Survey Data
Reg No
11817016
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Social
Original Use
House
In Use As
House
Date
1830 - 1870
Coordinates
272889, 212385
Date Recorded
10/02/2003
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Terraced four-bay two-storey house, c.1850, retaining some early fenestration with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting porch and single-bay single-storey canted bay window to right ground floor. Renovated, c.1980, with timber pubfront inserted to left ground floor. Gable-ended roof behind parapet wall with slate. Clay ridge tiles. Rendered chimney stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat-roof to porch. Materials not visible behind parapet wall. Rendered walls. Ruled and lined. Painted. Rendered dressings including quoins, frieze and moulded cornice having blocking course to parapet wall. Replacement Running bond brick (painted), c.1980, to left ground floor and to porch. Moulded rendered cornice to porch with decorative iron cresting over. Square-headed window openings (including to canted bay windows). Rendered sills. Moulded rendered surrounds. 1/1 timber sash windows. Square-headed door opening to porch. Timber surround, c.1980, with fluted pilasters having consoles and iron lamp holders over. Replacement glazed timber door, c.1980, with sidelights and overlight. Timber pubfront, c.1980, to left ground floor with fluted pilasters having consoles, timber casement display windows and timber panelled door having overlight and timber fascia over with cornice. Road fronted. Concrete brick cobbled footpath to front.
Appraisal
This house is an attractive middle-size building of graceful Classical proportions and detailing that has been renovated in the late twentieth century to accommodate a part commercial use, leading to the loss of much of the original form to left ground floor. However, the remainder of the house retains its original arrangement and fabric and is of social and historical significance, representing the continued development of the historic core of Kildare town in the mid nineteenth century. The use of render throughout to decorative effect is a good example of the high quality of craftsmanship practised in the locality and includes heavy cornices to the porch and to the main roof. The house retains some important early or original salient features and materials, including timber sash fenestration and a slate roof having cast-iron rainwater goods. The replacement timber pubfront to left ground floor is not a positive addition to the composition and has necessitated the alteration of openings, detracting from the original harmony of the design – future renovation works might aim to restore more sympathetic proportions and a pubfront that alludes to the true traditional Irish model, without extraneous ornamentation. Nevertheless, the house remains an important and attractive feature on the streetscape, framing Market Square to the west while continuing the regular roofline of the terrace.