Development plan · Kilkenny County Council
Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021–2027
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Kilkenny County Council · 2021–2027 · 350 pages
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- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 151 ACA Development Management Requirements based on assessment of special character See policies in Section 9.3.3 relating to all ACAs • BACA 1: The roofscape of Ballyragget is part of its special character. Original elements and profiles should be retained where possible and repaired and reused rather than replaced. • BACA 2: To seek the retention of materials and finishes, massing, height, alignment, orientation and window proportions that reflect the existing character of the area • BACA 3: To seek the protection of the existing landscaping and features within the public realm that contribute to the character of the town • BACA 4: Carriage arch openings are a feature of many of the buildings around the square. These openings should be retained with planning permission required for alterations. • BACA 5: To protect the setting of Ballyragget Lodge and its 19th century masonry wall visible on approach to the village from Kilkenny from the N77. 9.3.3.1.2 Bennettsbridge ACA Description and Historical Background Bennettsbridge is located on the main Kilkenny to Thomastown road (R700) which passes over the bridge, curving southwards towards the centre of the village. The historic footprint of the village centres on the bridge and Gowran Road junction and then extends southwards in the direction of Thomastown. The village is dominated by the presence of the river, the bridge and the mills on both sides of the river south of the bridge. However, the heart of the village is located on the main street which turns its back on the river and runs parallel with it. The village is recorded as being dedicated to Saint Benet from which it derives its name. The early bridge is clearly delineated on the Down Survey map of 1654. This bridge was washed away in the great flood of 1763 and replaced by the distinctive landmark bridge which exists today (See Section 9.3.8 Bridges). The industrial origins of the village are evident in the two landmark mills situated on either bank of the river, and these have been in existence since at least the eighteenth century. The village provided a significant local civic centre for the surrounding rural hinterland. This is evident in the number of civic and public buildings marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (c. 1829). The village is shown as being well established by this date with buildings such as the original school, the RC church, a police station situated to the west of the bridge, and two flour mills and a weir all downstream of the bridge. Since the publication of the early OS maps the village has changed little. A school was constructed in 1914 (now a community hall following the construction of a replacement school in the 1990s). The church built in 1822 was replaced by a new structure in 1967 and residential development has continued over time, concentrated on the east side of the village. Statement of Character (See Figure 9.5 for ACA Boundary) Bennettsbridge is located within a gently undulating landscape of fields dedicated to livestock grazing or tillage. The historic heart of the village pivots on the riverscape, the mill buildings and the landmark structure of the bridge. These structures were responsible for the development of the village and provide it with its historical identity which is further expressed in the collection of vernacular buildings on Main Street, the undulating roof lines and modest vernacular detailing contributing to the
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- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 152 character of the village. Even though Bennettsbridge has expanded over time with an extension along Main Street to the south and further residential development to the east, the centre of the village has not changed and remains strongly linked to its origins. The views of the river and the surrounding countryside are an important aspect of the character of the village. Development Management Requirements based on assessment of special character See policies in Section 9.3.3 relating to all ACAs • BBACA 1: To respect the pleasing visual aesthetic of 18th century bridge, and its visual link to the Nicolas Mosse mill. The Zone of Visual Influence (ZVI) of these two landmark buildings and their settings shall be maintained. A series of wheel stones are also present on the bridge, and shall be retained. • BBACA 2: To retain, restore and repair historic items of street furniture and paving within this Architectural Conservation Area. • BBACA 3: No development shall be permitted that in any way negatively impacts on the Main street/Riverscape, including any proposals that would dwarf the street’s prominence, that would cause visual impacts or any development that would negatively impact on the current vibrancy and pivotal nature of the street in the town. 9.3.3.1.3 Freshford ACA Description and historical Background The square in Freshford