Laois Partnership News

Community Mobilizes to Restore the Old Market House in Stradbally

 

 

An exciting heritage project is currently underway to restore the old market house in Stradbally to its former glory. This unique building which has stood in the centre of Stradbally since 1899 and is a rare and architecturally significant example of a pagoda style corrugated structure. It was built as a memorial to Dr William Perceval, a respected local doctor who died earlier the same year.

The Market House features strongly in the social and economic history of Stradbally and the bustling market area was a focal point for trade and social interaction down through the years. In recent times however it had fallen into a state of disrepair to the point where it was fast becoming a rusty eyesore and even a safety hazard. In 2012 the community took decisive action which manifested in the formation of the Market Place Restoration Committee (MPRC) under the chairmanship of James Deegan.

The committee started out by investigating the ownership of the Market House and discovered that the Cosby family of Stradbally Hall was instrumental in getting the original project off the ground. The Cosby Estate, currently under the stewardship of Thomas Cosby, is still a key part of the Stradbally community and is now perhaps best known for its hosting of the Electric Picnic Festival which is an established and high profile annual event in the music festival calendar.

With the ownership established the MPRC set about acquiring a formal lease to take on responsibility and control of the building. They successfully approached Laois Partnership for funding to commission a conservation plan and appointed Richard McLoughlin – a conservation architect based in Ballybrittas – to undertake this brief. This was a lengthy process as it took time to reconcile the need to preserve the majority of the original features and materials with the need to re-instate a structurally sound and safe structure. The plan also allowed for the demolition and relocation of an unattractive toilet block which was built at the southern entrance to the market House in the 1960s.

The group then undertook a fundraising campaign and returned to Laois Partnership with a fully detailed proposal to re-instate the heritage building as the centerpiece of the town. The hard working committee again got the green light for part-funding under the Rural Development Programme. Construction work commenced in late 2013 and the project will be completed in spring/ summer of 2014 when more appropriate weather conditions will permit the finishing touches to delicate conservation works on the degraded corrugated iron.

The project is an excellent example of a community led heritage initiative undertaken in partnership with Laois Partnership the Local Rural Development Company for Laois.

To find out more about this project visit: YouTube Channel; Flickr; Audioboo

 

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