St James's Graveyard
CONSERVATION PROJECT
LANDSCAPE & DESIGN
The landscape and design plan looks to install a new pathway through St James’s Graveyard. This new plan will enhance safety and wayfinding, and the enjoyment and interpretation of the site for visitors or locals for passive recreation and repose. The landscape and design process is currently in Phase 1 of planning, you can read about the design concept and see sketches of the proposed plan below.
DESIGN CONCEPT
Themes: Memory & Amenity
Use of historic map analysis and archaeological investigation are being used determine the location of the former pathways in the graveyard. Those existing pathways would be likely to have the least risk in terms of disturbance of remains and memorials. Their guiding principle will look to reduce impacts on the archaeology of the site, by floating or building up above it, rather than inserting piles or intrusive founds.
The pathway will consist of both hard and soft surfaces, creating bowers and islands in the graveyard through introducing fill for space to sit and relax, with the settings of the monuments being planted out to provide variety of colour and texture. They will seek to repair the monuments to the extent of reducing or removing the agents of decay or instability, but not to the extent that the historic character of an ancient graveyard is not lost by over-restoration.
Phase 1: Graveyard Interpretation Drawing courtesy of Dermot Foley Landscape Architects
Phase 1: Graveyard Timelapse Video courtesy of Dermot Foley Landscape Architects
Dermot Foley Landscape Architects are one of the leading practices in their field in Ireland, and a frequent collaborator with Howley Hayes Architects. They are responsible for a number of ongoing park projects for DCC such as St Audoen’s, Bridgefoot Street and Wolfe Tone Park, all of which are in sensitive sites. They were also on the team for the conservation of Mountjoy Square and a number of other historic parks around the city. They will be leading the landscape design plan and ecology and biodiversity management plan for the conservation works of St James’s Graveyard.
Phase 1: Graveyard Interpretation Drawing courtesy of Dermot Foley Landscape Architects