was not laid out as a planned space but instead developed and evolved organically as an urban centre to facilitate the needs of the community. Its appearance as a planned settlement is due to the work of the Eyre family of Upper Court Demesne and particularly, Thomas Eyre. During the late nineteenth-century the landowner Thomas Eyre undertook a programme to formalise the centre of the village. His ambitious plans included the construction of two schools, housing for his estate workers, a new Roman Catholic Church, installation of water pumps and construction of a new formal entrance to his property, Uppercourt House, on the south side of the square. The two schools were realised. Separate male and female schools were built and were officially opened by their patron, Thomas Eyre on 10th May 1876. These fine two-storey rendered buildings with tooled limestone dressings continue to flank the south side of the square. It was Thomas Eyre’s intention to construct the new entrance to Upper Court House in the space between the schools. This was never built and instead the void was gradually filled with extensions to the schools. These buildings are now in use as a community nursing home called Prague House. The town’s water pumps were installed by the same member of the Eyre family in 1878. A large pump was installed in the centre of the Square with limestone slabs and drains around it. Thomas Eyre’s patronage of the project was recorded on one of the limestone slabs. The second smaller water pump is located on the west side of the square. Thomas Eyre also undertook the construction of estate workers’ cottages on the west side of the square. He was responsible for the first four to six cottages at the south end of the west side of the square known as ‘New Row’.
- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 153 By the late nineteenth century, the formalised square had become the central focus of the town, accommodating schools, the doctor’s house and the town’s dispensary, the constabulary barracks, the canon’s house, local shops and public houses. In c.1910 Emma Browne Clayton built a town hall and donated it to the community. Located on the north side of the square, it is the only three-storey structure on the square. In c.1913 Stanislaus Eyre planted the horse chestnut trees around the green. These trees formalise the square’s character and contribute greatly to the setting of the architecture. In the past the square was used as a public meeting area, recreational grounds and fair green. Charles Stewart Parnell delivered his speech from the steps of Dr. Hourigan’s house (a large detached house on the east side of the square) when he visited Freshford in 1890. Statement of Character (See Figure 9.6 for ACA Boundary) Freshford is arranged around a tree-lined square. The Square forms not only the physical centre of the town but also its social and commercial heart. It is the hub from which all local roads radiate, bringing life into the community. The green is surrounded by nineteenth-century terraced houses, the Roman Catholic Church, a community hall and various shops and public houses. The square is flanked to the east by a long wide road leading to the Catholic Church and to the local primary school located to the rear of the Church. The entrance to Uppercourt Demesne is located further out this road. The west side of the square consists of a terrace of eleven two-storey houses and the south side consists of the former girls’ and boys’ school, now Prague House, a community nursing home. The north side of the square has a predominantly commercial character and forms a thoroughfare west out of the town. ACA Development Management Requirements based on assessment of special character See policies in Section 9.3.3 relating to all ACAs • FACA 1: The roofscape of Freshford is part of its special character. Original elements and profiles should be retained where possible and repaired and reused rather than replaced • FACA 2: To seek the protection of the Square in Freshford, and maintain its importance as natural amenity. No development shall be permitted that in any way negatively impacts on the pivotal nature of the square in the town. • FACA 3: To maintain the height lines of the structures particularly the relationship of the Community Hall to its surrounds to the north of the square. • FACA 4: To seek the protection of the existing landscaping and features within the public realm that contribute to the character of the town. To retain the horse chestnut trees around the green. • FACA 5: To seek the retention of materials and finishes, massing, height, alignment, orientation and window proportions that reflect the existing character of the area
