Cashel Palace
Adaptive re-use and restoration of the existing Cashel Palace. The project involved a sensitive conservation of the heritage elements of the historic house and construction of a modern wing connected via a glazed corridor to the main building.
- Location Cashel, Co. Tipperary
The Challenge
To upgrade a protected structure to a 5-star hotel standard with ballroom, spa facilities and an addional 46 bedrooms. The project required significant refurbishment of outbuildings into bedroom suites and the incorporation of external landscaped gardens into a legible series of outdoor rooms.
The Story
Following international best practice, the conservation team headed by Consarc Conservation, have worked meticulously to breath fresh life into the building. In their quest to bring the palace back to its former glory, conservationists scoured the archives, with a painstaking attention to detail. One of the most notable elements in the archivist’s discoveries were the height of the chimney tops. As it transpired, in the 1950’s the chimneys had been knocked down and rebuilt but only to two-third’s of their original height. In line with Pearce’s design intent, the ill-proportioned stacks were recreated during the process, with second hand bricks sourced to be the same as they would have been in the 18th Century.
The resulting elegant chimney stacks allow the palace to stand as tall as ever, both literally and figuratively speaking, making it quite unique in its appearance.
The Outcome
Client Statement: "The Cashel Palace hotel built in 1728 as an archiepiscopal seat for the Church of Ireland, a masterpiece of refined Palladian architecture designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, has recently undergone a sensitive and meticulous restoration. The design team, spear headed by Reddy A+U architects, following International best practices, have risen to the challenges of restoring this magnificent building as a 5* hotel, ensuring that it will survive for many years to come."
One of the greatest challenges on this type of project is bringing modern services into an historic building, the real wizardry lies in the fact the old Cashel Palace seems just as it always has been. Master craftsmen have weaved their magic to bring back to life its understated grandeur, at the same time as fully servicing it with updated and most efficient systems.
The Cashel Palace has found a new owner, a new lease of life, Reddy A+U at the forefront of the design direction ensured that the project was handled with great sensitivity and skill.
