Funding secured for historic buildings in Wicklow

An allocation of €60,000 has been made available to owners of protected structures in county Wicklow under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).

A further €35,000 has been allocated to St. Patrick’s Church in Wicklow town under the Historic Structures Fund (HSF).

Wicklow County Council welcomes the recent announcement from the Department on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG)  of funding for the conservation of historic properties in the county.

The BHIS and the HSF schemes are co-ordinated annually by Wicklow County Council on behalf of the Department. Each year applications are invited and projects are assessed. Following funding approval, the delivery of the various  projects is  managed by the Council in accordance with criteria of each scheme. 

Among the successful projects to be assisted  this year include essential roof repairs at  privately owned houses in Bray, Newtownmountkennedy and Ballyarthur; the consolidation of the  old crusher house in Glenmalure; roof repairs at Holy Redeemer Church in Bray;  restoration of Stained Glass Windows  in St Mary’s Church in Baltinglass and drystone stone wall boundary repairs in Hollywood. 

An extensive programme of essential conservation works is planned at St Patricks Church in Wicklow town  which will help ensure the protection of this  impressive  gothic revival church dating from 1840 and forming an iconic architectural landmark for the town.

The built heritage funding will support the owners and custodians of historic and protected structures as they carry out small-scale, labour-intensive projects to repair and safeguard our built heritage. The announcement follows the Government’s recent publication of its Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business to ease the Covid-19 restrictions.

These projects will support the protection of Wicklow’s historic building stock and provide employment for the many small businesses, skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople involved in heritage-related construction activity.

As the phased reopening of our economy continues, it is hoped it will be possible that many of the projects under the two Built Heritage Capital grant schemes can get under way without further delay. These grant schemes have the potential to offer confidence to communities across the country, provide a stimulus to the economy and help to maintain incomes. It will be the responsibility of individual project managers to assess when grant-aided works may commence in line with the public health measures determined by the HSE.