on the northwest side of the road uses a palette of materials including brick, (Dumfries) sandstone window and door surrounds and mullions along with a projecting oriel window. It has dentilled gables with decorative sandstone parapets, finials and a red tile roof. It is again a finely balanced composition and is somewhat more visible from the road than Walford or Woodside. It has architectural qualities in its composition and a generosity in its materials and detailing that are not visible on Walford.
Fig. 20 – Runnymede, Westside No.22 Shrewsbury Road
Runnymede - This house was built towards the end of the 1890’s and its design has been attributed to Richard Caulfield Orpen, Runnymede is noted under the dictionary of Irish Architect’s as being a -
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‘‘…brick & half-timbered house with distinguished Arts & Crafts interior designed by – Dunlop, paintings by Sean Keating (i.e. Charles John Dunlop?)- Jeremy Williams, Architecture in Ireland 1837-1921 (1994), 170’’.
This house distinguishes itself due to the patterned half-timbering which is carried across the entirety of the first floor. Unlike Walford, it was designed by an architect (Orpen) and retains an important interior which has been identified as being in the Arts and Crafts style.
Fig. 21 – Fintragh, eastside – No.15 Shrewsbury Road – undergoing major renovation at present.
Fig. 22 – Fintragh, eastside – No.15 Shrewsbury Road – in a shell state at present.
Fintragh This house is undergoing complete refurbishment at present and is similar to the work carried out on many houses on the road over the last twenty years where the house has been radically altered with traditional material (stone, brick, terracotta, slate) and formal (gables, pitched-roofs) characteristics that present themselves to the road retained in some form in order to protect the character of the area.
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Fig. 22 B & C – Lissadell-Ardtrea, Westside, 9 Shrewsbury Road – recently refurbished/ remodelled and below prior to works being undertaken.
Lissadel, Recorded on OS Mapping of 1907, has seen very considerable alteration and upgrading, evidenced by the two images above. In brick with contrasting brick string courses, stone detailing, token Tudorbethan features such as the half-timbered gables and projecting gable window. As originally built, demonstrated by before and after photographs above it was clearly less generously detailed and of a more modest size. Whilst there are significant changes to the elevation which have improved the amenity of the building, the overall effect of the materials and forms sits comfortably with the character of the road.
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Fig. 23A – Thorndene No.20B Westside (left above) Fig. 23B – Ouragh No.20A Westside (above right)
Both of the above houses were built in the 1990/ 2000’s, constructed on the southern garden setting of Woodside, noted further above. These houses are pastiche constructions which again employ material and formal approaches that are relatively sympathetic to the area without aping the earlier houses on the road.
Fig. 24 – Mornington, (reconfigured infill house) Westside No.28 Shrewsbury Road
Mornington Mornington is a remodelling of a pre-existing uninspired house (first mapped in 1966), is by AOF Architects under a 2015 permission. Whilst it is a minimalist contemporary expression, it nevertheless sits well in the setting due to its palette of materials and sympathetic forms and tiled roof visible above the boundary. Like the other examples, it demonstrates how a new dwelling can be absorbed in to the existing residential area character despite significant alterations.
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The houses illustrated above indicate the quite wide variety of design adopted within the area around the subject site which has been zoned Z2. There are commonalities in terms of the buildings’ material and formal aspects but no overarching style and no attempt at creating a consistent character to the structures on the road. Although some of the houses may merit such an association, it is clear that Walford along with many of the other houses has erroneously been associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. A number of the houses have ‘Tudorbethan’ or ‘Stockbroker Tudor’ type detailing, use machined brick, mock half-timber cladding, pronounced gable treatments and the like with varied results. There are also a number of late twentieth century houses on the road, typically infill sites on the larger gardens such as Woodside. One of the more interesting examples of these is at No. 28 by Aughey O’Flaherty Architects where, as noted above, it is a less ornamental design without a discernible style that has nevertheless been successfully incorporated into this context.
Walford, as already described, is not an exemplar of any style and has no trace of an ‘Arts & Crafts’ approach in its design or execution. The structure is an early twentieth century speculative type suburban house dwarfed by its enormous setting and heavily screened by boundary treatment along Shrewsbury Road. It’s massing and very basic footprint fail to relate in any way to its vast rear setting and its unmodelled front and rear building lines would perhaps be more appropriate in an urban context. Walford’s relationship to adjoining sites and the streetscape is very limited. There is a common front building line and the use of materials and forms fits within the area character. However, the house cannot be considered to be part of any designed group. Perhaps the most significant contribution that it makes to the streetscape is through its relatively tall granite boundary wall and the strong boundary planting which conceal much of the front elevation of the house from view allowing glimpses of the red brick and mock, half-timbered gables.
