Church Street Cottages

By conserving protected structures we regenerate them to exist in a new era by harmonising the traditional and the contemporary.

Working with these structures, we re-interpret conservation in line with their historical context and value.  By researching and investigating the structure’s physical fabric, we can adapt the brief and design accordingly through blending the use of both traditional and contemporary materials and building crafts. At Cunningham Design Associates Ltd. we have worked on several protected structures and buildings of historic importance, including; Church Street Cottages in Castleblayney. These cottages are listed as a Protected Structure in the Monaghan County Development Plan 2013-2019.

The overall result of this project evokes elegance and an authenticity to the area, but with a respectful nod to the past and surrounding urban fabric.

From the outset, this project needed to respect, maintain and highlight the aesthetic of these quaint, picturesque cottages that are steeped in the town’s history. Having initially been built in 1877 and housing Labourers of the Hope Estate, this row of seven cottages reflect a design and style of French origin. The brief here called to maintain the inevitable beauty and be re-interpreted through careful conservation, recreation and contemporary additions in a narrative that displays itself through a sequence of spaces to the rear of the properties. This was achieved through intelligent design, collaboration and attention to detail, which in turn breathed new life into the design, whilst immersing the public into its layered history.