Architectural Conservation Toolkit - Main Street Kenmare Co. Kerry Ireland by Frank Hughes and Anne Barrett

Main Street (William Street)
Architectural ConservationToolkit
Produced by Frank Hughes and Anne Barrett

Introduction 1
Kenmare Heritage Town: Its place in today’s tourism market 2
Kenmare Heritage Town: An 18th century legacy 5
A brief history of the Town of Kenmare 6
Some legacies from the founders of Kenmare Town 8
Good heritage details 10
The special character of Main Street 12
West Elevation of Main Street 14
Architectural assessment of West Elevation 16
East Elevation of Main Street 24
Architectural assessment of East Elevation 26
Traditional construction materials and details 40
Stucco 41
Stone 41
Wood 41
Sliding Sash Windows 42
Shopfront Design 43
Signage 44
Glass 44
Cast Iron 45
Natural Slate 45
Chimneys 45
Colour 45
Ceramic 45
Street Lights 45
Threats to the special character of Main Street 46
Architectural Conservation Area 47
Front cover photo and photo page
11 from the Lawrence Collection
used with kind permission of the
National Library of Ireland.
Ordnance Survey Map here and on
page 2 used with kind permission of
OSI permit number MP 004515.
Map page 3 used with kind
permission of Trinity College Dublin.
With thanks to
We wish to acknowledge The
Heritage Council of Ireland
and South Kerry Development
Partnership/Rural Alliance for
grant support. Thanks also to
Kenmare Tidy Towns and Kenmare
Marketing and Events Group for
kind assistance.
We are grateful to Simon Linnell,
Kenmare Chronicle, Gerard Lyne,
Historian, Geraldine Walsh, Dublin
Civic Trust and Michael Lynch,
Archivist, Kerry Library for research
support.
Text, report drawings and
photographs by: Frank Hughes
www.frankarchitecture.ie
Designed by: Dennison Design,
5 Rock Street, Kenmare, Co Kerry
www.dennisondesign.ie
Edited by: Anne Barrett
Proofreading by: Seán Moraghan
Photo back cover: Jessica Dennison
Printed by: Walsh Colour Print,
Castleisland, Co Kerry
First printed: November 2015
Contents

1
This street booklet is the result of an Heritage Council awareness project focused
on the public realm of Main Street, Kenmare, Co. Kerry. Copies will be kept in
Kenmare Heritage/Tourism Office, in Kenmare’s Carnegie Library. Copies will be
presented to Fáilte Ireland’s Head Office in Kerry, Kerry County Council Conservation,
Heritage and Tourism Offices and Kenmare Chamber of Commerce & Tourism and to
Kenmare Tidy Towns.
Kenmare is one of the early planned estate towns and as such has a generally strong
vernacular street architecture. Over the years voluntary groups have carried out a
number of heritage awareness projects, most recently a Town Heritage Trail.
The majority of street buildings have respected their heritage origins but with the
designation of the historic town core as an Architectural Conservation Area, an
elevated level of awareness is needed.
The booklet is destined for the owners of buildings, town inhabitants, voluntary groups
and visitors to engage their interest in the architectural heritage of the town.
It will also provide owners with the necessary tools for further research and best practice
advice on identification of original elements, design, repair and maintenance. It is also
intended to be a prototype for the other streets in the original town core.
Conservation Architect:
Frank Hughes, B.Arch. MRIAI Grade III Conservation Architect
Project Manager:
Anne Barrett, Kenmare Bay Project Community Group CHY 13 KY 367
Main Street Kenmare: An Architectural Conservation Toolkit
Above: Two old postcards of
Main Street. Top, circa late
1950s. Bottom, circa 1920.

2
Kenmare’s architectural heritage derives from its significance
as an authentic 18th century planned estate town. The
composition of the town’s buildings, town green, woodland
park, beautiful bridges and extensive stonework constitute
its principal attractions and give it its distinctive character.
Kenmare’s present owners and occupiers can convincingly
reinforce this character by their diligence as guardians and
keepers of its buildings.
This booklet is a study of the built heritage of Main Street,
containing practical guidance and links to best practice in
restoration, conservation and maintenance. More information
can be found on www.kenmarearchitecturalheritage.com.
The best heritage town commercial streets are the outcome of
the integrated design of new and old. The most successfully
preserved are those where the entire streetscape has been
considered as one entity, with the overall aim of how best to
maintain its original character. Such streets are pedestrian-
friendly, bustling, vibrant, and colourful places that are
attractive to live in and attractive to visit.
Kenmare has a long and successful history of attracting visitors.
Fáilte Ireland has identified a core economic driver being
visitors who like to locate in places where they are exposed to
history and culture. Cultural tourism is strongest in the southwest
of the country, second only to Dublin.
Kenmare, with its compact X-shaped town centre is blessed
with many of the immersive characteristics sought by the
culturally curious. Main Street forms a significant part of the
core of the town’s architectural fabric. It deserves careful and
sensitive conservation.
If the character of Kenmare’s streetscapes continues to be
eroded, as is happening on its Main Street, the town’s visual
appeal will be greatly weakened. But if Kenmare convincingly
reinforces its heritage character as an authentic example of
a planned estate town, it will gain hitherto untapped potential
to promote its architectural heritage and make a greater
contribution to the growth of the town’s economy via
cultural tourism.
Kenmare Heritage Town: Its place in today’s tourism market
Right: Extract from the Down Survey of Glanerought
circa 1667 by William Petty. Used with kind permission of
Trinity College, Dublin.

Background to the Estate Town of Kenmare
The area that Kenmare would stand in, as well as vast
acreages surrounding it, had been transferred to William Petty,
in the mid-1600s, following the land confiscations that had
resulted from the Cromwellian military campaign in Ireland.
This became known as the Shelburne Estate and later the
Lansdowne Estate.
William Petty was a political economist and Surveyor General
of Ireland in the 1660s. He was responsible for the Down
Survey, the first systematic mapped survey of Ireland to a
large scale, conducted in 1656-58. It detailed boundaries for
townlands, profitable and unprofitable lands and was used to
calculate lands to be forfeited to British soldiers and those who
had helped finance the Cromwellian war campaign in Ireland
(see map on page 3).
William Petty-Fitzmaurice (1737-1805), Petty’s great-grandson,
succeeded to the inheritance of the estate in the late 1700s.
He was a key British Establishment statesman brought up in
an environment where he was exposed to some of the finest
thinkers of the 18th century Enlightenment, whose progressive
views on architecture and design, as well as politics,
economics, trade, influenced him greatly.
Left: Ordnance Survey Historic Map from1843. Used with kind
permission of OSI.
In 1775, as landlord to Kenmare, Petty-Fitzmaurice instructed
his agent John Powell, surveyor, to “lay out two capital streets
fifty feet wide at right angles”, and thus began the process
for the ‘X’ plan form of the town which remains intact today.
The core principles of modern town planning – namely the
promotion of self-sustaining local economies by the control of
land use, layout and types of buildings, by the creation of town
centres with transport infrastructure, services, markets, schools
and places of worship – were all principles which informed the
planning and works carried out under the landlord and
his agents.
Kenmare’s street architecture and infrastructure, built up over
the next 150 years, is a compelling snapshot into the political,
economic, social and artistic preoccupations of the time.
It is the physical legacy of 18th and 19th century political and
philosophical thinking.
Kenmare Heritage Town: An 18th century legacy
5