Fig. 25 – View of the subject site from the south where the house is barely visible due to the set-back building line and the boundary treatment.
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The contribution that Walford makes to the area character is quite limited and has already been proven not to be of sufficient interest to warrant a protected status. Any contribution that it makes to the area is based primarily on its boundary treatment which influences the character of Shrewsbury Road and in respect of general material and formal characteristics glimpsed behind that which are to be found on many of the houses in the area - contemporary dwellings along with early, mid and late 20th century houses. There is no unique character contribution to the area that merits protection here and these characteristics are ones which can of course be preserved without precluding redevelopment once it is carried out appropriately.
5. Whether the structure has an interior that is well designed, rich in decoration, complex or spatially pleasing.”
Internally, as demonstrated in the photographic record and through the room descriptions, it is clear the layout and spaces in the building are of a very poor quality. There is no flow of space and the rooms are all of a similar, monotonous volume giving a cellular feel to the house. As a consequence, almost all of the rooms are single aspect with no principal room connecting the front through to the rear of the house. The quality of light and views into the rear and front settings are compromised by the poorly composed fenestration. They demonstrate that the elevation was composed without any consideration for the plan.
Fig. 26 – View of the second floor room with windows placed around a foot off the ground, failing to offer any light or view to the room. Two vents have been added here which indicate issues with damp and insufficient ventilation.
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The entrance hall is particularly cramped with a bathroom located under the stairs. The only light provided to it through a first floor window. The cellular rooms fail to make any visual or physical connection with the extensive garden space associated with the property.
Fig. 27 – View of the entrance hall with the main entrance door visible under the stairs. It is a small and poorly lit space without architectural qualities. The staircase joinery is not intact and is of a very ordinary quality also.
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Fig. 28 – View of the sole window at first floor level which lights the entrance hall. The decoration within the house is very disappointing. The joinery and plasterwork are very ordinary 20th Century cast versions of simple run profiles and appear in all of the rooms - the quality and ornament in the plasterwork fails to lift in the main reception rooms.
Fig. 29 – View of one of the main reception room off the entrance hall. It comprises two structural bays with a large arched ope in a desperate attempt to increase the miserly volume. The space, one of the main rooms in the house, has no architectural or decorative quality to it.
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Fig. 30 – Alternative view of the main reception room. The bizarre arched opes to the bay window to the rear and to the side truncate what is already an extremely mean volume and obscure views of the ceilings and joinery. The space lacks any architectural or decorative consideration and is typical of the interiors. There is nothing here that could be considered ‘Arts and Crafts’.
Fig. 31 – View of some of the non-compliant staircases within Walford. There is no joinery or detailing here of any interest.
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Although it is an existing building, it is important to state that the interiors of the house have a number of serious issues in terms of their notional compliance with the technical guidance on the Building Regulations. There are a number of ceilings that do not meet the regulation height, there are issues in relation to fire safety and of course energy performance. The vertical circulation is also haphazardly designed and would provide great challenges for ambulant disabled – there are flights of stairs that drop down only to rise again which have insufficient clear headroom. Historic buildings can possess such issues and often they might be considered to have a charm or character to them. In this case however, the flaws are reflective more of the poor quality design of the earlier house and the extension rather than the date of construction.
Clearly the building, on the basis of the DoCHG’s five criteria for assessment, does not merit protection.
4.2 Status The building is neither a Protected Structure nor has it been recommended by the Minister for inclusion on Dublin City Council’s RPS.
4.3 Shrewsbury Road Context It si important to note that Shrewsbury Road is not in an ACA and should not be treated as suich. The Z2 zoning is of interest but does not afford any status or protection to this building. Z2 policy seeks only –
“to protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas”.
Shrewsbury Road is a residential road in the Ballsbridge area. The street is primarily comprised of detached early twentieth century villas set back from the road. The large plots, the width of the road, its suburban nature and the line of mature trees on either side of the street give the setting a distinctly verdant and sylvan character. The mature trees along the street and within the plots of each of the houses obscure views of the houses, with glimpses of red brick or terracotta visible behind. The houses along the road are of a varied scale and architectural quality. Materials that were popular at the time of construction such as terracotta roofing tiles and red brick are widely used throughout the houses, slate, granite and sandstone are also used creating a wide variety of finishes. There is only one Protected Structure along the road: No.18, Woodside which was proposed and assessed for such a status in accordance with the 2000 Planning Act. Crucially, as has already been stated, the character and ‘amenity’ of the area can be maintained without inappropriately applied blanket protections to the houses within it. Indeed, appropriate and necessary improvements to that ‘amenity’ would not be possible if that were the case.
