Patrickswell Station was designed by Joshua Hargrave Jnr., architect and was completed in 1854 for the sum £1,300 .The station remained in operation until 1976 , after which time the building became progressively derelict.The property was subsequently purchased by an engineering practice in 2001 with a view to adapting the building as the companys’ office.
The clients schedule of accommodation dictated that the existing footprint be extended and in order to preserve and enrich the integrity of the existing structure and site, it was decided to enclose the original service yard and part of the platform.A new double height open plan office area abuts the Eastern gable wall of the original building and is constructed with a steel structural frame which fulfils two roles.
Steel columns and curved roof beams are independent from existing stone walls which allows for future removal of interventions without damage to the original building fabric.Secondly , new build elements are clearly identifiable , juxtaposed against the original forms.A masonry rendered wall encloses the railway platform canopy. This provides a location for the main waiting / reception area , echoing the original use of the platform where people awaited carriage for over a century.
External timber doors and windows have been provided to match Hargraves original drawings and matching slates used on pitched roofs .These materials while similar to original building elements , are identifiable as modern interventions.
The new Limerick – Cork roadway runs parallel to the original tracks and the re-inhabited railway station is again viewed as a landmark signalling the entry point to Patrickswell village.
