Boyle Abbey Conservation Project
BOYLE ABBEY Completion of the North Aisle Wall Structural Conservation Project Background The Cistercian Abbey at Boyle Co. Roscommon was established in 1161 and completed around 1220. The Elizabethans turned it into a barracks in 1592, and the Cromwellians besieged it in 1645. This, along with possible later stone quarrying, ensured that little survives. Roger Stalley, art historian and expert on Cistercian architecture, has described the Abbey as “the finest of the Cistercian churches to survive in Ireland”. The church adheres to the Cistercian model in having a nave with side aisles, a transept to the north and south of the crossing, each with a pair of chapels in the east wall, and a chancel, whose original windows were replaced in the thirteenth century. In the 18th century, Boyle Abbey’s leaning North Aisle
wall had already become an issue of concern and the first massive masonry buttresses were introduced during that period. However, the wall continued to lean precariously outwards and when the site came into the care of the Commissioners of Public Works around the turn of the last century, it was recorded that additional supplementary buttressing had been put in place. Monitoring of the North Aisle during the 1970`s indicated a degree of shift within the buttresses. A detailed survey recorded an alarming extent of wall lean. Present Conservation Project A report was commissioned by OPW in 2003 and this set out recommendations for the future conservation of the North Aisle Wall. Arising from this report, a schedule of conservation works was set out for the North Aisle Wall. The project involved the dismantling and removal of the buttressing. It also required the dismantling and reconstruction of the North Aisle Wall. The project
included the conservation and protection of significant carved sandstone features. This project is one of the largest conservation projects to be undertaken by the State to date and considerable planning and co-ordination of effort was required. On conclusion of the conservation works programme, it was decided to erect a modern lean-to glazed structure on the site. The design is modern and is built to reflect the outline of the original monastic leanto roof. This transparent structure will protect the stonework of the conserved aisle from weathering and it will provide an enhanced opportunity for the visitor to fully appreciate the monument. The multidisciplinary nature of the work is reflected in the project teams range of specialist skills. This project demonstrates the outstanding skill base that OPW has and this places OPW in the unique position of being able to undertake large-scale conservation projects.
All photographs are courtesy of National Monuments Service Photographic Unit 4
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