4.4 Historic Significance The house has no historic significance. Historical records suggest that the house was built for lease on an open market.
4.5 Technical Significance The building has no technical significance.
4.6 Vernacular Significance The building is not vernacular and employs non-local, mass-produced elements in its construction.
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4.7 Group Significance The house has no group significance and was not built has part of a designed group. It was conceived in isolation without any reference to its context and fails quite spectacularly to address its setting.
4.8 Personal Association There are no known personal associations of note.
4.9 Unique/ Rarity The building itself cannot be considered either unique or rare in any sense and is a very poor-quality pastiche. However, the large site on Shrewsbury Road which it occupies might be considered somewhat unique.
4.10 Detail/ Design The building lacks any of the quality of detail that might be expected in a building that has been described as ‘Arts and Crafts’. There are very few special bricks and the joinery and plasterwork is off the shelf and cast quality.
4.11 Archaeological Significance This report does not address archaeological issues.
4.12 Materials Whilst the material use of the building has a tone which works with the area, it is important to note that it does not have any particular quality. Off the shelf and mass produced cast items have been repeated throughout and there is nothing vernacular or crafted about its material approach. The material sourcing, use and crafting cannot be considered in any sense to be ‘Arts & Crafts’. The term ‘Arts & Crafts’, refers to an alternative approach to building design and construction where architects, artisans, artists and craftsmen were independently involved in specific elements of the subject building, in line with written theory by 19th century theorists/ designers such as Ruskin, Morris and Pugin. The Arts and Crafts movement was a reactionary one, a response to an increasing industrialised world, reflected in Architecture through mass production of construction elements and the loss of skills represented by artists and tradesmen. The use of mass-produced materials here directly contradicts that philosophy.
Material elements used in the construction of Walford
Fig. 32 – Brick on front façade of Walford
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1. Brickwork – The brick used is an orange-toned type popular in the first decade of the twentieth century, readily available and laid in a standard flush-struck Flemish bond typical of solid wall construction at the time. There appear to be just two special bricks used in the façade and these bricks would have been readily available off the shelf. The façade has an inconsistent mottled orange brick effect which is a result of weathering and possibly points to a lack of quality. The use of brick cannot be considered as having quality or fitting into an Arts & Crafts design.
2. Stone - The use of stone is very limited for the scale of house and its construction date. Only very small areas of sandstone have been used (where brick could not) and granite is used on the cills. Again, the use of brick cannot be considered as having any quality or fitting into an Arts & Crafts design.
3. Slate roof - The current roof is has been reslated - there is a contemporary felt on the rafters. It appears to be a natural slate but not a penrhyn slate and certainly not a native Irish slate. The rainwater goods in cast iron are again off the shelf type elements and not ‘Arts and Crafts’ items.
4. Timber windows & Doors - The windows in the original house and later wing are all very ordinary white-painted timber casements with doors in matching arrangements. Some of them have coloured glass upper panes. There are no shutters, just simple plain reveal linings and simple architraves all painted white. The window treatment is extremely miserly and not at all what you would expect from a house in this location. There is clearly nothing crafted or ‘Arts & Crafts’ to the joinery.
5. Joinery & timber doors & stairs Similarly, the joinery throughout the interior is very disappointing. It uses a repetitive, off-the- shelf, ovolo plant-on moulding on the panel doors and a standard skirting and architrave profile also. This kind of treatment is contradictory to the Arts & Crafts style.
6. Timber Floors - There is pitch pine timber floorboarding throughout c. 150mm wide and butt jointed. The boards are not particularly wide and indicate again the budget constraints on the construction.
Arts and Crafts Peter Davey in his book on ’’Arts & Crafts Architecture’’ bemoans a lack of study of the Architecture produced under its influence. In describing the theory behind the movement he outlines key quotes by theorists including Pugin, Ruskin and Morris. These extracted and taken together can be read as something of a manifesto:
- A movement opposing the imitation of styles and seeking closer ties with simple rural buildings. Response - Walford has no vernacular references and it makes vain and cheap attempts at imitation.
