Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment The Junction Project Ballinamore. BLUETT & O’DONOGHUE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE PLANNING CONSERVATION (GRADE 1) FIRE ENGINEERING NO. 1 CHANCERY STREET, www.boda.ie NO. 2 JOHN STREET, DUBLIN 7. KILKENNY. T + 353 (0)1 865 62 65 EMAIL: [email protected] T +353 (0) 56 77 62907 ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT Refurbishment, alteration and extension of former railway buildings (including demolition of modern garage extension) to accommodate community uses including Digital Hub/Enterprise Centre, Arts Space, Youth Facility, Genealogy/Family Research Centre, Trail Head for the Cavan-Leitrim Greenway and hard and soft landscaping of the former railyard as public open space at The Square, Cannaboe, Ballinamore. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Historical Background 3 Description of the buildings and site. 4 Significance 5 The proposed development 6 Impact of the proposed works Impact on the station master’s house and the railway station Impact on the coach workshop Impact on the site and setting 7 Conclusion SCHEDULE OF DRAWINGS P-01 - Site Location Map S-01 - Plans, Sections, Elevations of Railway Buildings as existing, scale 1:200 P-02 - Site Layout Plan scale 1:200 P-03A - Proposed Floor Plans of Train Station Building Option A, scale 1:100 P-03B - Proposed Floor Plans of Train Station Building Option B, scale 1:100 P-04A - Proposed Floor Plan of Coach Workshop Option A, scale 1:100 P-04B - Proposed Floor Plan of Coach Workshop Option B, scale 1:100 P-05 - Railway Feature Paving Layout, scale 1:50 Page 2 of 28 1. Introduction This Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment, together with Project Report and the Drawings listed in the Schedule of Documents, comprises the documentation for public consultation in relation to ‘The Junction’ project at the former Railway Station in Ballinamore in accordance with Part XI, Section 179 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This report has been prepared by Cormac O’Sullivan (Accredited in Conservation, Grade 3) of Bluett & O’Donoghue Architects with input by Michael O’Boyle, Conservation Architect Grade 1 at the request of Leitrim County Council. The buildings and site were inspected on Friday 8th. February 2019. The methodology of the report follows the guidance set out in the Dept. of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government “Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Architectural Heritage Protection, Appendix B; Architectural Heritage Assessment Reports”. The proposed project entails the refurbishment, alteration and extension of the former railway buildings including demolition of the modern garage extension to the station master’s house and hard and soft landscaping of the former railyard as a new civic space. It is also proposed to form of a circa 230m stretch of the Cavan-Leitrim walking and cycling Greenway extending northwards from the site towards the Sports Centre and the Community School. It is proposed to delineate the Greenway within the railyard and to modify the existing car park to allow a traffic-free connection between the Greenway and the pedestrian crossing from The Square to High Street. The proposed new uses for the railway buildings comprise: A digital hub / enterprise centre (the Junction Box), An Arts space (The Arts Platform), A Youth facility (The Youth Platform), A Genealogy / Family Research Centre, A reception / trail head for the Cavan – Leitrim Greenway. Page 3 of 28 2 Historical Background Ballinamore Ballinamore (Béal an Átha Móir) means “Mouth of the Great Ford” and there are historical references to the settlement from 1641. There was significant expansion in the 18th century, the iron working industry prospered and the market town developed. The Lough Allen canal was opened in 1817 and Ballinamore / Ballyconnell canal followed from 1845 – 1860. The Ballinamore Railway In 1883, Engineer, James Barton, was chosen to design the railway and the narrow gauge (3ft) Cavan – Leitrim Railway opened in 1887. The cost of the enterprise was underwritten by the Baronies, the precursors to the County Councils, in the belief that the railway would bring prosperity to the region. The line ran from the Ballinamore Headquarters to Dromod where it linked with the Midland Great Western Railway from Sligo to Mullingar. It also ran northwards from Ballinamore to Belturbet where it linked with the Great Northern line. The General Manager had his offices in Ballinamore. There were repair shops and an engine shed. The passenger station comprised of two through platforms connected by a footbridge, and a bay platform for branch trains (Ref. Figures 1 and 2). Figure 1. Ballinamore Railway Station, 1887. Page 4 of 28 Figure 2. Ballinamore Railway Station as depicted in 1924. The branch line to Arigna was opened in 1888 and ran westward to Drumshanbo. The coal traffic was to provide the railways main