Portlaoise
Construction offices are located at Grattan House in Grattan Business
Centre, Portlaoise. Portlaoise Construction share Grattan House with government
offices who have modern office accommodation in the basement and upper
floors. Portlaoise Construction are very proud of their offices & the
new look obtained in Grattan Business Centre as by the close of the 20th
century the former County Infirmary had fallen into serious disrepair
and was no longer suitable for its purpose.
Laois County Council advertised the Infirmary and grounds for sale by public tender and it was subsequently purchased by Portlaoise Construction Company Ltd in 2001.
The brown-field lands to the rear of the old Infirmary were developed and feature the Stradbrook apartment scheme and childcare facility. The Infirmary itself was extensively renovated and its architectural features preserved in line with best international conservation practice. This project alone took in excess of 12 months to complete and involved a complete replacement of the roof, renovation of the original sash windows, substantial structural underpinning and bracing to the rear of the building, strengthening of the timber floors throughout and repair and redecoration internally using conservation grade plasters and paints which were sympathetic to a building of this age.
 Grattan House 2001 |
 Grattan House 2006 |
The old County Infirmary is now called "Grattan House", in honour of its original benefactor, James Grattan. The building is complemented by two new pavilion structures, which flank Grattan House to the west and to the east. The completed complex is now called Grattan Business Centre.
The history of the old County Infirmary can be traced back to 1808 where it has undergone numerous transformations outlined in this historical summary below.
New Queen's County Infirmary opened in 1808
John
Jacob (1754- 1827) was surgeon of the first County Infirmary at Fort Protector,
Maryborough in 1806. Finding the conditions there to be deplorable, he
supported the efforts of local gentry in securing a site for a new hospital.
James Grattan, son of the Irish Parliamentarian, who lived at Vicarstown,
Queen's County, donated £4,400 to the project. A stone tablet was later
erected by the Governors of the Infirmary, in honour of the principal
benefactor, after James Grattan's death in 1854. This plaque can still
be clearly seen today in the foyer of the conserved building.
A suitable site for the new Infirmary was acquired at the Dublin Road in 1807. This site contained little over an acre of ground and was given over by Lieut. General Sir Eyre Coote of Ballyfin House, on a long lease at a yearly rent of £20-19-03/4. In the following year a similar adjacent lot was acquired from Thomas Parnell at a yearly rent of five shillings, on which a dispensary was built for the treatment of out-patients.
The Infirmary, which was built to provide badly needed medical care for the poor of the county, had eleven wards, capable of accommodating 5 patients each.
The accounts for 1811 show receipts of £600 from county presentments, other income came from parliamentary grant, public subscriptions, court fines and poor boxes.
On the expenditure side provisions came to £326-0-2, of which approximately £250 was spent on bread and milk, £20 on beer, medicines cost £126-11-0; firing, soap and candles cost almost £100 and expenditure on clothing amounted to £34-16-1.
The number of patients treated in 1811 totalled 179, of which 115 were cured, 30 were discharged as externs, 4 died, 3 "eloped" and 11 remained in the house according to the 1811 Report. There were 1,947 "extern" patients treated.
The last hundred years
Dr
N.J. Blayney was elected Surgeon to the Infirmary on the removal of Dr
William Jacob from the position by Queen's County Council in 1900. On
25th May 1910, the tender of Mr. Pat Grant for £403-15-0 was accepted
for renovations at the infirmary, including alterations to the surgery.
Later that year Lady Coote laid the foundation stone for a tuberculosis
unit which was named: "Queen's County Sanatorium".
Despite the political tensions within the country resulting from the Home Rule issue and the start of WWI and the later momentous events of 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War, politics only once raised its head at Infirmary meetings. Voices were raised in criticism of the importation of arms by the Ulster Volunteer Force. Due to the death of Dr Blayney a special meeting was called on 7th April 1919 to elect a new surgeon. Monsignor Murphy, who was parish priest of Portlaoise from 1901- 1941, presided. Dr Michael O'Connell was elected.
A new county hospital, designed by architect Michael Scott in 1935, was built and operational by the late 1930s. The now redundant Infirmary was put to a variety of uses for the remainder of the century. The Irish Army occupied the building during the Second World War. A number of County Council departments were accommodated there until the opening of the new County Hall in 1981, including Motor Taxation, Planning and Civil Defence. Also by this time an industrial structure had been added to the rear of the building for the repair and maintenance of the Council's plant and machinery, while the grounds of the Infirmary served as the County's machinery yard with other single storey sheds constructed on the site's perimeter.
Acknowledgement
The developers: G & L Property Investments Ltd and the contractors: Portlaoise Construction Company Ltd would like to acknowledge the work of their own staff, sub-contractors, professional design team and suppliers of goods and services for their input into the conservation of the former County Infirmary and the development of the grounds, now known collectively as: Grattan Business Centre and Stradbrook.
We would especially like to acknowledge the generous assistance from writer and historian Teddy Fennelly, Portlaoise who carried out historical research in addition to supplying photographs and documents.