6
1656–58
• The Down Survey, mapping of Irish lands conducted by Sir
William Petty.
1657
• Petty rewarded with a large tract of land in South Kerry
including Kenmare.
1670
•Petty establishes first colony (Kenmare Industrial Colony).
1685
• Colony abandoned due to harassment by locals.
1761
• William Petty-Fitzmaurice (great-grandson of William Petty)
assumes title 2nd Earl of Shelburne and control of the estate.
• John Powell charged with re-planning Kenmare and instigates
survey.
1764
• John Powell publishes a map of Kenmare. Petty-Fitzmaurice’s
first visit.
1775
• Petty-Fitzmaurice’s memorandum setting out the design of
the town.
• New wave of settlers – small building sites rent-free in the
town as enticements to encourage settlers.
• 20 acre lots of lands offered to settlers for farming.
• Change of town name from Neidín to Kenmare.
1782–3
• Petty-Fitzmaurice becomes British Prime Minister. Greater
trade and legislative independence is granted to Ireland
(Constitution of 1782).
• Petty directs the peace negotiations which ultimately lead to
the ending of The American War of Independence (1775–
1783).
1785
• Road from Bantry to Kenmare built.
1787–98
• Henry Pelham appointed Landlord’s Agent in Kenmare.
• Petty-Fitzmaurice’s instructions for Pelham are to trace Map
of Town on ground, Improvements to be implemented – Inn,
Courthouse, Lime Kiln, Mill, Nursery, Market House, School
House, Butter Market, Malt House, Chapel.
A brief history of the Town of Kenmare

7
1789
• French Revolution.
1798
• Irish rebellion by United Irishmen with Wolfe Tone,
Robert Emmet.
1799
• Erection of a Roman Catholic Church in Shelburne Street,
Kenmare.
1790s
• Kenmare’s first coach inn (now The Lansdowne Arms Hotel)
was built at the top of what is now Main Street and named
in honour of the Lansdowne family.
1801
• British Act of Union abolished Irish Parliament and the
legislative and trade rights granted in 1782 Constitution.
1823
• New road completed from Killarney to Kenmare.
1825
• Pier commissioned for Kenmare under maritime engineer
Alexander Nimmo – coal, salt, timber and slates were the
main imports.
1829
• Catholic Emancipation Act – driven by Daniel O’Connell.
This removed a number of prohibitions against Irish Catholics.
1831
• 170 houses recorded in Kenmare Town (Lewis, Topographical
Dictionary of Ireland).
1840
• Ireland’s first suspension bridge erected in Kenmare.
1845–52
• The Great Famine in Ireland – The Poor Law Assisted
Emigration Policy operated in Kenmare under W.S. Trench,
Lansdowne Estate Agent.
1850s
• Coastal road and woodland planting beautification process
along Kenmare Bay and rivers.
1858
• Kenmare Church of Ireland church erected.
1864
• Kenmare Lace industry established by Poor Clare Sisters.
• Holy Cross Catholic church, Lodge Wood, consecrated.
1893
• Light railway constructed to Kenmare; increased tourism.
1897
• The Great Southern & Western Railway Company construct
hotel in Kenmare (now Park Hotel).
1916
• The Easter Rising, Dublin.

8
Some legacies from the founders of Kenmare Town
William Petty (1623–1687): Mapping of Territories
The first British landlord of the region, William Petty (1623-
1687) was Physician General in Oliver Cromwell’s New
Model Army. He was the great-grandfather of William
Petty-Fitzmaurice. He laid the foundation for modern census
gathering techniques following the Act for the Settlement of
Ireland, (1652). He devised and carried out the Down Survey
(1656-58) of confiscated lands. The survey of Kerry lands was
completed in 1667. Petty was granted an initial 3,500 acres
for his services but he later orchestrated the buying of over
93,000 acres in the county.
Petty’s surveying methodology involved using trained soldiers
with measuring chains and simple instruments and employing
professional cartographers to produce the resulting maps. He
accurately mapped the confiscated, predominantly Catholic
lands, to be redistributed to the soldiers of Cromwell’s army
and the Adventurers who helped to finance the war. The
Survey classified ‘profitable’ and ‘unprofitable’ lands, as
well as townlands, parish and barony boundaries and other
geographical details.
William Petty Fitzmaurice (1737–1805): Town Planning
William Petty-Fitzmaurice’s instruction to his agent and surveyor
John Powell to “lay out two capital streets 50 feet wide at right
angles, one by continuing the present road from Killarney in
a direct line from the Lodge”, is the beginning of the process
which resulted in the built ‘X’ plan of the town today. The
right angles to the ‘X’ plan were altered to better facilitate
pre-existing routes and actual topography. (It is probable a
subsequent estate agent, Henry Pelham, made these changes.)
This design gave the Fair Green its triangular shape.
Petty-Fitzmaurice’s instructions to his Agent in Kenmare in 1775
also set out his vision for a prosperous, well connected and
peaceful town, to include a market and local industries. He
saw free trade with other colonies as a critical stepping-stone to
peace and prosperity for all.
The infrastructure of the town was thus highly planned, with the
construction of a coach inn, court house, agent’s lodge, market
house, schools, church, fisheries, a pier, bridges, forestry
plantations, roads, a mill race and lime works.
The fundamental methodologies of surveys, plans, incentives,
and the public buildings and facilities, transport, manufacturing
and agricultural infrastructure all required to develop a
prosperous market town of the period were employed and are
indicative of efforts to create an economically self-sufficient
model town.

Map of Kenmare
2015
9
Land conveyancing and plot size in Ireland
William Petty-Fitzmaurice in his instructions to his agent in 1775
set out different types of leases for lands in and around the
town of Kenmare. The allocation of these leases based on the
accurate Down Survey and subsequent surveys would evolve
over the next 150 years and provide the example for modern
land transactions in Ireland. The classification of land types as
outlined by Petty-Fitzmaurice for Kenmare in 1775 was:
• Ground for Building – to be let on proposals (town of Kenmare).
• Improved ground – 5–20 acre lots.
• Improvable Land – small lots of 8 acres for poor tenants.
• Bog and Rock.
Petty-Fitzmaurice stipulated that maps should accompany all
leases and that the practice of verbal agreements was to be
abolished. The duration and terms of leases and plot sizes, and
how agreements were to be made were all set out for the land
agent to implement.
Estate record keeping and instructions to agents
The landlords and their agents kept diligent records of the
management of the estate. These are currently in the process
of being extensively archived. They will be invaluable to our
understanding of the period. One key memorandum from 1775
by William Petty-Fitzmaurice to his then agent John Powell
describes the design intent for the town. Another to Henry Pelham
(agent 1787–98) details further improvements to the town.
M
ain Street
Shelbourne Street
HenryStreet
The Square

10
Main Street heritage details

Main Street showing coaches departing the Lansdowne Arms
Hotel. Image from the Lawrence Collection, used with kind
permission of the National Library of Ireland.
11

12
The special character of Main Street (formerly William Street)
main, expressed as commercial properties with shop fronts.
The biggest threat to this distinctive street occurred in the late
20th century. Materials that were mass-produced, cheaper and
much more easily available were extensively used. Traditional
skills declined and traditional materials became harder to source.
The introduction of new, unsuitable materials not only contributed
to the erosion of street character, it had a negative impact on the
structure of buildings, which is explored further below.
Architectural discipline
Neo-classical architecture: Neo-classical architecture was
based on the Italian Andrea Palladio’s architectural principles
adopted by many of the leading architects for public and
private buildings in 18th and early 19th century Ireland and
Britain. It was also referred to as Georgian architecture,
generally using cut stone and brick in the principal cities and
stucco render in provincial towns.
The style, inspired by the classical antiquity of Greece and
Rome, was widely disseminated throughout the British colonies,
becoming known in America as the Federal Style. It has a
simplicity and clarity of form, interpolating squares, rectangles,
triangles and circles into aesthetically pleasing buildings.
Neo-classical style features a strong emphasis on the
The architecture of Main Street and Kenmare’s town centre can
be described as neo-classically inspired vernacular. The wide
street, suited to its market town function, leads to the triangular
Fair Green at the intersection with Henry Street.
The core architectural character of Main Street, as it has
evolved over its lifespan, remains true to the same style of
architecture. The biggest threat to this distinctive street occurred
in late 20th century.
The special character of Main Street is derived from the
following:
• Its 18th and 19th century Neo-classical and vernacular
architectural traditions.
• Traditional materials and details.
• Unity of streetscape.
The street comprises two and three storey terraced houses with
pitched roofs arranged in groupings and stepped rhythmically
along its length, defining the wide street. Original materials
used are painted stucco render, timber, natural slate, cast iron
and glass from different periods.
All roofs on Main Street are slated and some have distinctive
dormer windows and some tall chimneys. Upper floors retain
the rectangular window pattern of sash windows with some
with larger windows at first floor level. Ground floors are, in the

