Completed in 1880 to the designs of the celebrated Dublin instrument maker Howard Grubb, who also designed three telescopes for the building, the Crawford is one of the most important historic observatories in Europe. It had survived in a good state of preservation but a very poor state of repair, with some unsympathetic renovation work carried out to the roofs and interiors during the 1970s. We oversaw the complete conservation of the building, which included the repair of delicate wrought iron roof structures and new sheet copper finishes to the central dome and vaulted roofs of the wings.
Roof repairs were particularly complex as the dome rotates and contains an opening shutter, while the roof of one wing also includes a hatch operated on a system of counterbalances. The work also included the repair and re-pointing of external stonework, new cast iron gutters, extensive repair to internal timber panelling, new mechanical and electrical services throughout, landscaping works around the building and the creation of a new exhibition area and seminar room within two of the ground floor rooms.
*This project was completed by Howley Harrington Architects.
We oversaw the complete conservation of the building, which included the repair of delicate wrought iron roof structures and new sheet copper finishes to the central dome and vaulted roofs of the wings
