Buildings at Risk

Why is it of interest? St Senan’s Hospital is an impressive large-scale hospital built in the Italianate style as a county lunatic asylum in the mid-1800s. It was built by Patrick Kerr to designs by county surveyors Barry Farrell and James Bell to include a central administration block with wings allocated to male and female patients.

Standing high above the Slaney valley on the edge of Enniscorthy, the 49-bay, three-storey red brick blocks with five towers is a renowned landmark for locals and tourists driving south.

The architectural plans for the exterior of St Senan’s were quite ornate and didn’t correspond with the inspector’s demands for a frugal and economic design. The main facades are built with red brick with while paisley brick reveals for the windows. The tall dramatic towers are partly built from Kiltealy granite and red brick and have Italianate arched openings. The entire building cost £40,000 which was a huge sum of money at the time.

What state of dereliction is it in? It was originally built to house 280 patients but was extended to hold more than 600 at its peak occupancy at the turn of the 20th century. Although still used by the HSE for same-day respite care and administrative offices, the interior is in urgent need of repair. In 2010, it was described by the Mental Health Commission as "dilapidated, depressing and not fit for human habitation". The acute bed wards were subsequently closed. It has been vandalised of late, with broken windows and stolen materials. The roof is leaking.

What repairs have been carried out? None of a substantial nature in recent years.

Who is championing its cause? An Taisce is about to place it in its top 10 nationally significant buildings at risk, following the recent sale of Carrigglas Manor in Co Longford.

Ian Lumley of An Taisce says it is “one of the most impressive 19th-century institutional buildings in the country, identified as being of national significance on the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s national inventory of architectural heritage [buildingsofireland.ie]. Its prominent location makes it a major landmark in the Slaney valley south of Enniscorthy. It is a building of high quality construction with brick towers, which make it visible across a wide area.”

Enniscorthy-based historian and former psychiatric nurse Hugo Kelly has written a history of St Senan’s. “I would love to see it open again as a hospital because people suffering mental illness have nowhere to go now.

“Otherwise, I’d like to see it sold to someone who would prevent it from going derelict or being demolished.”

Incredibly, St Senan’s Hospital is not listed as a protected structure in the Co Wexford development plan 2013-2019.

What happens next? Patients using the mental health respite facility in the grounds of St Senan’s were transferred last month (July) to the newly opened An Tearmann premises in St John’s Hospital, Enniscorthy.

The building continues to be used for offices (including mental health and community services personnel), administration and storage. The HSE has told Buildings At Risk that “the future use of the building, in addition to plans for the adjacent lands, is under review.”

According to Lumley, who has discussed the building's status with its owners, the HSE, St Senan's is "one of the most difficult new-use challenges in the country". Artist and architectural historian Peter Pearson lives nearby and has visited the property recently and written about it. "It would make a great hotel or a third-level college because it is within walking distance of Enniscorthy. Both the HSE and Wexford County Council have a poor record of taking initiatives to save a building like this; however, it is critical that a plan is made for St Senan's."

If you know of a property at risk please email buildingsatrisk@irishtimes.com

SYLVIA THOMPSON