13
proportioning of individual parts of the building – doors,
windows, roofs and chimneys. It emphasizes the use of
restrained but well-crafted classical decorative detail. Where
there was a need to cover up non- aesthetic building materials,
stucco render was used externally for projecting decorative
details in shop fronts, window surrounds and street elevations.
Neo-classical style employs a uniformity of street architecture
and symmetry of composition to create visual harmony
and balance.
William Petty-Fitzmaurice was born near St. Stephen’s Green,
Dublin during the golden age of Neo-classical Georgian
Dublin. He also had first-hand experience of the work and
ideas of Robert Adam a leading architect of the revival of
classical architecture in Britain. Adam designed elements of the
Petty family’s English home, Bowood House in Wiltshire in the
1760s.
Vernacular Architecture: Architecture based on local needs
and materials and reflecting local traditions, known as
vernacular architecture, would, in the main, have relied on the
design skills and traditions of local builders and tradesmen.
In remote areas such as Kenmare and elsewhere these were
practical solutions, which also encouraged inward migration of
trades people.
Kenmare’s architecture was influenced not only by
Neo-classical ideas, but also by native Irish practice. In
18th and 19th century Ireland, local builders and specialist
tradesmen, such as the Bell family in Kenmare would have had
skills passed down across generations and sustained by the
employ of the local landlord and other prosperous clients.
Construction materials were restricted to a large extent by what
was available locally, but there are records of imports via
Kenmare pier of Norwegian timber and Welsh slate.
Pattern books with
engravings of buildings,
proportions, joinery or
plasterwork, and wrought
iron were a common
way of communicating
the style of architectural
details for clients.
Architects, such as
William Chambers, who
designed a number of
Irish buildings, such as
the Casino at Marino,
produced such books
as did some trade
workshops.
Right: Extract from
Thomas and Charles
Martin, Saw Mills Trade
Catalogue, Dublin 1872.

14
24 Lansdowne Arms Hotel
1851 Use: Hotel
Owner: Thomas McCarthy 23, 22, 21 Shops with accommodation upstairs
1851 Use: Houses
Owner: Patrick Sullivan Glany – Poor Law Rate
Collector for Kenmare Division who resided in
Number 21. This building along with number 22
and a large building to rear housed 190 paupers.
20 Shops with accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use: House
Rented from the Widow Hanoria
Sullivan for accommodation of
70 paupers.
19 Public House with
Bed and Breakfast
accommodation upstairs
1851 Use: House in
progress for Edward
Murphy
West Elevation of Main Street
Note: Street numbering based on Griffith’s Valuation and Census 1851.

15
18 Shop with
1851 Use: Merchant
and House
Owner: Daniel
Downing, merchant of
substance whose wife
Mary managed the
Wellington Hotel also
part of the premises.
1851 Use: Public House
Owner: John Riordan.
16 Shop with
1851 Use: House –
Surgeon and Apothecary
Owner: John Mahony.
15 Shop with
1851 Use: Lodging House
Owner: Honoria Carroll
was Assistant Matron elect
of the Stall Field Auxiliary
Workhouse.
1851 Use: Lodging House,
Public House, Shoemaker,
Leather Seller and Small
Draper
Owner: Timothy Healy.
13 & 13* Betting
Office & Shop both with
1851 Use: Both houses
were one property in 1851
Owner: Mary Donovan
occupied part of the house
while renting the other part
to Johanna Sullivan.
12 Unoccupied former
Public House with
1851 Use: House with
lodgers
Owner: Thomas
McCarthy of the
Lansdowne Arms Hotel.
11 Commericial
Premises with
1851 Use: Vacant
Owner: Thomas
McCarthy of the
Lansdowne Arms Hotel.
10 Allied Irish Bank
1851 Use: Grocery and
drapery
Owner: Ellen Healy

16
24
1851 Use: Hotel
Core Architectural Character:
Protected Structure – Vernacular.
Prominent two storey corner building
built circa 1830, central block and
two side wings, one formerly a stable
wing. Pencil ruled and lined painted
stucco walls (ashlar stone proportions)
and hipped slated roofs, rectangular
window bays with swept arch glazed
entrance having rendered pilasters
and archivolts with crest to keystone
and entrance. Stone cills. Signage to
Main Street with cast iron structural
tie/medallion.
Enhances Heritage Street Character:
• Simplicity of building form and
colour.
• Use of pencil lined and ruled
ashlar. Painted stucco externally,
string course.
• Typical window, door proportions
• Roof hipped geometry.
• Original signage retained to Main
Street, painted on gable.
• Sympathetic carriage lights.
• Planting to street and building.
Heritage Issues to Address:
• Use of non-traditional PVC material
and design in windows, gutters
and down pipes.
• Outward opening windows.
• Exposed electrical cables, boxes.
• Modern projecting lights fixed
ad hoc to traditional carriage
lights.
• Road markings under external
seating terrace.
• Overly modern bollards to street.
Lansdowne Arms Hotel

17
1851 Use: House

Two storey with attic, three bay
building with two distinctive timber
dormer windows (part of terrace of
three in street). Timber shopfront and
doors. Separate entrance to upstairs.
• Simplicity of building, part of
row of three.
• Typical window, door, dormer
and chimney proportions retained.
• Distinctive dormers and detail
• Flower boxes.
• Use of non-traditional PVC
material in windows, fascia,
gutters and down pipes.
• Non-traditional design of
windows – outward opening.
• Details from adjoining identical
buildings ignored – shopfront,
window surrounds, dormer.
• Visual clutter of projecting lights,
clashing colours and modern
reflective signage.
• Dormer maintenance.
23 Shop with accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use: House

Two storey, three bay building with
attic floor. Painted stucco wall with two
distinctive timber decorative dormer
windows, clover motif gables with side
lights. Eaves cornice. Painted stucco
shopfront fascia and consoles, vertical
mullions with flat arched decorative
heads one side, single glass window
to other. Part glazed door. Moulded
architraves to timber sash windows,
cornice detail to eaves. Classical
raised and painted signage to fascia.
Original rainwater hopper and gutter,
iron gutter brackets. Single entrance.
• Simplicity of building, part of row
of three.
• Typical window, door, dormer and
chimney materials and details.
• Good example of traditional street
building in the town.
• Simple colour palette and signage.
• Exposed electrical cabling.
• Loss of continuity of vertical mullion
proportioning to one side of shop.
• Dormer and roof maintenance.
upstairs

18
1851 Use: House

Two storey, three bay building with
attic floor. Painted stucco wall, lined
and pencil ashlar with two distinctive
timber dormer windows with clover
motif gables and side lights. Painted
stucco fascia and consoles, one
centrally, vertical mullions with flat
arched decorative heads both sides
glazed door. Moulded architraves
to timber sash windows. Part glazed
door with decorative framed fanlight.
Original design rainwater hopper and
downpipe gutter, iron gutter brackets.
Single street entrance to two shops.
• Simplicity of building, part of row
of three.
• Typical window, door, dormer and
chimney details retained.
• Good example of traditional
building subdivided into 2 shops.
• Early electrical ceramic insulators
to wall.
• Simple co-ordinated colour scheme
and signage.
• Exposed electrical cabling.
• Dormer maintenance.
21 20
1851 Use: House

