Announcement of 2024 Shortlisted Projects
Click on the links below to view films of shortlisted projects.
Best Maintenance of a Historic Building or Place
LONDONDERRY
A team of volunteers at Christ Church, Londonderry, has been nominated for maintaining this listed Chapel of Ease, built in the 1830s. The Church had been closed but was reopened in 2022 and urgent repairs carried out. Maintenance is planned quarterly and staging has been erected, enabling world class musicians to perform.
SAILORTOWN REGENERATION GROUP
Terry McKeown has been nominated for reversing the decline of the listed St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown. The Group has campaigned and secured funding for essential safety repairs. Today, the building hosts an extensive programme of cultural events, and is planning its future in the cultural life of the city.
The Restoration Team maintains the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Strabane. The B+ listed structure, built 1866. The parish was mobilised and the community raised £200,000 towards urgent repairs, and a new exhibition space. Museum and tour guide training has been provided and a maintenance plan is being put in place.
Best Rescue of an Historic Building or Place under £1million
Jonathan and Lynne McCabe have nominated their restoration project, Arthur’s Boutique Guest Accommodation, Royal Hillsborough, a B2 listed property c1790, remodelled c1905. Repairs were conservation led, and traditional materials were used throughout Arthur’s was completed in 2022 and is open for business, as boutique accommodation, a unique offering in the village.
Roy McKeown has rescued Raceview Mill, Broughshane over a period of ten years. The site has five acres of buildings, and was in use in the 1830s as a flax mill. Buildings have been restored one by one and rented out, with proceeds reinvested into the next project. Today Raceview Mill houses 35 local companies, including a busy wedding and conference centre and bedroom units in converted riverside buildings.
Caledon Regeneration Partnership have restored and converted Caledon Wool Store into a crèche. Located in the Conservation Area, it was built in limestone and brick in 1823 as a store for the flour mill. It now provides much needed childcare support locally, creating a valuable community facility, local employment and generating capacity for further conservation work in the village.
Best Contribution to a Heritage Project by Young People
Primary schoolchildren participated in this intergenerational project to discover Fermanagh’s Vernacular Heritage and Social History. Children interviewed older relatives or neighbours, learning about life in the first half of the twentieth century and the characteristics of these rare buildings. The records are a valuable record of vernacular heritage.
Digging Deeper community archaeology digs took place over two years in a field near Lurgan known as Kilmocholmóg, translating as ‘church of my little Colman’. The Society organised visits from primary school groups and young people from a vocational training centre took part in the dig over three days. Iron Age and medieval finds have been revealed, unravelling the mystery of Kilmocholmóg.
The volunteers of Lisnaskea Historical Society have been nominated for their annual organisation of Old Tyme Market Day at the Corn Market Yard. Pupils dress in costumes and bring wares to sell at market, trading and bartering, and performing traditional music and entertainment. It is a great opportunity for children to learn about their local heritage outside the classroom.
Best Major Regeneration of an Historic Building or Place over £1 million
ALISON GORDON
OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL
Kieran and Alison led the regeneration of The Court House, Bangor, a B2 listed former bank and courthouse, dated 1866, on the At Risk register. The Court House achieved Northern Ireland’s first Community Asset Transfer in 2020. A crowdfunding campaign raised nearly £2m from local people and businesses, leveraging significant grant funding. It is Bangor’s only dedicated music and arts venue, hosting over 400 events in its first year.
Templemore Baths, Belfast received nominations from architects and the contractor. The B+ listed baths dated 1891 were reopened in 2023, following a £17m Belfast City Council project. Templemore combines heritage spaces with a modern leisure facility extension. The 130-year-old pool was restored to use and a Traditional Skills Academy was established. The team have engaged with the community throughout the project.
HEAD OF CONSTRUCTION, PRIMARK, BELFAST
Joseph O’Connor oversaw the restoration of Primark, Bank Buildings, Belfast. In 2018 a devastating fire broke out in the B1 building, built by Lynn c1900, leaving a burnt out shell. The building was stabilised, the locality re-opened to pedestrians, and the exterior restored by expert craftspeople. The store was engineered to sit inside the shell on new foundations which support the roof and cladding, preserving a Belfast landmark.
Best Craftsmanship or Apprentice of an Heritage Rescue or Repair Project
THE ROCK STONE MASONRY
Nathan Morrow has received two nominations for the craftsmanship carried out by his firm. At Drummonds’ Grave, kerbs were replaced with Donegal sandstone and cast iron collars fitted. At B+ listed Riddel’s Warehouse, they have carried out stone conservation repairs and cleaning, and repairs to front doors, internal repairs and overseen partial reroofing works. The Rock Stone Masonry regularly volunteer to demonstrate at events.
(JOINT NOMINATION)
Kieran Agnew has been nominated for wheat straw thatching the listed Sam’s Cottage, Hannastown. 19 year old Tommy McWilliams was encouraged by Kieran to work on re-thatching at his family’s property, the eighteenth century Keenaghan Cottage, Fermanagh, now award-winning holiday accommodation. Tommy has gone on to thatch full time with Kieran.
BCS PLASTERMOULDING
Bernard Cunningham undertook decorative fibrous plasterwork at the listed Fisherwick Farmhouse, former home of the Marquis of Donegall, c1790. The vaulted ceiling in the living room and the barrel ceiling in the dining room were repaired. Bernard has 36 years’ experience in his craft and is a member of Plaisterer’s Hall. He
lectures widely, and is an assessor for Construction Industry Training Board.
Best Research or Interpretation of a Historic Building or Place
Mapping Monuments researched an area of historic landscape by Lough Foyle estuary on the North Atlantic coastline. The area is the location of pioneering Ordnance Survey of Ireland mapping work carried out in 1846. Volunteers worked with trusts, universities and museums to record and interpret material, using best practice techniques for mapping reshaped landscapes.
Archaeologists Dr Paul Logue and Ciara MacManus collaborated in researching the archaeology and history of 10 High St. Their investigations and research led them to identify the building as mid-16th century or earlier, once belonging to the Dobbin merchant family. The findings have significantly advanced knowledge of Carrickfergus’s medieval past and will support its future exploration.
9ft in Common, Belfast highlights the overlooked heritage of Belfast’s forgotten alleyways, or “entries”, as they are locally known. Amberlea and Aisling mapped the alleys, explored their ownership and illustrated creative solutions for their transformation. An archive of stories has been developed into a series of resources, from walks to ‘how to’ guides, that encourage people to use the alleys in new ways.