Octagon Under Lock And Key

Octagon works 10JUNE23

t was perhaps inevitable that the restoration works nearing completion at the Octagon Folly would be a target for vandalism.

A brand new coat of paint, fresh plastering – well, how could any full-blooded, mouth-breathing idiot resist…?

And so it proved at the end of May, as the lower chamber’s still-wet plastering offered up the perfect canvas to let the world know that Tara Loves Rosa, Ryan Loves Goose and Doyler has just figured out that it’s 2023.

Meanwhile, DB, EB and AD might just be surrealists at heart, expressing their mixed feelings about the state of the world today through one four-lettered word; bins.

The Octagon has long attracted party people and hardly people, and such pillars will no doubt be drawn by this brand spanking new makeover. Which is why the Office of Public Works – who are overseeing the restoration – have installed metal steel rails on the windows and locked steel doors at the entrance of the lower chamber, where graffiti has long been a problem.

We covered the details of the restoration before, and when we got in touch with the OPW earlier this week to find out more about their security plans for this historic building, they sent us the following… .

The Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve is owned by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, this 59ha site is managed mainly for Nature Conservation and attracts thousands of visitors annually. NPWS  are delighted to have the Octagon Folly within the Nature Reserve.

The folly is an important historical feature in the area and a focal point for the many visitors that walk the many woodland trails and paths in the Reserve. Over many decades the old building has deteriorated, due to weather and lack of maintenance, and has been inundated with vegetation that has further damaged the building’s fabric. In addition, the lower chamber in particular has suffered from many years of anti-social activity and extensive damage to the interior walls from graffiti and vandalism.  

In late 2022, under the guidance of their  Architectural Advisor, NPWS have engaged conservation architects and conservation builders to conserve the building for future generations.

Pic: Tina Kavanagh

This work is nearing completion and main conservation works, steel railing and securing of the lower chamber will be completed in the coming weeks. Additionally there will be some seating areas for visitors and interpretive panels.

It is hoped that by this provision of  information  on the history, significance of the building and its importance in the landscape of the Glen of the Downs may in some small way help to protect the Octagon from anti-social activity.  

Here’s hoping. You can find out more about the Octagon’s history here, and about the main Bellevue House residents that had it built as their fancy-pants viewing rock right here.