Three storey, two bay building.
Painted stucco wall, eaves cornice
with distinctive large timber six over
six sliding sash windows with side
lights some with historic cylinder
glass. Slate roof, painted render
chimneys. Original painted stucco
shopfront cornice subdivided into two
shops and access to upper floors.
Original design rainwater hopper and
downpipe gutter.
• Simplicity and distinctive elegance
of upper part of building.
• Typical window and chimney
proportions, details, materials
retained above ground.
• Simple co-ordinated colour scheme
of upper section of building.
• Visually cluttered shopfront elevation
with competing designs, colours,
sign types and fonts in a small
space.
• Exposed external electrical cables,
projecting lights, projecting signs.
• Maintenance of windows,
paintwork and chimneys .
Shop with accommodation
upstairs
upstairs

19
1851 Use: House in progress for
Edward Murphy

Three storey, four bay building with
painted ruled and lined ashlar painted
stucco wall, moulded architraves
to upper floor windows. Slate roof
and rendered chimneys. Timber sash
windows many with historic glass.
Eaves cornice. Traditional shopfront
design to street including vertical
symmetric subdivision of windows
and doors. Arched glazed fanlights
over doors and bar windows, stained
glass, panelled doors. Original design
rainwater hopper and downpipe
gutter, iron gutter brackets .
• Simplicity of building, co-ordinated
design.
• Typical window, door and chimney
proportions, details retained.
• Good example of refurbishment
working well with rest of building.
• Use of flower baskets.
• Exposed external electrical cables.
• Over dominant black colour,
heaviness within street.
• Maintenance of windows.
19 18
1851 Use: Merchant and House
Three storey, three bay building with
painted stucco ruled and lined ashlar
rendered wall, quoin detail to upper
windows and building edges. Slate
roof and rendered chimneys. Original
rainwater hopper and downpipe.
Shopfront cornice across building.
Single street entrance to shop with side
entrance to accommodation. Cast iron
columns visible through shop window.
• Simplicity of building and signage.
• Painted stucco cornice to shopfront.
• Typical window,chimney retained,
upper timber sash windows.
• Use of flower boxes.
• Use of non-traditional PVC material,
and outward opening windows.
• Stained fascia fixed to eaves.
• Mix of materials and window
opening types above ground floor.
• Visual clutter of projecting lights,
exposed electrical cable boxes.
• Shopfront design not cohesive with
competing colours and materials.
• Bad proportioning of quoin details
to windows exacerbated by colour.
Pharmacy with
Public House with
accommmodation upstairs

20
1851 Use: Public House

Three storey, three bay, painted
stucco wall. Slate roof and rendered
chimneys. Taller rooms at first floor,
rectangular windows and subdivision
retained. Timber sash windows with
historic glass on upper floors. First
floor windows with distinctive side
lights. Simple decorative timber and
stucco shopfront design, curved head
pilasters, strong fascia with cornice,
vertical subdivision of windows with
flat arch heads and timber cills,
stained glass. Single entrance with
side lights. Original period rainwater
hopper, gutter.
• Simplicity of building, and co-
ordinated colours of signage and
architectural elements.
proportions and materials retained.
• Well-proportioned design of
shopfront and integration of
signage, colour and detail.
• Flowers boxes and baskets.
• Exposed electrical cables boxes.
• Non traditional PVC downpipe.
16
1851 Use: House – Surgeon and
Apothecary
Three storey, four bay building
with painted stucco wall, moulded
architraves to upper floor windows.
Slate roof and stuccoed chimneys.
Taller rooms at first floor, rectangular
window proportions and subdivision
retained at upper floors. New
shopfront with single shop entrance
and side entrance to upstairs.
• Simplicity above ground floor.
proportions on upper floors.
in windows, gutters, down pipes.
• Modern heavy projecting lights.
• Shopfront design not cohesive,
over deep fascia signage, over
dominant colour. Poor detailing.
• Shop window subdivision out of
proportion with vertical emphasis
of other shop windows in street.
• Opaque treatment to street
windows over wide shopfront.
Public House with
upstairs17

21
Three storey, two bay building
with painted render wall. Slate
roof and rendered chimney. Roof
cornice. Distinctive hood moulds
to upper windows. Simple timber
shop front design possibly from
1970s. Integration of fanlight across
shopfront. Single entrance. Painted
stucco cornice. Stained timber
shopfront. Original period design
rainwater hopper, down pipe.
• Simplicity of building, and co-
ordinated colours of signage and
architectural elements.
proportions retained.
• Well proportioned design of
shopfront, signage, colour, detail.
• Flowers externally.
• Use of PVC material for gutter.
• Shop window subdivision out of
proportion with other shops.
• Over dominant colours interferes
with simple reading of street.
15 14
1851 Use: Lodging House, Public
House, Shoemaker, Leather Seller
and Small Draper
Three storey, two bay with painted
stucco wall. Slate roof, cornice eaves
and rendered chimney. Moulded
architraves to upper windows. Taller
rooms at first floor. Exposed rubble
stonework with painted timber
pilasters either side. Timber shop
window subdivided with flat arched
heads, timber panelled double doors
with fanlight and top hung outward
opening window. Modern awning.
Original period design rainwater
hopper, Single street entrance.
• Simplicity of building,openings.
• Typical window, and chimney
proportions retained.
• Exposed rough rubble wall out of
character with street heritage.
Design and proportion of windows
break with character of street.
• Lack of unity of design: multiple
shapes, textures and colours.
• Dark joinery and stone interrupts
visual flow of streetscape.
upstairs
Public House with

22
1851 Use: 13 and 13* were one
property in 1851
Three storey, two bay buildings with
painted stucco walls. Slate roof,
cornice eaves. Timber sash windows
two over two, some with historic
glass. Very simple elegant painted
stucco shopfront set between two
slender pilasters and plinths with
number 12 A and lozenge motif
incorporated in consoles – render
and timber. Timber window with
moulded central mullion and hoops
for shutters. Panelled timber stained
double door with simple fanlight.
Protective metal bar to shop window.
Single entrance.
• Simplicity of building, well-
proportioned, colours of signage
and architectural detail.
proportions and materials and
design retained.
• Mix of dark shopfront materials
interrupts flow of building.
• Use of PVC for upper windows in
number 13*.
13 12
1851 Use: House with lodgers
Three storey, two bay building with
rendered wall. Slate roof, projecting
eaves with fascia and rendered
chimneys. Rectangular window
proportions, moulded architraves
and subdivision. Timber sliding sash
windows six over six. Historic glass
visible in many panes. String course/
cornice at first floor. Very simple
timber shopfront window subdivided
in three with low arched heads and
protective metal railing. Two panelled
timber doors with fanlights, one to
shop and one to accommodation.
Protective metal rail to shop window.
• Simplicity, co-ordinated colours of
signage and architectural elements.
proportions and material retained.
• Simple well-proportioned design of
shop window and fanlights.
• External electricity cables, boxes.
• Use of PVC materials for rainwater
gutter, fascia and downpipe.
• Dark colour of building interrupts
visual flow of streetscape.
• Maintenance.
Betting Office/Shop with
Former Public House with

23
1851 Use: Vacant house
Three storey with attic, two bay
building with painted stucco wall.
Slate roof, projecting eaves and
rendered chimneys. Rectangular
window proportions, moulded
framing and subdivision retained.
Timber sliding sash windows. String
course at first floor. Very simple
timber shopfront window subdivided
in two. Two part-glazed panelled
timber doors with fanlights, one to
commercial premises and one to
accommodation above.
• Simplicity of building, and
co-ordinated colours of signage
and architectural elements.
• Typical window, door, and
chimney proportions retained.
• Simple design of shopfront in
former house.
• External electricity cables, boxes
• Over heaviness of joinery, different
designs of doors.
• Use of large flat dormer window out
of character with street heritage.
• Use of over dominant and clashing
colours on building.
11 10
1851 Use: Grocer and drapery.
Corner building rebuilt circa 1920s
as Provincial Bank. Two storey with
attic, three bay building with painted
stucco walls, rustication to ground
floor, classical hood and framed sash
windows with metal window boxes
in neoclassical style. Slated mansard
roof with curved sash windows,
roof parapet with concealed eaves.
Continuous fascia, simple signage.
Large windows to ground floor with
horizontal subdivisions. Tongued and
grooved double doors stained at entry.
• Consistent architectural design and
co-ordinated colours of signage.
• Building details high standard in
character for bank in heritage town.
• Flower box holders integrated well.
• Simple signage.
• External electricity cables, boxes
and projecting lighting.
• Ground floor and upper floor
windows very different design.
• Building quite close at crucial
corner junction with Henry Street.
• Mansard roof and parapet gables
out of character with street.
Commercial premises with
Bank with accommodation
upstairs

