Hazelwood House & Demesne

Consisting of an early 18th century Richard Castle-designed house, and associated other protected structures, with a large 20th century former factory to its rear, the owners of Hazelwood House & Demesne intend to conserve, repair and develop the historic buildings and wider landscape for visitor access, to be supported by development of the industrial complex for large scale whiskey production. In 2024 a ten-year planning permission was granted by Sligo County Council.

Following invited competition in 2022, Howley Hayes Cooney Architecture was appointed as conservation lead to the overall masterplan for Hazelwood House & Demesne, and primarily to lead the design development of historic elements of the brief. The Palladian-style house is to be repurposed for visitor experiences including exhibition spaces and tasting rooms, with support spaces strategically located to accommodate staff for the entire site. Ancillary former stableyard buildings will become the entrance hub for arriving visitors via a new car park at the rear, or from along the restored historic avenue at the front. The existing stable structures will be sensitively adapted to accommodate a new public cafe, public WCs, and retail experiences.

Within the wider site, the historic walled garden will be restored to include a new gardener’s workshop. Elsewhere, other ruined structures will be structurally repaired and repurposed for new uses. A considered landscape proposal sees the removal of trees which obstruct views of the main facade of the house. In the rear garden, the existing sloped terraces will be extended towards the redeveloped factory building, and an extensive planting regime will obscure and appropriately frame carefully considered views between the historic house and the modern industrial complex.