- Produced by craftsmen working together. Response – Walford was a speculative build and clearly was not constructed by craftsmen.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 37
- Fighting the Benthamite Utilitarianism of nineteenth-century industrial revolution. Response - The house, a poor assembly of standardised components, is representative of a fully developed industrialised construction process, in contravention of the Arts & Crafts logic.
- No features about a building which are not necessary for convenience, construction or propriety. Response – The house introduces frivolous off-the-shelf elements of ornament which are applied rather than intrinsic.
- All ornament should consist of the essential construction of the building. Response - The minimal and repetitive use of ornament here is applied and a pastiche response – not intrinsic to the construction.
- A building and everything in it should be honest reflections of materials as well as of functions. Whilst the material use cannot be considered as dishonest (apart from maybe the half-timbered gables which are not reflective of their actual structure), the design of the building reflects very little in terms of function as it was built speculatively.
- All cast and machine work is bad, as work it is dishonest. Response - The building is an assembly of exactly such components.
- Never encourage the manufacture of any article not absolutely necessary in the production of which Invention has no share. Response – Again, the building relies on use of mainstream manufactured elements.
- Never demand an exact finish for its own sake, but only for some practical or noble end. Response - The building does not contain features or finishes that could be described in this way.
- Never encourage imitation or copying of any kind except for the sake of preserving record of great works. Response – The building is based on an approach of reproducing details from various sources without a crafted quality.
- Every successive Architect, employed on a great work, built the pieces he added in his own way, utterly regardless of the style adopted by his predecessors Response – The building is a pastiche and was not designed by an architect.
- The true colours of Architecture are those of natural stone.... the colours of brick are the next best thing. Response – The building does employ brick and stone on its facades.
- Principle of fidelity of place and fidelity of function Response -The building is not specific to place or site and could be located in any similar suburban (or indeed urban) area. Its failure to address the vast rear setting demonstrates its lack of fidelity to place.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 38
When considered under these key criteria outlined by Davey’s book on the Arts and Craft’s movement, the building fails on all levels apart from its use of stone and brick. It is a mainstream early twentieth century detached suburban house without an architect or architectural qualities. It is not an Arts & Crafts house.
4.13 Artistic Significance
There is no artistic significance to the house. It would be expected that there would be artistic aspects to the building if it was an Arts & Crafts house. However, there is not a single carved item in the house. There is no stucco, metalwork or painting. There is no fitted furniture or curtains present that might have had an artistic quality to them. There is sadly nothing present here.
4.14 Previous Assessments of the House
It is important to note that the Planning History on this site dates back to 2006 and a number of assessments have been made by the Planning Authority and by An Bord Pleanala and others in the course of two planning applications and an Oral Hearing which should be addressed notwithstanding the foregoing assessment. Crucially, in all this time no assessment was made by anyone under the DoCHG criteria as set out by the Ministerial Guidelines.
In the first application in 2006 (Reg. Ref: 6008/06), the Dublin City Council Conservation Officer noted that -
“…the existing house on site has considerable architectural quality, enhanced by the fact that the building has remained virtually unchanged for half a century…”
Response - It clearly does not have ‘considerable architectural quality’ as been established above that Walford. It does not meet the DoCHG’s own criteria for protection under architectural significance. It has no architectural merit, is a pastiche built of standardised components and now a dilapidated structure uninhabited since 2004.
The Dublin City Council Conservation Officer in the 2006 assessment goes on to state -
”…it makes a significant contribution to this unique collection of detached Edwardian residences set in mature landscaped gardens adjacent to the city centre.”
Response - The house’s contribution to the streetscape is minimal, as set out earlier in our assessment, and it doesn’t possess a mature landscaped garden. The street/area character has been addressed in detail and it cannot be considered a ‘unique collection of detached Edwardian residences’. If this were the case, Dublin City Council should be seeking their addition to the RPS or, as a minimum, including the area as an Architectural Conservation Area. DCC policy has not sought such designations and this view would appear to contradict the development plan.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 39
The Dublin City Council Conservation Officer in the 2006 assessment states further that -
“…the building’s Z2 zoning should preclude demolition as it makes a considerable contribution to the rich and varied streetscape of Shrewsbury Rd. and its environs.”
Response - Z2 zoning clearly does not preclude demolition and the 2000 Planning Act provides clear, publicly invigilated processes for such levels of protection through ACA establishment and RPS inclusions. It would be quite inappropriate for DCC to be at liberty to preclude demolition through zonings and not the proper processes set out in the 2000 Planning Act. Further to this, the current CDP notes in respect of Z2 zones that”…the general objective for such areas is to protect them from unsuitable new developments or works that would have a negative impact on the amenity or architectural quality of the area.” Demolition, therefore, is not precluded if another building can make an equal or better contribution to the setting.
