MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
As a charity primarily concerned
with its own projects, Hearth does not operate a general architectural
consultancy, but it does undertake occasional projects for other
clients where there is an unusual historical buildings aspect
or to provide housing.
Main Street, Benburb, Co Tyrone
Nos.45-55 Main Street, Benburb, is a terrace of single-storey
cottages with ornamental porches and bargeboards on the main street
of this village near the River Blackwater. The cottages had been
declared unfit, and Hearth enquired about taking them on, but
at the same time a group of four local men were setting up a self-build
housing association to restore the buildings for themselves, and
in the event Hearth acted as architects to them, advising as work
proceeded through evenings and weekends. To date this is the only
self-build group to have worked on listed buildings in the province.
Restored 1985-86.
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Downpatrick, Co Down
The scheme at 27-31 Irish Street
Downpatrick is not the first that Hearth has been involved with
in the town. At the end of the 1980s it tried to acquire two properties,
114-116 Irish Street and 11-21 Stream Street, but the successful
purchaser was the contractor H J O'Boyle Ltd with whom Hearth
had worked on other occasions, and O'Boyles employed Hearth as
architects on both properties. This was particularly important
for the Stream Street houses, as they were unlisted and could
have been demolished; in the event, the houses were restored quite
closely to how Hearth would have done the scheme had it been the
owner.
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Thompson and Calder Fountains,
Belfast
Hearth was asked by Belfast Development Office to undertake restoration
of two 19th century fountains. The earlier was the Calder Fountain,
near the old docks of the city; it is a small classical monument
to Lt Calder who built horse troughs and established what was
to become the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals. More intensive restoration was carried out to the Thompson
Fountain, a Gothic monument in red sandstone in Ormeau Avenue,
erected as a memorial to Dr Thomas Thompson by his daughter Eliza
in 1885. This was based on the design of the 14th century Eleanor
Crosses, and used a variety of medieval techniques such as flying
buttresses, crockets and spires, while a group of small heads
at the base of the spire are all in the medieval manner (although
one sports a distinctly Victorian monocle and Dundreary whiskers!).
The work involved a considerable quantity of new stone carving,
and restoration of missing lanterns. Restored 1990-91 (main contractor
Alexander Greer Ltd).
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Loughgall Courthouse, Co Armagh
The village of Loughgall is a conservation area, and has many
attractive 18th and early 19th century houses. One of the largest
buildings is the former courthouse and market house which Hearth
restored in 1992-93 for the private owner (main contractor Annvale
Construction Ltd). This involved extensive repairs and conversion
of the market house on the ground floor into shop units (using
large sheeted doors to close off the shops at night) and of the
market house above into a potential restaurant, along with landscaping
works to provide parking and access to the upper level.
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Ballealy Cottage, Randalstown
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Front elevation |
In the dining room |
Probably built about 1835 as a gamekeeper's cottage deep in the
Shane's Castle estate, the seat of Lord O'Neill, this may have
been designed by Richard Morrison, and has elaborate trefoil bargeboards,
octagonal stone chimneys and a complex roofscape. It is set in
woodlands beside a stream at the end of a long lane, and survived
in virtually intact condition but in very poor repair till it
was offered to the Rural Cottage Holidays scheme. As its costs
would fall well beyond the budget of that project, Hearth suggested
it would make a suitable first Northern building for the Irish
Landmark Trust, and it was restored for them in 1999 (J S Dunlop,
main contractor), using traditional lime plaster internally, repairing
bargeboards and windows, rebuilding the chinmneys and retaining
original features such as a coal-fired laundry.
Ballealy has been sympathetically furnished
and is available for renting as a holiday cottage through the
Irish Landmark Trust. The project was given a good scheme award
by Environment & Heritage Service in 2002.
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