Historic Structures Fund 2023
95 built heritage projects are to benefit from €4.5 million in funding under the Historic Structures Fund 2023 administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with thirty-one local authorities. The funding follows the €4.5 million in funding recently announced under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2023.
The Historic Structures Fund (HSF) will support custodians and owners of protected structures in maintaining and safeguarding their historic properties with grants, ranging from €15,000 to €200,000, assisting in essential conservation and repair works including casement and sash window repair, conservation of joinery and iron work, repointing stone work, roof repairs and thatching. The HSF will provide a welcome boost to conservation professionals and specialist tradespeople, including stone masons and thatchers, by facilitating works with a total value of almost €8 million involving an estimated 11,250 days’ labour.
The HSF will assist in the conservation and repair of a wide variety of historic properties and protected structures and, in addition to churches and private houses, projects awarded funding include an almshouse, a bridge, a courthouse, a market house, a mausoleum, four mills, a navigation beacon and a toll house.
€33,000 has been awarded for the repair and stabilisation of Eask Tower (1847) in County Kerry; €37,000 has been awarded for the conservation and repair of the windows at Eskeragh (1898) in Fingal; €22,600 has been awarded for brick and timber repairs at Vicarstown National School (1867-8) in County Laois; €21,000 has been awarded for repairs to the corrugated-iron and windows at Lurganboy Church (1862) in County Leitrim; €50,000 has been awarded for preparatory conservation works to the Malone Mausoleum, Kilbixy, County Westmeath.
€200,000 has been awarded under Stream 2 for the repair and re-slating of The Red Stables (1885) in Saint Anne’s Park, Dublin, while €80,000 has been awarded for the conservation and reconstruction of the curvilinear glasshouse at Southill House, Limerick, which is attributed to Richard Turner (1798-1881).
Four shopfronts will benefit from funding under the Historic Shopfronts Stream including the former post office in James’s Street, Dublin, which has been awarded €37,500. €37,000 has been awarded for the conservation and repair of the Connell and Company shopfront in Church Street, Dundalk, which is attributed to the Brilliant Signs Company.
Eleven vernacular properties will benefit from funding under the Vernacular Structures Stream including Greenan Cottage, County Monaghan, which has been awarded €10,000 for repairs to its thatched roof.
A list of all projects awarded funding under the HSF 2023, broken down by local authority, is available below:
Historic Structures Fund 2023 Projects
Lurganboy Church (1862), BARRACKPARK Td., Lurganboy, County Leitrim