The Dublin City Council Conservation Officer in the 2006 assessment states further that -
”…this building has considerable architectural merit and this housing typology is not common in the overall scale of the city, (and) any extant examples should be conserved as part of a significant architectural heritage…”
Response – The house certainly does not have considerable architectural merit, or any, as has been demonstrated earlier in this report. The Conservation Officer has failed to make any case at all for this assessment under the criteria set out by the Ministerial Guidelines or otherwise. As a typology it is a detached suburban house built between 1900 and 1914 - far from unique or unusual. There are many examples of such houses to be found around the city, including Foxrock, Clontarf, and Howth. Houses of this type are not rare and it would clearly be a mistake to conserve all of the examples of this type without the due and proper assessment of their architectural (and other) qualities.
The Dublin City Council Conservation Officer’s report also makes reference to the architectural style of the building as ‘Wimbledon Transitional’. This has already been addressed in section 4 above. It goes on to state that the road is of -
’’…considerable architectural and historical interest…… that rejected the row typology, which had prevailed over three centuries, in favour of detached, garden orientated houses’’
Response - There is no architectural or historical interest to the house under the DoCHG criteria. The interest in respect of detached houses versus terraced is a very broad comment that has little to do with architectural quality. The pattern of detached dwellings remains on the road and is a characteristic of it but it says nothing at all about the varied architectural quality of the houses. It should be noted
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 40
that, contrary to the Conservation Officer’s suggestion here, Walford is an insular house and fails utterly to orientate itself in any way to its vast setting.
The Conservation Officer’s report also makes reference to the Development Plan paragraph 15.10.3 which identifies that -
‘‘…the re-use of older buildings of significance is a central element in the conservation of the built heritage of the city and important to the achievement of sustainability… etc’’
It has been established in this report that Walford is not a building of architectural significance worthy of protection.
The application for demolition of the building was refused principally on these grounds which, we have demonstrated, were based on inadequate, generalised assessment and without reference to the criteria set out in the Ministerial Guidelines.
There was a second application on the subject site in 2013 and further assessments were made at this time including by An Bord Pleanala’s Inspector. Again, these assessments failed to make any reference to the relevant criteria set out in the DoCHG Ministerial Guidelines. The assessments also mistakenly attribute the house as ‘Arts and Crafts’.
The Inspector in their report noted that the -
’’…subject site is located on Shrewsbury Road, an intact example of an ‘Arts and Crafts’ designed historic residential area, and a road of unique character within Dublin City.’’
Response – This report has already dealt with misconceptions in relation to Arts & Crafts design and in particular in respect of the subject site which is not Arts and Crafts. There are at just two houses on the road that would appear to have Arts & Crafts inspired interiors. It is entirely incorrect to suggest that the area is an Arts and Crafts designed area.
“‘Walford' is a house of significant architectural, historical, cultural and social value, and forms an integral component of, and is in harmony with, the historic pattern of development on Shrewsbury Road.”
Response – This assertion is not supported by any proper assessment of the building and no assessments to support this view were made at that time (or since) in accordance with the Ministerial Guidelines. As noted already, the building does not have an architectural value, an historic value or a cultural or social value. The question about its contribution to the area has been dealt with earlier also.
The Inspector notes further that -
“Most of the houses along Shrewsbury Road date back to the early 20th century, in particular the Edwardian period, several of which have been strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, as set out in Ms. Hanley’s submission.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 41
Undoubtedly Walford is a particularly fine example of such architecture and as the Council now have 8,500 buildings on their protected structures list, as we are informed by Mr. Ryan, it is surprising to find that Walford is not one of them. Admittedly it is now unoccupied and both the house and environs are in a neglected state, but it is of critical importance to the area.”
Response - As we have demonstrated in detail already, the subject house, far from being ‘a fine example’, is not Arts and Crafts architecture and was not designed by an architect. It would appear from this statement that the Inspector’s view has been based on the submission by Roisin Hanley. A copy of Roisin Hanley’s Powerpoint presentation from the Oral Hearing was reviewed and we would note that the document does not comprise assessment of the building under the DoCHG criteria or in respect of any of the aspects of the Arts & Crafts. The document does include one section addressing the Arts and Crafts movement along with a number of other headings. However, that section focuses on describing what the movement was and there is no analysis of how the movement’s values and characteristics were represented in the building. We have shown clearly that they weren’t. The transcripts of the hearing noted Rosin Hanley’s comment that the house was –
’’…a very good example of an Arts and Crafts influenced building’’
Clearly the building is not a very good example of anything and is an unfortunate house occupying a vast site in an area of interest. The building is a failure in design terms and lacks any features in its design, execution and material expression that could be considered to fit into the Arts and Crafts philosophy.
