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Historic house in Co Sligo in danger of collapse after years of decline

Storms and neglect leave Templeview House near Easkey under serious threat of being lost to future generations

The endangered structure Templeview House in Easkey, Co Sligo

The endangered structure Templeview House in Easkey, Co Sligo

Marese McDonagh
Mon Jan 15 2024 - 06:30

A historic house built in the 1800s near Easkey, Co Sligo, is in danger of collapse, according to a campaigner who has chronicled the decline of the property.

Mayo-based David Hicks, author of two books about Irish country houses, has warned Sligo County Council that it is now a question of “when” rather than “if” Templeview House, a protected structure, will collapse unless urgent remedial work is undertaken to stabilise the building.

The Irish Georgian Society and An Taisce have both expressed concern about the risk to the house if remedial action is not taken.

Mr Hicks, who previously worked as an architectural technologist with Mayo Country Council, said the scale of the deterioration of the house especially over the past six months was alarming.

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“The worrying thing is you can see how quickly the roof has deteriorated over five years. The abundance of storms we are having at the moment has definitely had an impact on it and will continue to do so if there is no intervention. You can’t have chimneys precariously balancing themselves, 30 foot in the air, with nothing to support them”.

The Irish Georgian Society has also in a complaint to the planning enforcement section of the local authority told officials that the building, which is in private ownership, is “undoubtedly now endangered”, and has appealed for action to be taken so that it can be enjoyed by future generations.

Hicks, who has photographed the house over the past five years, is author of Irish Country Houses – a Chronicle of Change (2012) and Irish Country Houses – Portraits & Painters (2014). He has appealed to the county council to “at least stabilise this piece of our architectural heritage”, and has inquired whether it could be compulsory purchased by the council and sold on to someone committed to its future.

Since he first made contact with the local authority six months ago, the decorative barge boards which were a prominent feature on the house, have been lost, he said.

“The frustrating thing is that the county council is being so passive. Maybe it is because it is in Easkey and it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind. If it was on a main road into Sligo town there might be more urgency to it.”

In a statement to The Irish Times Sligo County Council said it was currently engaging with the owner of Templeview House. The council said it had issued a letter to the property owner and was awaiting a response. A spokeswoman said that under the Planning and Development Act 2000, an owner of a protected structure was legally required to make sure that it did not become endangered through neglect, decay, damage or harm. The local authority said conservation grants were available under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2024 and the Historic Structures Fund 2024.

However local Independent county councillor Michael Clarke said the funding available was so small that it “would not even cover the architect’s fees” given the specialist nature of the work involved.

“There are many other historic houses in west Sligo which are even more important in historic terms which also should be preserved but because they are not on the main road and not as visible there isn’t a word about them,” said Mr Clarke. “There is the workhouse in Dromore West, and Longford House which has strong associations with one of the Noble Six who were shot on Ben Bulben during the Civil War. The owners of all these historic houses would love to preserve them but the available grants are not adequate.”

Templeview House was built in 1855 by Peter Hale, a native of Easkey, who had emigrated to Mexico where he managed one of the first cotton factories in that country.

The owners of the property have been asked for a comment.

In 2020 An Taisce ranked Templeview House among the State’s 10 most at risk heritage buildings. Ian Lumley, heritage officer with An Taisce, said at the time the top 10 were in “no particular order” as all are under threat. He said “these buildings could be lost to future generations unless direct action is taken soon to preserve them”.

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