Rye Bridge - Pound Street - Gallivans Cross

The stone piers and wrought iron gates to Leixlip Castle are an attractive feature in the town. They are located on a direct axis with Pound Street when approached from Maynooth. The Gate Lodge is also visible behind the wall and indicates that an estate residence is present.

The Glebe House is on a direct axis with Main Street. The three storey scale and the generous proportion of the facade help to enclose and terminate the Main Street.

The juxtaposition of the coach house building further emphasises the scale of the Glebe House. The masonry arch between these two buildings is also an attractive feature.

K The footpath is broken on the west side of the road from Rye river bridge to the Ryevale Tavern. The re-design and alignment of this footpath should be considered by Kildare County Council to provide a continuity. The material used should be appropriate for
the entrance to Leixlip Castle with the possible use of natural stone. The levels and alignment should be carefully considered to provide vehicular access to the castle and to provide safe pedestrian passage. A planted
area could also be considered to the left-hand side of the gate to Leixlip Castle.

P The original Ryevale Tavern building has traditional scale and proportion. The owners should be encouraged to replace the u.P.V.C. windows with un-down sash windows. The recent construction of the O-Zone nightclub provided a new feature to Pound Street. The
opening between the original building and the O-Zone octagonal building provides access to a substantial car park.

This opening breaks the streetscape and provides a view to a tiered carpark and cut-away bank of earth. The owners should be encouraged to consider having the entrance re-designed to give a greater sense of enclosure to the car park. The use of appropriate piers and landscaping would bring a better defined edge to the streetscape.

The original terrace from the Ryevale Tavern to Philip Blakes Pharmacy was demolished and re-constructed in a similar scale and proportion with the inclusion of the octagonal
element.

P Encourage the owner of the vacant corner unit to occupy or let the buildings.

P The building formerly Aquarius lighting is now occupied by the DIY/ Hardware shop. The owners should consider a re-development which would help to consolidate the town centre and respect the existing
residential use adjacent.

K The Old Hill provides a pleasant pedestrian access to the Celbridge Road. The condition of the road is generally in need of upgrading.

K The lighting to the Old Hill is poor and should be replaced to match the lamp standard on the Main Street.

K The surface treatment is uneven and inconsistent and should be re-designed and re-surfaced. The grass bank and footpath edge treatment should be defined with the use of a low retaining wall and appropriate
landscaping.

There are the remains of a natural well on the left hand side which is indicated on the map of Leixlip of 1752.

K Architectural, conservation and historical advice should be sought to clarify the appropriate preservation of this antiquity.

K The road and pavement treatment at the junction of Old Hill and Celbridge road is poorly defined. This area is particularly busy with vehicular and pedestrian movement as children are arriving and departing at Scoil
Ui Dhalaigh. The footpath edge and roadway should be clearly defined by the use of different surface treatments.

P The palisade fence to Scoil Ui Dhalaigh has an industrial appearance and is inappropriate. The school board and Department of Education should be encouraged to remove the palisade fence and replace it with a low capped wall and wrought iron fence or a
similar appropriate treatment.

P The Roman Catholic Church, stone wall and arched pedestrian entrance provide an attractive entrance to the town centre. The church car park entrance, however, detracts from the overall setting. The Church should be encouraged to define the boundary with the use of a stone wall, piers and/or landscaping.

K The riverside walk opposite Pound street is
continually maintained and is a very pleasant amenity close to the town centre. The recently erected interpretative panel highlights the flora, fauna and history of the Liffey and Rye rivers and signals the entrance to the park. The park is well used and its continued development should be encouraged.

P The E.S.B. overhead cables and the telegraph poles are unsightly. The E.S.B. should be encouraged to relocate the poles or to carry the cabling underground.