Dunboyne Architectural Conservation Area
Historical Development and Layout
Dunboyne was established as one of the secondary Anglo-Normal settlements in Meath and was a market centre for the barony. The morphology of the town is quite complex. Initially a manorial village with a substantial medieval church both located to the north of the castle demesne, in the course of the nineteenth century it developed attributes both of a chapel village and that of an estate village
Summary of Special Character
The special character of Dunboyne is derived from an overlapping of features derived from its long historical development. Its manorial origin is reinforced by the presence of Dunboyne Castle to the south and the medieval church tower, tucked away to the west and away from later developments. This western axis of church and castle is one important aspect of the character of Dunboyne. Another major element is the rectangular green, east of the medieval core, and carved out of the demesne in the early nineteenth-century. Within this area the tree-lined triangular green space provides a haven of tranquillity from busy routes through the town. The mature trees are important in that they give a sense of scale and unity to the space.
Another characteristic of Dunboyne is the predominance of early twentieth-century buildings – Brady’s (Dunboyne House), the former National School, terraced two storey houses on the Green and Navan Road reflect early twentieth-century re-ordering of a more vernacular landscape of low thatched houses seen in older photographs. Slightly earlier and more formal architecture was represented by Dunboyne Cottage and the Parochial House, the T-Plan church of c.1800, the initial focus of the green was demolished in 1993, while its replacement had been built nearly forty years earlier.
Objectives:
1. To preserve the character of the village and its setting by requiring that the height, scale, and design of any proposed development within the village core and adjoining area should complement the character of the village and not diminish its distinctiveness of place.
2. To encourage the removal of visually intrusive elements such as overhead cables or inappropriate signage.
3. To require the preservation and re-instatement of traditional details and materials on existing buildings and the streetscape where improvements or maintenance works are being carried out.
A detailed statement of character and planning guidance is available to download from the website –