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- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 154 9.3.3.1.4 Gowran ACA Description and Historical Background Gowran developed as a settlement in Norman times. It was granted a charter by Theobald Fitzwalter in 1206. It was one of County Kilkenny’s walled towns, having defences with stone gatehouses by the early 15th century. The principal evidence of medieval Gowran lies in the ruins of the collegiate church of St. Mary’s in the centre of the town which was built in 1275. Gowran continued to grow in the 18th century in a typical urban linear pattern with the construction of single and two-storey buildings. The Fair Green is in effect a small Georgian Square and other contemporary structures such as Byrne’s opposite the green and Loughlin’s at the junction for Kilkenny attest to the prosperity of the town at the time. The influence of the benevolent landlord of Gowran Demesne is also in evidence in the former Alms-houses at the top of the town and later in the estate cottages and picturesque semi-detached houses dispersed along Main Street. The result is a streetscape which unfolds in an interesting and distinctive way as one passes through the town. Statement of Character (See Figure 9.7 for ACA Boundary) Gowran derives much of its special architectural interest from a curving streetscape with a significant change in level from high ground at its eastern entry point to its lowest level where it crosses the river at the western end of town. This combination of curving streetscape and change in levels brings a lively dynamic of movement and drama to the streetscape as the visitor proceeds from east to west or vice versa. The influence of its topographical setting is enhanced by the four nodal points in the town which encourage the visitor to linger before moving on; these points are: (i) the entrance to Gowran Demesne, (ii) the medieval church of St. Mary’s and formal 18th century square with mature trees opposite (Fair Green), (iii) the interesting grouping of curved and corner buildings at the Kilkenny Road junction and (iv) the formal quality of the entry point at the western end of the town. The streetscape is composed of mostly vernacular buildings principally two storeys in height, rendered and painted with classically proportioned window openings and wall to window ratio. Timber sash windows, classical timber doors, external painted render, natural slate roofs and early timber shopfronts are significant details which contribute to the character of the area. There are a small number of buildings which depart from this vernacular including the formal stone building beside the entrance to Gowran Demesne (the former Court House), Gowran Castle gate lodge, the Tudor Revival former Curate’s House, and several terraces of both single storey and two storey estate workers’ houses built by the local Big House owner. The sinuous streetscape and interesting unfolding of buildings is framed within the rich agricultural setting of the County Kilkenny countryside. An area separate to the main streetscape in both location and character is the grouping of ecclesiastical and educational buildings on the western fringe of the town to the north of the river’s flood plain. The school, Catholic Church and presbytery are characterised by their relative isolation on the western edge of town and derive much interest from the sense of open parkland which characterises their setting. The designation of the area as an ACA is further justified by the special historic interest of the town which retains a very representative collection of buildings spanning the centuries. This includes the 13th century Church of St Mary, a classical courthouse, an urban vernacular streetscape dating to the
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- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 155 18th and 19th centuries, reflective of the prosperity of the area due to the richness of the surrounding agricultural landscape, and picturesque examples of estate village houses indicating the benevolent influence of the improving landlords of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Development Management Requirements based on assessment of special character • GACA 1: Where roofs are being repaired/replaced natural stone slate only should be used. • GACA 2: The creation of visual clutter should be avoided when making proposals for street signage, advertising, street furniture etc. • GACA 3: New development should make use of good contemporary design and a strong emphasis should be placed on sensitive integration into the existing character of the area. • GACA 4: There is a significant overlap between the ACA and the historic town, therefore all groundworks within or proximate to archaeological monuments as identified in the RMP shall require archaeological assessments • GACA 5: Stone walls, especially those on Mill lane and Mill Road must be respected when assessing development proposals • GACA 6: All future development proximate to the Tower House on Mill Road must acknowledgment the building’s zone of visual influence. 