Planners sets out strict terms for Lynch’s Castle repairs

Galway City Council has set out strict guidelines for plans by AIB to carry out structural repairs to Lynch’s Castle.

The bank had sought planning permission for masonry repairs because damage has been caused by corroding iron cramps.

Permission was approved for the work, but a conservation architect and an archaeologist must form part of an expert team working on the building, which is a National Monument and a Protected Structure.

Planners have also ordered that only hand tools can be used to loosen mortar between stone, and that the iron cramps be kept for further study.

“Only the conservator should loosen any stonework by hand around the lintels requiring repair.

“[The work] shall be carried out by skilled and experienced craftspeople. Adequate protection must be provided to the fabric and feature of the building and particularly the carved stonework, to prevent any damage.

“A qualified archaeologist shall be included as a member of the expert team overseeing the project to work in conjunction with the conservation architect to ensure the appropriate protection.

“Should previously unrecorded archaeological features/material be found during the course of works, all work on the site shall be stopped pending a decision as to how best to deal with the archaeology,” planners ordered.

AIB explained that damage has been occurring to stonework at the Castle.

“The works are intended to address structural damage that is occurring to stonework above window openings at the castle building. The damage is occurring due to the corrosion of embedded iron cramps that are built into the walls.

“As the corroding iron swells, it is damaging the adjacent stones and forcing them apart, resulting in loss of support to sections of wall directly above the window lintels. Active damage is thought to be occurring to two window openings on Shop Street and first floor level and a further window opening at second floor.

“One of the first floor openings has been temporarily propped until repair works can be carried out, and whilst there is no immediate risk of further damage occurring to that window, the temporary casing around the window opening has a negative impact on the appearance of this important city centre building.

“Damage will continue to the other window openings that have been identified until they are either propped up or the corroding metalwork removed and the openings re-supported.”

The proposed programme of work is intended to address these defects in phases of short duration, starting with the two windows at first floor level on Shop Street later this year and a single window at second floor level in 2015.

“Work also proposed this year will include a metal detection survey which will be used to confirm the cause of damage to the window heads that are not currently propped, before undertaking any opening-up works, and identify any other areas where embedded iron cramps may be present,” the bank said.