Survey Data
Reg No
14807075
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Technical
Previous Name
Offaly County Infirmary
Original Use
Hospital/infirmary
Historical Use
Library/archive
In Use As
Apartment/flat (converted)
Date
1785 - 1790
Coordinates
234155, 224961
Date Recorded
12/10/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached five-bay two-storey former county infirmary, built in 1788, now apartments with extensions to rear. Fronts directly onto street. Hipped tiled roof with replacement rendered chimneystacks, terracotta pots and replacement rainwater goods. Exposed random coursed walls to ground floor with pebbledash to upper floors, string course and red sandstone eaves course. Replacement uPVC windows with rendered surrounds and tooled limestone sills, tooled limestone block surround with scroll keystone to round-headed door opening with fanlight and timber panelled door. Tooled limestone threshold, cast-iron railings to front set on tooled limestone plinth.
Appraisal
This prominent structure, Tullamore’s oldest public building, closes the vista at the western end of O’Carroll Street. It was enlarged in 1812 and remained open until 1921, after which it housed the Civic Guards and later a library. Now converted to apartments, and much fabric has been lost through over restoration. However its assertive form, scale and rhythmic fenestration remain, which together with the stone doorcase and finely executed railings continue to form important terminating vista to O’Carroll Street.