source of revenue for many years and local industry, farmers and businesses also gained access to wider markets. After the First World War, economic recession and competition from motor vehicles caused the railway to struggle. The Local Councils were relieved of their responsibility in 1925 when the railway was taken over, and became part of the Great Southern Group, subsequently CIE, in 1945. The railway survived through the Second World War because of the demand for coal but the line was finally closed on the 31st of March 1959. The train station was converted and extended as St. Felim’s College in the 1960’s and the locomotive shed (the Coach Workshop) was redeveloped as classrooms in the early 1980’s. Since St. Felim’s College vacated the premises, the 1960’s school building, which linked the railway station and the coach workshop, has been removed and the former railyard is open once again to the The Square. Page 5 of 28 3 Description of the buildings and site. The former railway station building comprises two elements, the two bay, two storey Station Masters House facing west onto Park Road and the five bay Train Station facing east over the yard. The railway station was built between 1885 – 1887. The Station Master’s House has a projecting entrance porch and there is a single storey store / garage extension to the north which was added in 1962. The Station Master’s House has a double-A pitched roof with natural slate finish and there is also a slated pitched roof to the single storey wing. Both roofs have decorative terracotta ridge tiles. From the evidence of the 1887 photograph, it appears one chimneystack and all the tall chimneypots of the single- storey wing have been taken down. Some cast iron rain water goods survive but generally the gutters and downpipes are modern uPVC. The chimneystacks are rendered and the two stacks of the Station Master’s House have decorative terracotta chimney pots. There are segmental headed door and window openings and the red brick external walls are embellished with bands of black and yellow brick, yellow brick hood moulds to the door and window openings and yellow brick banding above serrated dentil courses on the gables. The window units are modern uPVC throughout. The former coach workshop is contemporary with the railway station building. It was redeveloped as school accommodation in the early 1980’s and most of the limestone external walls of the original building remain. The north wall facing the yard has 10 door and window openings with segmental brick arches. There are steel multi-pane windows and timber vertical lined doors. The wall of the centre eight bays was lowered to allow clerestorey lighting to the classrooms within. The school accommodation took up half the internal area of the coach workshop and the other half comprises an outdoor space behind the original south façade which is now the boundary wall to the Newtowngore Road. This wall also has 10 arched openings although these have been infilled with concrete blockwork. The formerly internal face of this wall has been exposed to the elements for decades and the masonry and brickwork surrounds to the infilled arched openings are in need of repair. The shorter east and west facades of the coach workshop have been breached at each end of the open space and there are modern screen walls. Within the lengths of original wall, some of the former arched door openings have been modified to form windows with timber and uPVC units fitted. Page 6 of 28 4 Significance: Both the railway building and the coach workshop are described in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) and are rated as being of regional significance. The railway building is stated in the NIAH as being of special artistic, architectural, historical and social interest. The coach workshop is stated to be of special architectural and historical interest. To the north of the site, the small former goods shed, dating from 1885, now used as dressing rooms associated with the football field, is also included in the NIAH. To the north of the site, the small former goods shed, dating from 1885, now used as dressing rooms associated with the football field, is also included in the NIAH and is noted as being of architectural and historical interest. Taken together, the train station and the coach workshop define the edges of the former railyard and although now regraded and resurfaced, this space retains the essential characteristics of the original setting of the buildings and can be adapted to enhance their setting. The railway station building is well proportioned and the skilful use of polychromatic and curved brick with terracotta embellishments makes the structure a very good example of Victorian railway architecture in Ireland and the building contributes to the architectural heritage of Ballinamore. Internally, features which contribute to the heritage significance include original joinery, panelled doors, architraves and skirtings and some window linings.