A lot of life has passed through the front door of Barlow House, one of the oldest townhouses left in Drogheda, Co Louth. Most people will know it as home to the gardai up until two years ago. Their move to a modern new premises allowed the creative minds of the Droichead Arts Centre to begin work on securing it for musicians, artists, poets and performers from around the area.
"This is an important part of the original heritage of the town and an important building. We have performances and exhibitions in the Droichead Arts Centre but we want to change Drogheda culture so that art can be made here in Barlow House," explained Mr Paul O'Hanrahan, PRO for the centre.
It has lodged a planning application with Drogheda Corporation to refurbish and transform the three-storey redbrick Georgian townhouse into studios for artists and writers, the basement into rehearsal studios for musicians as well as offices and exhibition areas.
The interior of Barlow House includes a double height entrance and staircase hall. The house will be fully accessible to the disabled. In 1997 the gardai, who were resident there since 1870, moved across the road. However, in 1960 they had extensive works done, including constructing a new flat room and some modernisation.
The planning application describes this work as "particularly sad as it is likely most of the main rooms at both the ground and first floor would have had handsome timber panelling. At the same time a concrete staircase was inserted and two cells were constructed."
"If we get planning permission we aim to start work in September on the restoration. This involved improving the ade facade and restoring the historical features e.g. the ceilings of the main rooms. We expect to have the work on the house finished and it open to the public by September of 2000," added Mr O'Hanrahan.
Composer Michael Houlihan is chairman of the arts centre and acknowledges that a three-storey-over basement building in Drogheda town centre would secure a large sum on the open market. He acknowledges the support from the OPW, the Department of Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht and the Islands and local Minister Dermot Ahern in securing it.
The project costs in the region of £750,000, and while a lot of it has been grant-aided, the fundraising is not complete.
Mr Houlihan says Barlow House will complement the existing premises the arts group has in the town centre. "We will keep the centre on Stockwell Street, which is in the municipal building and owned by the corporation. I see Barlow House having multi-purpose uses whereas the arts centre is more for display and performance indoors. Barlow House is one of the more important buildings of its time and I think it was a change in attitude that is nationwide that allowed us to save it and restore it."
The Droichead Arts Centre are delighted that tomorrow night painter Camille Souter will have a retrospective in the centre along with Nano Reid. It is the first showing by Souter in nearly 20 years and an indication of the support the group believes it has gained.