Villagers halt demolition of "jewel"

RESIDENTS of a Co Wicklow village halted the demolition of a 135 year old house yesterday. Protesters in Ballyknockan described the stone house as "the jewel in the crown" of their village.

The house, built with granite cut from the local quarry, was listed for preservation in the Wicklow County Development Plan, as were all stone houses in the village.

On Monday contractors employed by Aosog Centres Ltd began demolishing the house under a plan to replace it with a similar building incorporating some of the old stonework. When protesters halted the work yesterday, only the front section of the two storey building remained.

The demolition of the house has been strongly condemned by the National Monuments Advisory Committee of Wicklow Co Council. The council granted planning permission for the work on the house in April of last year.

According to the secretary of Wicklow County Council, Mr Brian Doyle, permission was granted to Aosog with the condition it use any stone it could salvage and that the building be in keeping with the other structures in the area.

The application had not been brought to the attention of the councillors as this only happened when there were difficulties, such as objections to an application. It is understood the application was advertised in the Irish Press.

Aosog is a charitable organisation with works with children from poor homes, and many of its members are members of Opus Dei, according to architect, Mr Brendan O'Carroll, who acted as a consultant for the Ballyknockan project. The house was used for overnight accommodation by children on activity holidays in the area, but had fallen into disrepair.

The group wants to renovate the building. A survey had concluded it was "hopelessly beyond repair", according to Mr O'Carroll.

Residents said they were shocked and dismayed when demolition work began on the house. They had no idea planning permission had been granted.

"The stone in the house should have been carefully numbered and taken down by a mason but this stone was banged down by a machine," said Mr Andy Farrington, from Ballyknockan, a stone mason with 40 years' experience. "It was a sacrilege to do what was done. I know the type of time and trouble and skill that went into it and it was wiped out before our eyes. We here in Ballyknockan treasure our stone. It is our heritage." The house was a jewel, he said.

Mr John Brady said the house was his ancestral home. It had been sold within the family, sold, on again, and then donated to Opus Dei "in good faith", he said. "My great grandfather was married in November 1861 and he built that house." The contractors "drove through it with a bulldozer. I couldn't sleep last night."