9.3.3.1.5 Inistioge ACA Description and Historical Background Inistioge may have originated as a Viking settlement as it is located at the lowest crossing point of the River Nore and we know that the Osraige defeated Olaf Cuaran, King of Dublin, at Inistioge in 964. The area was granted to Thomas FitzAnthony in 1169 and he established the Augustinian Priory in 1206. The priors developed the settlement but Inistioge declined after the dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, and in 1566 the Priory lands were granted to Sir Edmond Butler. Inistioge was incorporated as a town by James 1st in 1608 and weekly markets on a Friday and an annual fair on December 13th were established. In 1649 the town was besieged and captured by the Cromwellians. Much evidence of medieval Inistioge can still be seen today. • The vestibule of the Church of Ireland was part of the original priory and fragments from the cloister have been incorporated into the north and east wall of the Catholic Church. • The Black Castle in the churchyard behind the Church of Ireland was part of the Augustinian Priory and is now the Tighe (Woodstock Estate) family mausoleum. • The motte of Thomas FitzAnthony’s first fortification is located behind the houses halfway up the hill from the Square and survives to a height of 10 metres. The ruin of a three-storey fortified town house can be seen on the west side of the Square and between the Square and the river is another two-storey medieval structure. The upper level is a later remodelling on the original base and we know this building was used as a courthouse during part of its history. • St. Columbkille’s Holy Well, tucked away in the north-east of the village has an elaborate entranceway incorporating a number of 16th century carved stone panels which were probably salvaged from the priory. There is mention of a town wall in the 1608 charter but knowledge of the line of the wall over most of its length has been lost, although Avril Thomas gives an indicative line of Inistioge Town Wall in Walled Towns of Ireland Volume 2. This line closely corresponds to the masonry wall found on the southern side of the village, located to the rear
- Chapter 9 Heritage, Culture and the Arts Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 156 of the current houses which face onto the Square, and, also a wall to the west, visible from Poyntz Lane. There also appears to be remains incorporated into the boundary walls of the houses running south from the fortified houses of the square. Inistioge prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries and its development was intertwined with that of the Woodstock Estate. Woodstock was built by Francis Bindon in the late 1740’s for the Fownes family and although the House is remote from the village, the main approach to Woodstock, the River gate, lower avenue and lodge and the alms-houses on the Square all attest to the importance of the Estate in the development of the village. The combination of the steep hill and the earlier medieval walled settlement pattern resulted in a dense concentration of buildings by the end of the 19th Century with a high proportion of fine two and three storey structures. The relative density and elegance of much of this development gives Inistioge an urban quality which is unusual in such a small town and the concentration of public buildings set out informally round a sheltered space away from the River would be more typical of pre-renaissance Italy. The Catholic Church was built in 1836. The Church of Ireland Church incorporates sections of the mediaeval Augustinian abbey, with a belfry and clock donated by William Tighe, the local landlord, in 1876. With his wife, Lady Louisa, he is more famous for the development of the 19th century Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum now restored and managed by Kilkenny County Council. The influence of Woodstock estate is visible in the village today: the formal Square with Georgian house, the Tighe Memorial, the former Alms Houses, and the impressive Inistioge Bridge are all connected to Tighe family of Woodstock. Inistioge Bridge required repair following extensive damage from floods on the River Nore in the mid- 18th century. The repair works, undertaken by the Inland Navigation Corporation, resulted in an impressive, internationally influenced southern elevation works which included: granite Ionic pilasters, classical horizontal entablature with moulded cornice, with triangular cut waters also present. It is likely that the repair work which resulted in the Classical design of the southern facade of Inistioge Bridge were supplemented by the Tighe family, who owned Woodstock House and Gardens at the time, hence only the southern side was of such high international design. Inistioge Bridge is part of a distinct group of bridges “Kilkenny Group”: Ruddock commented on the similarity between Inistioge Bridge and it and Mylne’s 18th River Thames Blackfriars Bridge when it described it as being directly derived from Mylne’s Blackfriars Bridge design (See Section 9.3.8 Bridges). Inistioge is identified as a National Monument due to its rich archaeological heritage and is protected under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994. Buildings within the village are made of shale, sandstone and conglomerate, while granite is used in the more important buildings. Statement of Character (See Figure 9.8 for ACA Boundary) Inistioge is a settlement which has prospered down through the ages. Located on the river, once a major thoroughfare and source of fresh water and sheltered by hills into which it nestles, its topography is a key contributor to its success as a settlement and to the sense of place which it retains
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