Fears railings at National Maternity Hospital were on the verge of collapsing

Ken Foxe

The master of the National Maternity Hospital expressed fears that the historic iron railings surrounding the hospital were on the verge of collapse.

In discussions over how to repair the nineteenth-century ironwork at Holles Street Hospital in Dublin, specialist contractors said it would cost in the region of €343,000 for a restoration and replacement programme.

However, they said that some of the railings were so severely damaged they could not be saved and that they also likely contained lead paint, which meant repair could not take place in the city centre.

A preliminary assessment of costs said: “Restoring the railings and gates on site is not an option apart from the fact that the work would be too noisy and dirty beside a hospital.

“We would propose to remove sections of railings, shot-blast, prime, restore, repaint and then re-erect and then move on to the next section.”

The master of the National Maternity Hospital Professor Shane Higgins, also wrote to the Irish Georgian Society in April saying he was worried some of the ironwork would give way.

Prof Higgins wrote: “The railings are in a serious state of disrepair, and we fear there is a risk of part of the railing potentially collapsing.

“We would be grateful for your advice as to how we should seek to repair [or] replace the railings and whether there would be any grants for which we might apply for that might assist us with this undertaking.”

In response, the Irish Georgian Society pointed to a list of skilled blacksmiths that could carry out the work involved, and suggested grants might be available from Dublin City Council next year.

The National Maternity Hospital had already been given an estimated cost of more than €340,000 for the work, exclusive of VAT, with the possibility of staggering the project across several years due to the cost.

An assessment said about 93 metres of bottom railing had lost more than “fifty percent of their original mass” and could not be saved.

It added: “Unfortunately, almost all the decorative rings and collar infill of the newel posts are heavily corroded, little can be restored, and most will have to be replaced.”

The assessment said there were 47 metres of railings facing onto Merrion Square that could be done in a first phase at a cost of around €116,000.

A second phase to restore and replace 135 metres of ironwork that runs along Holles Street – and which was in a poorer state of repair – had a cost estimate of just under €227,000.

Asked about the progress of the project, a spokesperson for the National Maternity Hospital said: “The issue is still under consideration and all options are being examined.”