Previous assessments of the house, despite their claims, have failed to make proper reference to either the DoCHG Ministerial Guidelines or to any authoritative volumes on the Arts and Crafts movement. On this basis, we would suggest that previous assessments might be considered incomplete and lacking in accuracy as a consequence. A comprehensive assessment has been provided here which addresses the building using these criteria and, in line with the Dublin City council Development Plan, it finds the house to be lacking sufficient quality to merit protection.
5. Proposed Works
The detail of this proposal is clearly illustrated on the accompanying documentation, prepared by Lawrence & Long Architects. They have provided a design statement on their proposal which should be read in conjunction with this report. It is proposed to remove the existing single dwelling, retaining the front boundary and planting and provide a new, architect-designed house.
The following is the description from the planning ad:
“Celtic Trustees Limited intends to apply for Permission at a site (c. 0.72 Ha) at ‘Walford’, 24 Shrewsbury Road, Dublin 4. For development comprising: - Demolition of 1no. existing two-storey detached dwelling and ancillary extensions (c. 554 sq m) and replacement with 1no. two-storey
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 42 detached dwelling (c.915 sq m) over a basement (additional c.680 sq m); provision of a fully landscaped rear garden with ancillary detached single storey garage; and, all associated and ancillary site development, landscaping and boundary works, including an indoor swimming pool and an outdoor paddle tennis court with associated perimeter fencing. Vehicular access via existing site entrance from Shrewsbury Road. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of Dublin City Council during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.”
5.1 Proposed New House
The following is an extract from the Architects Design Statement:
“It is proposed to demolish the dilapidated existing building that has been unoccupied for circa 20 years and to construct a new two storey over basement detached dwelling of high standard and quality in construction and trade terms.
The design has been developed in plan form and through the landscaping proposal to address this specific site with its large westerly facing grounds. Design references have been sought from houses of similar stature, scale and design of the same period the road was developed. A primary influence were two houses by Edwin Lutyen’s (1869-1944), a leading designer of the early twentieth century in the design of country houses and gardens. It is proposed a similar focus will be adopted in developing the design to adopt arts and crafts principals in detail design and to use materials and crafts sourced locally where at all possible.
It is proposed:
- That the dwelling will be in keeping with the existing character of the houses on the road.
- The house will be built using traditional architectural detailing as well as materials adopted on other houses on the road.
- Materials such as clay type roofing tiles, brick, natural stone detailing and steel framed windows are proposed – refer computer generated imagery below.
- It is intended the house should blend in to its surroundings rather than seek to make a statement in scale/ impact or in adopting a contrasting design ethos.
- The house will unlike the existing structure address the large garden of some 1.77 acres (0.719 Ha) to the rear. This was the initial starting point of the proposed design creating a clear and direct relationship of the house interior with the external spaces.
- To the south eastern boundary of the site three mature Scots Pine trees along the road side boundary are to be retained in a new landscaping setting.
- To the rear of the house native deciduous and coniferous planting will be used to return the site to a landscaped garden. The design will be by Marcus Barnett.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 43
- Each façade is designed with reference to its setting and has been considered to take advantage of natural daylight and views over the landscaped garden setting.
- The front façade will have a portico and loggia addressing the front garden setting. There will also a loggia to the north eastern and south western facades. - On the garden side a large curved balcony at first floor level will facilitate enjoyment of the new landscaped setting. Each of the three bedrooms located on this side of the house can access this balcony.
- The façade will adopt a red sandstone base at ground floor level and sharp brickwork wall finishes laid in a Flemish bond. This brickwork contains large window openings with sandstone lintels over each opening. Red sandstone mullion and transom details are also used to embellish the façade.
- Decorative leaded fanlights are proposed in the steel framed windows.
- Internally the principal spaces are arranged in a symmetrical layout similar to a Palladian Villa.
- A basement level of 680 sq. metres is proposed primarily to accommodate a swimming pool to limit the impact in visual terms and also the impact on expansive new garden proposed.”
5.2 Material Palette Proposed The brick proposed is a handmade brick by Ibstock, Ravenshead Smooth Red. Custom brick specials will be used throughout including decorative brick string courses, special brick cills, quoin specials and chambered brick specials to window and door openings.