24
43, 42, 41 Shops with accommodation
upstairs – Vacant
1851 Use: 43 House, 42 House, Apothecary,
41 Lodging House
Owner: 43 Richard Leahy, 42 Richard Duckett,
41 Francis H Downing
40 & 39 Shops with
accommodation above
1851 Use: 40 Vacant House,
39 Saddler and Law Premises
Owner: 40 Eugene Downing
39 Corless Hawkes
38 Restaurant with
1851 Use: Painter and
Glazier
Owner: James Sullivan
Glany
37 Restaurant with
1851 Use: Grocer, Ironmonger
Draper and Supplier of Coal
and Corn
Owner: Mortimer O’Sullivan
East Elevation of Main Street
48* Shop/Office with
Inn – Once was part
of 48
Owner: Catherine Healy
45 Gallery with
1851 Use: Baker and
Drapery, Leather Seller
Owner: Daniel Mahony
48 Shop with
Inn – Once was Post
Office and one building
with 48*
Owner: Catherine Healy
47 Restaurant with
accommodation
upstairs*
1851 Use:
Grocery Shop
Owner: Myles
Downing
44 Auctioneeers with
1851 Use: House
Owner: Patrick Downing
Notes: Street numbering based on Griffith’s Valuation and Census 1851.
* 46 not shown is at back of building.

35 Restaurant with
1851 Use: Bakery and
Grocery, China and
Earthenware Dealer and
Newsroom
Owner: Patrick Brennan
36 Shop with
accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use: House
Owner: Timotheus Mc
Carthy M.D. Physician
of Kenmare Dispensary
district
34 Hairdresser with
1851 Use: House rented with
accommodation for 70 paupers
Owner: Francis H. Downing
33 Gift Shop with
accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use: Linen
and Woollen draper
Owner: Daniel
Healy
30 Discount
Store with
accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use:
House
Owner: Michael
Brennan
28 Shops with
1851 Use: Post Office,
Ironmonger and
Earthenware dealer
Owner: Denis Downing
Postmaster
30 Restaurant with
1851 Use: House
Proprietor: Michael
Brennan
31 Barber with
1851 Use: Stonemason
Owner: Morto and John
O’Sullivan
29 Vacant House
1851 Use:
Grocery and
Sundries
Owner: John
Mansfield
27 Shop with
accommodation
upstairs and
access to rear
1851 Use: House
– Accommodation
for 70 paupers
Owner: Rented
from Christopher
Lyne
26 Restaurant with
1851 Use: House,
Owner: Bartholomew
Brosnahan Carpenter
and workhouse
contractor
25 Restaurant with
accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use:
Pawnbroker
Owner: Samuel
Kingston Maybury of
Slatefield, Dromoughty
32 Restaurant with
accommodation
upstairs
1851 Use: House
Owner:
Maurice Lane
25

1851 Use: Grocery and Inn
Corner building, rebuilt in the 1980s.
Three storey, three bay with painted
stucco walls. Framed moulded
architraves to upper floor windows.
String course at first floor. Slate roof.
Ground floor shop front, strong mix
of heavy pilasters, spiral turned
joinery, deep fascia, heavily planted
cornice with curved decorative
metalwork exposed rubble stone piers
and entry set back from street. Two
part glazed doors to shop, one to
accommodation above.
• Upper floor windows and
architraves consistent with street.
• Product displayed on street.
• Traditional signage type.
and design in windows, gutters.
• Exposed rubble wall.
• Varied materials and textures on
shopfront is out of character.
• Over-deep shop front fascia.
• Road markings and direction
signage add to visual clutter.
48 48*
1851 Use: Grocery and Inn

Three storey with attic, two bay
building. Painted stucco walls.
Framed architravesto upper floor
windows. Single access door. Shop
window.
• Proportion of upper floor windows
consistent with street .
• Ground floor shop front potential in
general proportions.
and down pipes.
• Heavy detailing and flat finishing
of shop front joinery.
• Lack of strong definition of ground
floor as part of commercial street
frontage.
• Modern rooflights to street side of
building.
upstairs
Shop/Office with
26

1851 Use: Grocery Shop
Three storey, three bay building,
exposed rubble walls to upper floors.
Painted stucco framed architraves
to upper floor windows. Cornice
eaves, prominent chimney. Traditional
shop front. Painted stucco cornice,
painted timber, vertical subdivision of
windows, part glazed panelled doors
with fanlights. Opening windows
within shop front glazing. Double
doors to restaurant and separate
access to upstairs accommodation.
Modern awning.
consistent with street.
• Traditional signage and font,
colours to shop front.
• Window boxes planting.
and down pipes.
• Exposed rubble walling above
ground floor, out of character
with street.
• Exposed electrical cables and
boxes.
47 45
1851 Use: Baker and Drapery,
Leather Seller
Painted stucco walls. Distinctive hood
moulds to upper floor windows.
Slate roof. Cornice eaves, prominent
chimney. Shop front highly decorative
and detailed painted stucco pilaster
consoles and plinth. Strong cornice.
Painted timber, part glazed and
panelled doors, with fanlights.
• Simple signage and font, colours
to shop front.
• Chimneys, rainwater goods
original design.
and design in windows.
• Exposed electrical cables
and boxes.
• Shop window – horizontal
subdivisions and large plate glass
window.
Restaurant with
Gallery with
27

1851 Use: House

chimney. Original design rainwater
gutters and downpipes. Shop front
using heavy timber pilasters and
blank consoles, deep fascia and
panelled stall riser. Vertical subdivision
of shop window. Mix of fully glazed
and framed doors. Modern awning
and projecting strip light.
• Simple font for signage.
original design.
and design in windows above
ground.
• Shop front fascia overly deep and
reflective texture out of character
with street.
• Proportioning of shop front and its
elements not unified.
44 Auctioneers with
28
1851 Use: House
Painted stucco walls. Distinctive
arched hood moulds to upper floor
windows. Slate roof. Cornice eaves,
prominent chimney. Timber sliding
sash windows. Original design
rainwater gutters and downpipes,
chimneys. Simple narrow shop front
fascia. Strong painted stucco cornice
original design.
• Sash windows. Historic glass.
• Potential for restoration of windows
and building frontage.
• Vacant, derelict.
• Strong potential for conservation
intervention.
upstairs – Vacant

1851 Use: House, Apothecary
gutters and downpipes. Boarded up
shop front with image.
original design.
and building frontage.
• Shop front not visible.
• Casement windows out of
character with street.
intervention.
29
chimney. Sash windows. Original
design rainwater gutters and
downpipes. Large window and
double doors at ground floor.
original design.
and building frontage .
• No street presence at ground floor
intervention.
upstairs – Vacant 41 Shop with accommodation
upstairs – Vacant

