CARTON HOTEL, CARTON DEMESNE, CO KILDARE

This €82.5 million project comprised the restoration of Carton House, a former home to the Dukes of Leinster and one of the grandest Palladian mansions in Britain and Ireland, and its transformation into a world-class hotel and resort. The scheme is an intriguing mix of the conservation and conversion of the original house and the integration of contemporary new-build elements.

From the very beginning MÓLA’s architectural solution sought to maintain the integrity of the main house, and looked to discreetly integrate the hotel into the screened pockets of land stretching eastward along the axis of the house. The new development was designed along a linear spine parallel to the avenue wall. The single largest element of the hotel, the bedroom block, was designed to slot in behind a mature copse of cedar trees, which successfully screens the three storey block from the main vista of the house.

One of the features of the site was that it had no ‘back’ - everywhere is on view. MÓLA introduced a parallel spine underground which continues for almost half a mile, and connects the main house basement to the service yard, at the far end of the avenue wall. Deliveries are made into the service yard and then transported along the tunnel in buggies. Thus this traffic and unsightly function is removed from the environs of the main house.

The conservation work began in Spring of 2000 with the stoneworks package. An extensive project in its own right, it necessitated each of the main elevations being fully scaffolded for almost a year. The approach to the conservation of the timber sliding sash windows was one of minimum intervention, with the majority of the damaged timber being retained and repaired using a specialist resin, rather than being replaced with modern timber. The existing glass was protected and retained. Where this was not possible, salvaged or horticultural glass was used to maintain the character of the windows.

In March 2004 the main hotel project restarted with a new hotel operator. This phase involved the conservation and sensitive conversion of the interior of the main house and the sympathetic integration of new-build elements. The interior of the main house has been sensitively converted to accommodate 18 luxury hotel suites on the upper floors and public and banqueting rooms on the ground floor with minimal intervention to the existing building. The old farmyard has been transformed into the new Spa and Treatment Rooms.

The new-build sections of the project are broken down into their elements so that the largest single building is the new, three storey, bedroom block. This block is completely screened from the principal protected vistas of the main house by a bank of ancient Cedar trees. The remaining new-build elements, including a restaurant and conference facility, are located within the original building zone and are connected to the main house by glazed corridors. This approach was informed by our key design principal of minimising intervention to the protected structures and ensuring the transition from old to new is as clear and minimal as possible.

The conservation and transformation of Carton House was completed May 2006. In the 15 years of considered and detailed planning and sensitive intervention it has taken to come to fruition, the design intention was at all times to be respectful of the significant historical legacy and unique landscape. This project has also ensured the survival of the house, the estate and its remarkable history and with it provides for the enjoyment of future generations.

In conjunction to the restoration of Carton House and the Carton Hotel project MÓLA undertook a number of additional projects including the Golf Clubhouse (completed May 2004) and the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) Headquarters, Golf Museum and Golf Academy (completed 2006). Both projects comprised the conservation of existing buildings and the construction and sensitive integration of new-build accommodation.
The development of the estate includes the construction of 140 luxury, private homes which have been sensitively designed to blend within the fabric of the historic estate and maximise the spectacular views on offer.