Stone proposed is locally carved Permian red sandstone from Dumfries, West Scotland. Differing textures re to be used on the stone, from pencil fluting to honed and sandblasted finishes. All carving will be produced in Ireland. Windows will contain profiled sandstone mullions, and carved sandstone lintels with scalloped edges.
A bush hammered stone plinth using a selected granite from Blessington Co. Wicklow is proposed to be used, together with a Blessington granite paving used in conjunction with a Kilkenny limestone border.
Rooftiles are to handmade small clay roof tiles, Sandtoft Humber natural clay tiles (.265 x 165mm).
Steel framed window are proposed by Lambstongue, a Dublin-based timber and steel window supply company for all windows and external doors. Solid brass ironmongery is to be used throughout, included reeded levers to all doors. Glass to triple glazed, high performance, ultra-clear by Carey Glass, Nenagh. Glass to first floor windows to both gables to be leaded water-glass with bevelled edges.
5.3 Boundary treatments The maintenance of the character of the boundary is particularly important to the area character. It is proposed to retain, repair and repoint the granite front boundary wall, therefore, complete with the existing entrance piers and capping’s. A new gate within the existing opening, to replace the poor-
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 44 quality, non-original one is proposed. The work to the granite will comprise a light blast of calcium carbonate, raking out and re-pointing in lime to brushed-back flush joint.
6. Assessment of the Architectural Heritage Impact of the Proposals
The existing house will be removed and in light of the foregoing assessments, it cannot be considered a loss in architectural heritage terms. The front planting and boundary are proposed to be retained and restored and it is these elements which have a greater influence on the character of the road and area. It is critical, nevertheless, that any replacement structure contribute to the area character in a similar manner to the buildings that are already there. The area characteristics have been described in detail already and the proposed new design, as well as providing an architect designed house which commands its setting, responds directly to these characteristics. It will provide a house which sits comfortably and harmoniously within this setting using forms and materials which are common to the area. A number of verified computer generated images were prepared to demonstrate the impact on the setting and these are included below.
6.1 Impact on the Z2 Area
Fig. 33 Existing view of Walford through entrance gates. It is set well back from the road with the trees to the road and the boundary planting and granite wall obscuring it from view
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 45
Fig. 34 Proposed view of new dwelling through entrance gates.
The proposed view southwest on Shrewsbury Road illustrated above demonstrates that it is the road, characterised by trees planted on the verge and immediately within the site boundary granite wall, that provide the primary element of the setting. The buildings are visible behind this, framed by the verdant setting. The proposed new dwelling will have a similar impact to the existing house in terms of its scale, forms and material treatment in this view. The use of high quality brick and carved sandstone and handmade clay tiles is in keeping with the area and the character and setting of the road will be greatly enhanced by the rejuvenation of the site, ending a long period of dereliction associated with this site. The proposal is in line with the Development Plan Z2 zoning objective “to protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas”.
Fig. 35 Existing view of Walford from LHS.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 46
Fig. 36 Proposed view of new dwelling from LHS.
Again, the proposed new dwelling will have a similar impact to the existing house in terms of its scale, forms and material treatment in this view. The use of high quality brick and carved sandstone and handmade clay tiles is in keeping with the area and the character and setting of the road will be greatly enhanced by the rejuvenation of the site. No
Fig. 37 Existing view of Walford from front.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 47
Fig. 38 Proposed view of Walford from front.
The view directly across the road to the southeast shows the retained and restored boundary with the more balanced three-gable elevation visible above it. The forms, the composition and the high- quality materials sit well with the retained boundary and the overall area character.
6.2 Impact on the Rear Setting - Landscape Proposal
Fig. 39 Satellite view of the existing red-lined site
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 48
Fig. 40 Landscape Masterplan by Marcus Barnett
Fig. 41 Landscape concept sketch, view of entrance front with large scots pine trees and planting around entrance façade.
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 49
The existing house, which appears to be a back to front design, critically lacks any relationship to its vast rear setting and there is no evidence that any designed landscape existed at the house which is a sad reflection on the quality of the design. It is also quite contrary to the Arts and Crafts movement which was characterised, particularly in the work of Edwin Lutyens and Gertude Jekyll, by integral house and landscape design. In the case of the new proposal for the site, Marcus Barnett Landscape Architect was engaged to provide a design which worked with the proposed new house and it is clear from the drawings provided that the proposed new house will engage with the landscape with its footprint expressed in the formal garden and its interiors overlooking it. This will radically alter and improve the rear setting in line with the Z2 zoning objective.
