Drogheda: Scotch Hall Experience
- This topic has 29 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 3 months ago by
Devin.
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November 24, 2005 at 12:25 pm #708257
BTH
ParticipantPassing through Drogheda I couldn’t resist stopping to have a look at the new Scotch Hall development. Designed by Douglas Wallace for Gerry Barrett’s Edward Holdings it’s a huge mixed use scheme containing a major shopping mall, the “d” hotel, apartments and offices and included the construction of a new bridge to link the scheme with the town centre.
I wasn’t expecting it to be so good! It isn’t perfect but it’s way way ahead of everything else in this country, including the much hyped Dundrum Town Centre. The exterior is mad, particularly the riverside elevation with it’s array of forms, materials and fragments of old docklands warehouses – but somehow it works and creates a very exciting composition when combined with the bridge.
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November 24, 2005 at 12:56 pm #763327
BTH
ParticipantThe incorporation of the major warehouses is exemplary – they have been beautifully restored and create a really interesting heart to the shopping centre. It’ll be great when the planned restaurants and cafe’s open up and activate the spaces. The malls themselves, though somewhat lacking in natural light owing to the high density, have great personality and individuality within a very controlled and tasteful palette of materials. I have to say I really enjoyed just walking around inside the building which isn’t something I can say about any other shopping centre! And the escalator space with all the blue lights is really cool and sci-fi!
The rear and side of the scheme arent so exciting but the manner in which the multi-storey carpark has been screened with the hotel is also exemplary. Loading bays and access appear to have been hidden away under the building and have minimal impact externally.
I could be really picky and point up a few niggles and issues with various things but the net result is still a great, visionary piece of urbanism, shopping centre design and an example to developers throughout the country of how things should be done.
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November 24, 2005 at 3:41 pm #763328
Anonymous
Participantis that bridge there now or is it a proposal? i like it.
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November 24, 2005 at 3:51 pm #763329
BTH
ParticipantIts real alright! It’s extremely simple and elegant and hits the quay walls with a minimum of fuss… My panorama at the top didn’t quite work out so thats maybe why it looks a bit strange as does the copper box on the right hand side…
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November 24, 2005 at 6:31 pm #763330
Anonymous
Participantthey are nice images.
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November 24, 2005 at 7:04 pm #763331
BTH
ParticipantThanks alpha – I have to say the Sony K750i camera phone was a great investment – it takes lovely pictures and I always have it with me…
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November 24, 2005 at 7:27 pm #763332
Rory W
ParticipantIt’s called the de Lacy bridge after the founder of Drogheda Hugh de Lacy, nice bridge with a slight gradient on it. The boardwalk area in front of the building is to play host to a farmers market which will be good during the summer.
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November 24, 2005 at 9:45 pm #763333
GrahamH
ParticipantNice bridge in itself, but yawn, it’s in every town and village across Europe at this stage. Calatrava’s illegitimates.
And like the James Joyce in Dublin, it looks out of context – appearing especially ridiculous looking down from the rail bridge (not that this should be the reference point of all design in the town of course :)).
Drogheda is such a moody, atmospherically gloomy place; this bridge comes across as a desperate attempt to sex the place up and just looks silly I think.Scotch Hall looks good all in all, thanks for the pictures BTH. This area in particular is a lovely space:
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November 24, 2005 at 11:08 pm #763334
Anonymous
Participanti like the bridge itself but not the location. i agree that it is a bit out of context. i wonder is that bridge above a bit longer than the james joyce bridge? it certainly is slender.
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December 1, 2005 at 4:18 pm #763335
Rory W
ParticipantGraham Hickey wrote:Drogheda is such a moody, atmospherically gloomy place]Ah now – you make it sound so dramatic :rolleyes:
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December 1, 2005 at 5:12 pm #763336
rebel_city
ParticipantJust wondering what kind of retailers are located there? It looks impressive.
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December 1, 2005 at 5:23 pm #763337
BTH
ParticipantIt’s a fairly standard mix rebel_city – unfortunately Dunnes Stores have done their usual trick of outbidding every other major retailer for the anchor store – A M&S or Debenhams here would have really improved things. Theres an impressive HMV, a huge Next and all the usual suspects…
Dunnes are unbelievable, I don’t know how they can sustain so many multiple stores in towns and cities around the country. For example in Galway there are two major ones in the city centre, another big one at westside shopping centre and they are to be the anchor tenants in two more big developments on the east and west sides of the city, having outbid Tescos and Superquinn for both leases. They arerumoured to be the anchor in the new Oranmore town centre development as well…
I know it’s an indigenous company and all and that the standard of their shops is always rising but a bit more variety in the market would be nice! -
December 1, 2005 at 5:47 pm #763338
Anonymous
InactiveAgree that M&S would be nice but they have their problems. Dunnes are neck and neck in the race with Tesco. Superquinn is not really a contender ( a food-only store’s margins are too tight), so if Dunnes or Tesco do not win, you will get either Aldi or Lidl.