1851 Use: Saddlery and Law Premises

Painted stucco walls. Framed moulds
to upper floor windows. Slate roof.
Cornice eaves, prominent chimney.
Original design rainwater gutters and
downpipes. Large span continuous
glass shop front, stained timber
frame. Double glazed doors with
fanlights over. Metal cages in
door recess.
original design.
• Written reference to Downing’s
Row 1825 on wall.
and design in upper windows.
• Projecting lights over shop front.
• Over-dominant signage and
ground floor colour.
• Commercial bins stored at gable/
entrance to Rock Street.
upstairs
30
40
1851 Use: Vacant House

chimney. Sash windows. Original
design rainwater gutters and
downpipes. Large span continuous
glass shop front,stained timber frame.
Double glazed doors with fanlights
over.
original design.
and design in upper windows.
• Exposed electrical cable boxes.
• Projecting lights over shop front.
• Over-dominant signage and
ground floor colour.
• Proportioning of shop front and
its elements not unified. Mix of
materials and graphics. Horizontal
reading of this and adjoining
building breaks up vertical rhythm
and overall character within street.
upstairs

38
1851 Use: Built 1990s

Corner building built in the 1990s.
Three storey with attic, three bay
building. Painted stucco walls, raised
quoins. Slate roof. Cornice eaves,
prominent chimney. Original design
rainwater gutters and downpipes.
Shop windows with vertical emphasis.
• Traditional street pump.
• Strong basic proportioning of
openings in building.
in windows, gutters and down
pipes and ground floor panelled
door and fanlight.
• Fixed seating out of character.
• Exposed electrical cables, boxes
• Projecting lights over shop front
• Shop front design ill defined
• Quoin detail stops short, gable
fascia out of character.
• Modern rooflights to street side.
• Window cills out of character.
• Electricity poles two types, utility
boxes with telephone kiosks.
Restaurant with
31
The East side of Main
Street is broken by Rock Street
(Formerly Wellington Lane).

32
36
1851 Use: House

Three storey, three bay building.
Painted stucco walls and framed
window architraves. Slate roof.
Original design rainwater gutter and
downpipe. Shop front with modern
awning. Door to shop and separate
access to accommodation overhead.
and framed architraves consistent
with street .
• Use of non-traditional aluminium
windows and doors.
• Outward opening windows,
window design out of character
with street.
• Exposed electrical cables, boxes,
redundant signage brackets.
• Use of mosaic tiles, aluminium
shop front out of character with
street.
• Horizontal emphasis of shop front
interrupts rhythm of street.
upstairs
1851 Use: Grocer, Ironmonger Draper,
and Supplier of Coal and Corn

Protected structure. Circa 1870.
Three storey with attic, four bay
building. Painted stucco walls and
decorative detailing, fluted columns,
Ionic capitals decorative consoles,
full height fluted giant pilaster strips,
quoins, consoled traingular and
segmental pediments. Slate roof.
Cornice eaves, prominent chimney
with distinctive decorative cowls.
• Very good example of evolved
wealthy merchant house and
Neo-classical street architecture.
• Signage simple and colours
scheme balanced.
• Projecting lights and signage.
• Satellite dish on top of building.
• Modern rooflights to street side.
• Damaged sections of stucco work.
• Simple flat joinery of shop front
at odds with highly embellished
elevation of earlier shop front.
37
Restaurant with

1851 Use: Bakery and Grocery,
China and Earthenware Dealer and
Newsroom

Painted stucco walls and painted
framed window architraves. Slate
roof. Cornice eaves, prominent
gutter and downpipe. Distinctive 3
over 3 sash windows at first floor.
Timber shop front with pilasters,
strong cornice, fascia and modern
awning. Vertical emphasis of shop
windows and panelled doors with
decorative arches. Door to shop and
separate access to accommodation
overhead. Panelled stall riser. Door to
restaurant and side access.
• Refurbishment of high standard.
• Well integrated design.
• Simple traditional signage.
• Planters at ground floor.
• Outdoor seating.
• Outward opening windows at
upper floor, design different.
35 34
1851 Use: House rented with
accommodation for 70 paupers

Painted stucco walls. Slate roof.
downpipe. Shop front and separate
access to accommodation overhead.
upper floor, design different.
boxes.
• Horizontal emphasis of shop front
and ground floor out of character
with vertical emphasis shopfronts.
Ill-defined ground floor.
• Type of reflective signage and
proportion out of character.
Restaurant with
upstairs
33

34
32
1851 Use: House

Two storey with attic single bay
building. Painted stucco wall at first
floor. Slate roof. Cornice eaves,
rainwater gutter and downpipe.
Feature arched tripartite window
above ground. Shop front fascia with
cornice. Tripartite arched window.
• Feature single window at first floor.
• Simple fascia and signage.
• Exposed rubble wall out of
character in street.
upper floors.
boxes.
• Projecting vertical sign at first floor
interrupts flow of streetscape at first
floor.
• Mix of materials, finishes and
colours in shop front and building
creates disjointed appearance
when ground floor shut.
• Modern rooflight to street .
Restaurant with
1851 Use: Linen and Woollen draper
Three storey, four bay building.
Painted stucco walls and painted
framed window architraves. Slate
roof. Cornice eaves, prominent
gutter and downpipe. Sash windows
at upper floors. Shop front with strong
cornic, mix of painted and stained
shop windows. Modern awning.
• Simple fascia, traditional signage.
• Stock outside creates sense of
market.
• Use of non-traditional PVC for
windows.
upper floors.
boxes.
• Mix of materials, finishes, in
shop front and building creates
disjointed appearance when
ground floor shut.
33
Gift Shop with

1851 Use: House

Two storey with attic single bay
building. Painted stucco wall at first
floor. Slate roof. Cornice eaves,
rainwater gutter and downpipe.
Distinctive timber arched bipartite
window above ground. Shop front
with distinctive timber bipartite arched
window, fluted pilasters and stall riser
under window. Part glazed door,
single access.
• Very distinctive feature windows
and pilasters.
and projecting lights.
creates disjointed appearance .
• Modern rooflights to street.
31 30
1851 Use: House

Two storey single bay building.
Exposed rubble wall. Slate roof.
downpipe. Feature arched bipartite
window above ground. Shop front
using raw un-treated timber, arched
windows. Part glazed double doors
with fanlights .
• Well-ordered proportion of
windows.
• Use of arched window motifs.
• Exposed rubble walling out of
character with street, interrupts
rhythm of street.
boxes.
• Projecting lights.
• Ill-defined shop front at ground
level.
Barber with
Fast Food Restaurant with
35

36
29
1851 Use: Grocery and Sundries

Two storey, three bay building.
Painted stucco wall. Slate roof.
Original design rainwater gutter
and downpipe. Separate entrance
to accommodation above. Shop
front painted stucco and part timber
cornice at first floor.
• Proportions of windows to upper
floor consistent with street.
• Strong cornice at first floor level.
windows and doors out of
character in street.
upper and ground floors.
boxes.
upstairs
1851 Use: House

Two storey single bay building.
Painted stucco wall. Slate roof.
Original design rainwater gutter.
Chimney. Single access.
• Proportion of upper floor openings
consistent with neighbours.
• Use of non-traditional PVC in
windows and doors and shop.
• Design of windows and proportion
of sections out of character with
street.
upper floors.
boxes.
• Deep fascia with over-large font.
30* Discount Store with

1851 Use: Post Office, Ironmonger
and Earthenware dealer

Three storey, three bay building
with decorative painted stuccowork
at cornice frieze to eaves. Framed
window architraves with central key.
Distinctive piano nobile first floor
window. Flat architrave, consoles and
hood. Original rainwater guttering.
String course at second floor defined.
Painted stucco cornice, vertical
emphasis timber shop windows,
modern awnings. Part exposed
rubble stone wall to one shop. Single
access to shops. One panelled and
one part glazed door with fanlights.
• Well proportioned and detailed.
• Example of Neo-classical design.
• Use of non-traditional PVC windows.
• Exposed rubble wall.
• Outward opening upper windows.
• Exposed electrical cables,boxes ,
and projecting lights
• Signage not integrated with
designed shop fascia.
colours, creates disjointed
appearance.
28 27
1851 Use: House – Accommodation
for 70 paupers
Three storey three bay building.
Painted stucco wall at first floor. Slate
roof. Framed moulded architraves
to windows at upper floors. Cornice
eaves, prominent chimney. Timber
shop front with pilasters, consoles
and fascia, vertical emphasis shop
window and panelled glazed and
solid doors. Single door to shop with
side access covered access to rear.
• Window proportions above
ground consistent with street.
• Simple shop front and fascia
across length of building.
• Well integrated colour scheme and
signage.
• Use of non- traditional PVC for
windows and rainwater goods.
• Inward opening windows at upper
floors.
• Dominant projecting signs at first
floor, graphics to windows add to
clutter.
Shops with accommodation
upstairs
upstairs and access to rear
37

