Councillor Hubert Keaney, Mayor of Sligo Municipal District, has welcomed the publication of an information leaflet on the importance of maintaining and repairing sash windows on historic buildings.
Launch of Guide on Historic Windows
Council Launch Guide on Historic Windows
The guide highlights what owners of historic buildings can do to retain sash windows on a historic building. While a historic window might look beyond repair, it very often will not be.
Windows play an important role in defining the character of a building and its surroundings. Nothing changes the appearance of a historic building more than the removal of original windows and replacement with new inappropriate windows.
The leaflet is aimed at all historic buildings, in particular protected structures, and structures within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs). The removal of historic windows from structures within ACAs or from protected structures is not permitted.
Sligo Chamber of Commerce received a conservation grant under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2017 for the conservation of historic sash windows on the front facade of their Quay Street building. The works, carried out by Heritage Sash & Joinery (Drumfin, Co. Sligo), will extend the life of these beautiful windows well into the future.
Des Faul, President of the Sligo Chamber of Commerce welcomed the launch of the guide and thanked the Planning and Heritage section of Sligo County Council for their help and guidance in bringing the project to fruition: ‘Retaining the historic fabric of Sligo, and especially its windows is hugely important to the quality of our streetscapes. It has been shown that a quality historic environment directly impacts on the economic viability of a town and we see how this has worked in towns such as Westport or Kilkenny. We can do this in Sligo too!’
Illustrating the guide are several stunning photographs from local photographer Hugh Mac Conville, whose photographs feature in the important publication on Irish Windows ‘Legacy of Light’ (Wordwell, 1999).
The guide was prepared by the Planning Section of Sligo County Council and is available free of charge from Sligo County Council offices and the following link: http://www.sligococo.ie/planning/Heritage/Architecture/