Key aspects of the Landscaping proposal include:
- Retention and refurbishment of the front granite boundary wall and entrance. - Retention of the current gated Shrewsbury Road entrance with new ironwork gates. - Retention of the existing scots pine trees and all key boundary trees that remain on the site (subject only to their condition) - The planting proposals are to establish a new designed garden on what is a cleared site. - The hard landscape finishes proposed are to be natural stone materials. - The landscaping scheme has been advanced with the key objective of developing and enhancing the sylvan and verdant nature of the site within the existing character area.
The following is an extract from the Architects Design Statement relating to the Landscaping proposal:
‘As the site does not have parallel boundaries along it flanks, the design of the garden is closely linked to the classical geometry of the rear curved façade of the proposed house. A formal and axial garden is arranged directly from the rear façade. This garden is symmetrical and is stepped containing a central water feature, all aligned with the central axis of the rear façade of the house. North of the symmetrically arranged garden to the canted boundary with its neighbour – Runnymeade, the garden design is less formal and contains a paddle tennis court and a storage garage for cars.
6.3 Impact on Residential Amenity The replacement, single dwelling will provide the site with a significantly enhanced residential amenity. Its external expression is compatible with the characteristics of the area and it will provide this important site for the first time with high-quality, architect-designed, residential spaces which address a formal garden. All of this is in line with the Z2 zoning.
7. Pre-Planning Meeting
A site visit of the house and grounds took place on 4 May 2018 with Eileen Buck, Planning Officer of Dublin City Council’s Planning Department. Stephen Little Planning Consultant was present along with Joe Lawrence. All of the following was discussed and agreed with her -
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 50
- That there were major deficiencies to the building, its level of design and back to front layout. It was advised that a comprehensive assessment addressing this be provided which has been done here.
- That there was a lack of any interface with the large rear area and that no designed landscape existed.
- That there was no evidence of any Arts and Crafts design or philosophy. Again, it was advised that a comprehensive assessment addressing this be provided.
- That a single new dwelling for the site would be appropriate.
The Planning Officer sought that:
’’…comprehensive information in support of the proposed demolition of the existing house, in particular evidencing the lack of any architectural, cultural, historic or other merit to the building, would be required as part of the Planning Application.’’
It was further noted that the existing streetscape impact must be carefully addressed by the design through a study of verified CGIs.
This report has comprehensively addressed all of these concerns.
8. Conclusion
The existing house at No. 24 Shrewsbury Road has, quite correctly, not been deemed worthy of a Protected Structure status and it has been demonstrated that the structure does not merit protection under the DoCHG criteria. The house exhibits no features or characteristics of architectural quality and it is clear that previous assertions to this quality were without proper foundation. It does not have any historic, social or cultural significance. It is not an Arts and Crafts house. Indeed, its design, execution and material quality contradict that movement’s philosophy. The building is not part of a designed group and was not designed by an architect. The house lacks quality in its front and rear compositions which appear to be back-to-front and more suited to an urban context. It possesses no interiors or internal decoration of interest and the cellular spaces have been laid out without any consideration to a flow of space or a relationship to setting. As a result, it is an insular building served with poor light and views and it fails to address its vast setting which sadly lacks any formal landscape treatment.
The proposal to replace the house with a single dwelling to a coherent, formally landscaped architectural design will clearly enhance the setting and residential amenity of the road through the quality of space it will provide both internal and external and through the quality and craft of the materials which, along with the gabled forms and handmade tile roofs, allow the building to fit within its context. The proposal is in line with the Z2 zoning objective for the site to preserve and enhance a residential amenity which is currently suffering from the site having been vacant for so many years. It is important to reiterate that Z2 zoning does not preclude its demolition. It is also noted very extensive development has taken place on the road over a twenty year period with many houses having been either very extensively refurbished or extended to meet current
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 51 standards and accommodation needs. A number of these have sought to retain only their facades and some have even sought to radically alter those front facades also. All of these schemes have maintained certain characteristics which contribute to the area despite these changes and the proposal here does the same.
9. List of Appendices
1. Historic Maps 2. Key plans 3. External Photographs 4. Internal Photographs 5. CV’s
James Slattery
For
David Slattery Architects Conservation Architects Ltd
July 2018
David Slattery Conservation Architects Ltd Architectural Heritage Assessment of No.24 Shrewsbury Road (Walford) Historic Buildings Consultants Dublin 4 8 Vergemount Clonskeagh Dublin 6 52