38
25
1851 Use: Pawnbroker
Corner building. Two storey with
attic five bay building. Painted
stucco wall. Slate roof. Moulded
architravesto windows. Cornice
eaves, prominent chimney. Original
design rainwater gutter and
downpipe. Distinctive commercial
fascia. Painted stucco frame below
eaves and decorative treatment of
plinth to frame entrance door. Ground
floor single entrance with decorative
painted stuccowork to entrance door.
• Very distinctive classical
proportioning of elevation
openings to street.
• Elegant decorative painted stucco
mouldings.
• Planting to street.
• Exposed electrical cables, boxes,
projecting lights clutter elevation.
• Modern rooflights to street.
• Flat section sun burst fanlight and
door to entrance.
• Cluttered arrangement of awards.
• Mix of colours, shapes and textures
detract from this elegant façade.
Restaurant with
1851 Use: House
Two storey with flat dormer attic three
bay building. Painted stucco wall.
gutter and downpipe. Shop front
fascia. Vertical subdivision of shop
window. Arched sunburst fanlights
over part glazed doors to restaurant
and accommodation above.
• Windows at first floor consistent
with street proportions.
• Stepped profile between taller
buildings.
• Recessed door at ground floor.
• Planting externally.
• Use of modern flat dormer,
mansard-type roof not in character.
upper floor windows.
upper floors.
and projecting lights.
creates disjointed appearance
when ground floor shut.
26
Restaurant with

39
The East side of Main Street as viewed from
outside the Lansdowne Arms Hotel.

Traditional buildings behave very differently to modern
buildings. The design of traditional buildings and use of
materials worked together to expel moisture from the building
by a combination of free flowing ventilation through gaps
in construction at doors, windows and open chimneys and
through roofs. Common materials for plastering, rendering and
screeding all buildings were lime and mortar. These are entirely
‘breathable’ materials and so traditional houses’ internal walls
and plaster were not adversely affected by rot or fungi and
such houses did not generate much internal water vapour.
Modern buildings are sealed, airtight, water-sealed and
well insulated. Sand and cement renders seal the walls and
felts seal roofs and, with the introduction of modern vapour-
generating devices such as showers, dishwashers and dryers,
the use of highly controlled ventilation systems are necessary
within buildings to remove moisture.
Treating heritage buildings by the approach where walls are
sealed, dry lined and sand rendered, chimneys sealed and
windows double glazed the buildings are put at a greater risk
of deteriorating. A specialist approach is needed.
Traditional construction materials and details
A simple rule of thumb of best practice conservation, evolved
through research in England and Scotland, is to allow for
twice the amount of air ventilation in traditional buildings as
requested by current building regulations. See also links to
further research at www.kenmarearchitecturalheritage.com.
Modern Building
(Sealed)
Historic Building
(Leaky)
40
Right: Illustration based on one from English Heritage report.

Stucco
Exterior plaster using a combination of lime, mortar and sand
gouged with cement was used extensively for walls in Ireland
during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Stucco, being a supple material to work with, permitted
architectural mouldings, decorative motifs, cornices, window
surrounds, pilasters and consoles for shopfronts to be shaped
with a high degree of skill.
In Kenmare most of the buildings in the main commercial
streets would have used stucco. The Old Curiosity Shop on
Main Street (now Roma Restaurant and House) displays a
highly decorative use of stucco. Stucco on Number 22 Main
Street is used for the shopfront consoles (brackets) and fascia.
The eaves of buildings on Main Street are pronounced using
stucco corbels or cornices and stucco has also permitted the
decorative pencil lined and ruled ashlar (stone) effect detailing
on the buildings along the street.
Stone
Cut stone buildings do not generally form part of the terraced
street architecture of Kenmare – the Market House being the
notable exception – and cut stone was also used for exposed
window cills. Rough stone, which was locally sourced, was
the main building material used. Walls were all traditionally
plastered to prevent moisture retention and improve their
aesthetic appeal.
Wood
Well-seasoned timber, notably fir, was used extensively for
doors, windows and shopfronts. It was a very durable material
and in the hands of capable craftspeople created a richness
of detail and technical standard that, properly maintained, can
outlast many modern materials.
41
Left: Number 22 Main Street with stucco shopfront consoles
and fascia.

Left: Components of a
typical sash window.
Runner for inner sash
1 – Parting bead
2 – Staff bead
3 – Pulley lining/stile
Sash box/pulley lining/
stile
4 – Inner lining
5 – Outer lining
6 – Pulley
7 – Sash cord
8 – Sash weight
Inner/lower sash
9 – Meeting rail
10 – Sash stile
11 – Bottom rail
12 – Glazing bar
Sliding Sash Windows
The double sliding sash window was a late 17th century
invention possibly of English or Dutch origin.
It was a major technological coup, which both suited the
emerging Neo-classical architectural tradition and provided
the most balanced room ventilation. It dominated domestic
architecture in Britain and its colonies for almost 200 years.
The typical double overlapping sliding sash window used metal
weights internally (encased at the sides of the windows) to
assist with opening and closing.
The size of window panes is directly related to the size of glass
sheets available at the time. Window bars were refined and
moulded with colloquial names such as Lamb’s Tongue and
Bishop’s Hat referring to their shape. The glass was fixed in
place using pins and linseed oil putty externally.
The number of glass panes in the upper and lower sashes
signalled the status of the room behind them, whether a formal
reception room (six over six) or a small bedroom (three over
three).
The description of a building as a three bay or four bay
building refers to the number of windows across its width.
The traditional standard upper floor windows in the town and
Main Street are vertical sliding sash windows.
1
2
3
4
9
J
K
L
42
Left: Illustration based on one from
English Heritage report.
5
6
7
8

Shopfront Design
Traditional shopfront design
in Kenmare followed the
Neo-classical tradition of
simple but elegant design,
with consoles and pilasters in
stucco for the most part and
timber shop windows.
Traditional shop windows in
the town were often curved
arches with vertical emphasis,
a style of window made
popular by the Wyatt family
of architects during the18th
century. The long glass
panels, divided by timber
mullions (dividing bars),
lends an elegant aesthetic
and remains a distinguishing
feature of Kenmare’s heritage.
Vertical panelled shutters were
traditionally secured over the
windows at night and there
was a tradition of leaving the
shutters closed as a mark of
respect if there was a death in
the town. Some of the original
shutter support rings are still
visible today.
Shop entrance Stall riser Plinth
Pilaster
minor
Pilaster
major
Fanlight
Cornice Capping
Consoles
Arched
decorative
detail
Mullions
43
Fascia

Signage
Shop signs traditionally consisted of the family name painted
directly on the fascia or in relief on the fascia. All proportions
of the shopfront including its lettering would be considered in
the design.
Some examples of traditional signage still exist, such as the
signs of McCarthy’s Bar, Number 22 and The Lansdowne Arms
Hotel while other commercial premises have used modern
signage techniques while retaining the discipline and restrained
palette of Neo-classical clarity.
Glass
Crown Glass: Crown glass, which was used in early Georgian
and Neo-classical architecture was blown into a bubble by
glassmakers and spun into a flat sheet. It was thin, had a
characteristic curve and was sometimes bowed with a green
or purple tint. Lengths were normally about 1200mm (3 feet,
11.25 inches).
Plate Glass: Plate glass, with larger sizes, less distortion and
superior transparency began to appear at the end of the 18th
century. It was made from a cylinder rather than a bubble but it
was a glass that could be ground and polished.
J. Young’s book, Design for Shopfronts published in1830,
shows panes of glass of 4 feet (over 1 metre) lengths and such
lengths remained the norm for plate glass until the beginning
of the 20th century. Plate glass was expensive however and
therefore had a slow impact on window design.
Cylinder Glass: Early cylinder glass had an extremely
hammered appearance and was quite speckled with bubbles.
44
The improved sheet cylinder glass process involved creating
much larger cylinders than before and measuring up to 6 feet
lengths which were allowed to cool before being cut along
their length. They were then reheated in a furnace and allowed
to unfurl under extreme heat, creating better quality glass than
hand flattened glass.
These improvements in glass permitted the replacement of
Georgian gridded windows in late 19th century Ireland (after
a punitive tax on glass was removed). The glass panes are
distinguished by their evenly warped surface.
Left: The original
cylinder glass can
still be seen in some
of the upper story
windows on Main
Street.

