Local Authority Graveyard

Explorer Tom St Luke's Church of Ireland Church in Douglas is actually a sexton’s house built in 1879. It has an L-plan and box bay windows, reminding you that someone used to live there just to keep the graveyard tidy.

Explorer Tom School in Douglas was built for boys but now it’s a studio, which is a bit of a gender-bender move. It’s simple and unembellished, so if you hear any maths being shouted at you, just ignore it.

Explorer Tom John Slye Scout Hall was a school where the windows were designed to let in more light than excuses for being late. Best visited with a crayon because the limestone plaque thinks you’re still seven and need colouring books.

Explorer Tom St Columba's Roman Catholic Church has been around since 1814 and still looks sharp enough to cut glass. The inside is all stained glass and fancy carving, but from the outside it’s just a very well-kept gable-fronted box in Douglas.

Explorer Tom Bridge in Douglas is a single-arch road bridge from around 1820. It carries Carrigaline Road over Church Road using dressed limestone voussoirs. It’s been doing this job for two centuries and still looks solid. Check the stonework, it’s quite fancy for a bridge.

Explorer Tom River View in Douglas is a T-shaped house from 1892 that’s all about those sleek Classical mouldings. It’s set back from the street, playing hard to get. I bet it has a secret view of the river just for you.

Explorer Tom The Rectory in Ardarrig is secretly proud of one specific potato that grew in its garden back in the day. It’s a handsome reminder of how well the Church could house its clergy in the nineteenth century. It still looks like it expects a vicar to walk in and ask for tea, so keep your expectations low.

Explorer Tom Saint Columba's Boys National School looks like it got lost on the way to a concrete factory and decided to stay for the light. The polychromatic brick is doing its best to look modern, but it's really just trying too hard. A huge hug from me to that eye-catching tower, it needs one!

Explorer Tom Ballybrack House has been altered over the centuries, but it still looks interesting with its box bay window. Built around 1820, it’s got a mix of old and new styles. Go and see if you can spot the round-headed stairwell window!

Explorer Tom Douglas Commercial Estate in Grange used to spin wool for half of Ireland before it became a retail outlet selling phone chargers. The light floods in from those massive windows, illuminating every regret you made buying that shirt. It’s a fashion disaster waiting to happen.

Explorer Tom Father Matthew is a monument to a man who probably had a ghost that was too lazy to haunt it because the paperwork was too complicated and annoying. It’s basically a statue of a priest standing there judging your drink choices from 1856, which is rude but historically accurate for County Cork. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Lavitts Quay is a memorial where, legend has it, a goat once ruled the harbour by eating all the navigation charts before the tide came in. Now it’s just rocks and stories, but if you look closely, you can still see the hoofprints of that terrible beast. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.