Drogheda: Scotch Hall Experience
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Passing 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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The 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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Nice 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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It’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! -
Agree 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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Sort 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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@Rory W wrote:
Ah now – you make it sound so dramatic :rolleyes:
But it is a gloomy, moody place:
It’s funny that nobody who lives in Drogheda gets to see the town from their own railway bridge 🙂
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That’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 -
@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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@Graham Hickey wrote:
But it is a gloomy, moody place
Don’t know what you mean. I was there yesterday and it was lovely! 🙂
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Pffft – 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. -
That’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. -
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@Paul Clerkin wrote:
Douglas Wallace I think….
The bridge was designed by Douglas Wallace Architects indeed.
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@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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