Historic Glass: The original historic glass, present in some
of the sash windows on Main Street displays the tinting and
warped distortions from street level.
Cast Iron
Decorative cast iron works are part
of the Neo-classical architectural
language in the town. Cast iron
is used for rainwater gutters, their
spike support brackets, hoppers and
down pipes fixed externally to the
buildings and internally as structural
columns.
Other decorative features such as
the An Post boxes, a water pump
and the medallion on the Lansdowne
Arms Hotel all contribute to the
preserved heritage of the street.
Natural Slate
Records indicate that traditional
natural slate was imported from
Wales and delivered to the pier in
Kenmare after 1826.
Chimneys
Tall, wide prominent chimneys, some with decorative chimney
pots, are used for all buildings in the two principal streets.
Colour
Historic buildings are complemented by paints earthy in texture
and muted in tone. Using a colour palette that allows fine
detailing of heritage features to be accentuated rather than
one which masks or detracts attention from such detailing is
best practice.
Early black and white photographs of Main Street indicate a
restrained and well-ordered streetscape. More research will
demonstrate which historic colours were used.
Ceramic
The ceramic insulators of the early electrical supply to the town
are visible on some of the buildings. As there are not many
left they do not add to clutter on the buildings but lend another
layer to its history.
Street Lights
The heritage
design of
street lights
bracketed off
buildings or
lamp posts
work to
complement
the character
of the street.
45

The character of any town derives from the impact of
its buildings, their setting and environment. However,
developments of the late 20th century greatly degraded
the street’s original character – a lack of understanding or
appreciation of traditional buildings and their design and the
belief that modern, cheaper materials could, without harm
replace traditional materials. At the time there were few quality
suppliers of heritage products reflecting the original materials
and designs at a reasonable cost. A lack of cohesive national
planning policy at that time on architectural conservation also
contributed to erosion of its character.
The introduction of new unsuitable materials
not only erodes street character but creates a
disjointed ‘anywhere’ streetscape, whereas
well-constructed buildings with their heritage
features intact add distinctiveness.
Main Street has suffered from the
introduction of unsuitable construction
materials such as the use of modern sand
cement render and the use of design
elements that disregard or disguise original
profiles. The street fails to exploit its heritage
character and thus loses out on exploratory
commercial footfall or appeal for visitors.
Specific threats to street character:
• Use of exposed rubble stone to street.
• Exposed electrical wiring and boxes on street elevations.
• Exposed electricity poles at entrance to Rock Street.
• Replacement render in sand cement to solid masonry walls.
• Use of factory-made roofing slates.
• Lack of unity in shopfront design, materials and proportioning.
• Use of modern dormers and roof lights to street.
• Use of modern PVC or metal windows and doors, rainwater
gutters and modern subdivision of windows.
• Projecting shopfront lighting and signage.
• Overly deep shopfront fascias.
• Inappropriate street furniture and bollards.
• Commercial refuse bins stored on street.
• Visual clutter of uncoordinated building colours, signage and
materials.
• Modern paving stones.
• Over-dominant direction signs and road markings.
These threats are compounded by dereliction and the use of the
entire street for dense car parking which obscures the buildings.
46
Left: Traditional cast iron pump on Main Street close to the
entrance to Rock Street.
Threats to the special character of Main Street

47
Architectural Conservation Area constraints
The stated objective of the planning authority is to preserve and
enhance the special architectural character and appearance of
the streets within the ACA.
Planning permission will be required for any works to the front
of the structures or any change of original materials, such
as windows, wall finishes, boundary walls, roof materials,
signage and external lighting and building colours.
Architectural Conservation principles
1 Research into original construction and detail.
2 Repair rather than replacement of original features.
3 Reversibility of intervention.
4 Replacement of like-with-like materials, where necessary.
5 Recording of the process of intervention.
Architectural Conservation Area
Left: Inappropriate signage, glazing and surface-run electricity
cables and boxes all detract from the character of Main Street.

Strategy for building owners before carrying out works
within the Architectural Conservation Area
Where new works are envisaged to buildings within the
Architectural Conservation Area, use the following as a guide.
General exemptions from planning include redecoration of
original features, restoration of character, demolition of modern
interventions and routine maintenance carried out by registered
craftspeople.
1 Background Research – Carry out your own research on
the building through an examination of the building’s deeds,
estate records, Local and National Library, Ordnance Survey
Maps,early photographs, drawings, advertising, the Kenmare
Chronicle and www.kenmarearchitecturalheritage.com.
2 Conservation Professionals and Craftspeople – Engage only
conservation professionals and craftspeople to research the
original features of the building and to design and manage
appropriate solutions for you.
3 Planning Consultation – Consult early with the planner for
the town. Get their advice on best approach. This can help
prevent issues later in the process.
4 Section 57 Declaration – May be requested from the
planning authority for only Protected Structures in the street
(Lansdowne Arms Hotel and Roma Restaurant) to identify
which specific works will require Planning Permission. This is
done free of charge.
5 Use Precedent – As part of a Vernacular Town tradition, it
is very likely that something similar using original materials
has been done elsewhere in the town. Guidance from the
Council’s Conservation Officer, Conservation Specialist or
Library will help here.
6 Use Guidelines – Consult any design guidelines for building
colours, signage, shopfront window designs from research
links above and Kerry County Council.
7 Correct Maintenance Regime – ensure one is in place for the
building. Share costs of resources with neighbours, such as
the use of cherry pickers etc.
Recommendations for public stakeholders to address
1 Facilitate the removal of all utility boxes, electricity poles,
electrical cables, cable TV and cables from the fronts of
buildings and place underground or to rear of buildings.
2 Facilitate the removal of commercial bins from view at
entrance to Rock Street to a location hidden from public view.
3 Incentivise and promote the restoration of original character
to street through workshops and clinics.
4 Create an urban design plan for the town providing for off-
street parking, wider pavements for pedestrians, planting etc.
5 Issue a set of design guidelines for shopfronts, signage and
street buildings in the town including:
• Replacement features – windows, doors, rainwater goods.
• Replacement roofing and stucco lime based render.
• Detailing and ironmongery.
• Street furniture and lighting.
6 Commission a street colour study to identify which heritage
colours will work best within the street.
48

M
ain
Street
Shelbourne Street
HenryStreet
The Square
Map: Kenmare Architectural Conservation Area with kind permission from Kerry County Council OSI Licence number 2015 / 30 / CCMA / Kerry Local Authorities.

Kenmare is one of the early planned estate towns and as such has a generally
strong vernacular street architecture.This booklet explores the special
character of Main Street Kenmare with the aim of demonstrating the historical
significance of the town and its legacy for a 21st century tourism based economy.

Architectural Conservation Toolkit - Main Street Kenmare Co. Kerry Ireland by Frank Hughes and Anne Barrett

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