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December 1, 2005 at 5:58 pm #763339
BTH
ParticipantSort of off the subject but in Galway both Tesco and Superquinn have been trying desperately to get a site in the city somewhere, but every development proposed has ended up with Dunnes Stores… They must have a lot of money behind them! As it stands Galway has 3 Dunnes supermarkets (I forgot the Dunnes at Terryland!) and one useless Tesco – a former quinnsworth in the abysmal Glaway Shopping Centre. The city is very poorly served for grocery shopping and it’s a pity that even newer developments are going to be more of the same…
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December 1, 2005 at 6:56 pm #763340
Morlan
ParticipantFair play to Dunnes for outbidding the others. I don’t like the idea of Tesco dominating the Irish market.
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December 3, 2005 at 4:00 am #763341
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December 5, 2005 at 7:03 pm #763342
Rory W
ParticipantThat’s because the Railway station is before you come to the Bridge!!!:D
Scotch Hall website
http://www.scotch-hall.com/The D Hotel
http://www.thedhotel.com/d/index.asp -
December 6, 2005 at 12:47 pm #763343
lexington
Participant@Rory W wrote:
That’s because the Railway station is before you come to the Bridge!!!:D
Scotch Hall website
http://www.scotch-hall.com/Re: website – ‘Scotch Hall Experience: SHE has arrived!’
Clearly a moment of inspiration with the Director of Marketing following a visit by his mother-in-law. 😀
I think the weather in the image above doesn’t do Drogheda any favours either, looking forward to visiting SH on my way up to Dundalk.
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December 6, 2005 at 7:32 pm #763344
GrahamH
ParticipantAnd to be fair, the town looked simply stunning in the dying winter sunlight this afternoon – alas no camera.
In any case the permanent layers of filth that reside on Enterprise windows would have precluded any decent shot from being captured :rolleyes: -
December 7, 2005 at 8:43 am #763345
corcaighboy
ParticipantNice photos BTH,,,thanks for those. Looks like a nice development to me….certainly much better than The Marshes Shopping Centre. Also like the Bridge…a bit daring in design perhaps, but nothing wrong in that.
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December 7, 2005 at 4:04 pm #763346
Pepsi
ParticipantI like the bridge too.
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April 3, 2006 at 10:14 pm #763347
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April 3, 2006 at 10:47 pm #763348
Anonymous
Participantah so the sun does shine in Drogheda 🙂 nice pics devin.
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April 4, 2006 at 1:58 am #763349
GrahamH
ParticipantPffft – I take you happy clappy Wogan’s Interiors and raise you the glorious St. Peter’s:
Moody I tell ya – moody 🙂
Nice pics there – the St. Laurence Gate is a great feature in the town. Surprised it wasn’t knocked in 1963 as a ‘hinderance to the flow of traffic and the wider economic expansionary needs of the conurbation’ :rolleyes:
Drogheda is really looking up of late – got a great mix of (really) ancient heritage, contemporary developments, and everything in between, as the above pictures demonstrate. Quite a few remnants of 1950s Ireland about – even 1970s Ireland which are becoming increasingly (and for the most part thankfully) rare.
Just a pity about the dross that’s enveloping every field in a mile radius of the town. -
April 11, 2006 at 12:53 am #763350
Devin
ParticipantThat’s moody, for sure!
Who designed the pedestrian bridge anyway? McGarry NiEanaighs? Just guessing cos the deck & rails are similar to their Cork bridge and boardwalk.
One thing I find weird about the bridge is that it’s so narrow. There’s a constant procession of people across it and it could have done with being a bit more generous in the width department. -
April 11, 2006 at 1:11 am #763351
Paul Clerkin
KeymasterDouglas Wallace I think….
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April 11, 2006 at 1:12 am #763352
Paul Clerkin
Keymaster -
April 11, 2006 at 1:06 pm #763353
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April 11, 2006 at 2:01 pm #763354
Rory W
Participant@Devin wrote:
One thing I find weird about the bridge is that it’s so narrow. There’s a constant procession of people across it and it could have done with being a bit more generous in the width department.
I think the bridge works well because it’s narrow – any poor ejit that stops on the bridge for a chat is quickly moved on by force of numbers – great, keeps everything moving
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April 11, 2006 at 11:30 pm #763355
Devin
ParticipantYes, granted the slenderness is attractive.
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