Discussions held on possible purchase of historic building in Tipperary

District Administrator Carol Creighton told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that she had been in contact with the owners of the former DW Parkes Chemist shop in Gladstone Street, Clonmel and had been dealing with the property section of Tipperary County Council to see if they were interested in purchasing the building.

She was responding to a request by Cllr Michael Murphy, who said there was still hoarding around the premises, and people were asking for an update on this historic building.

He said it was one of the jewels in terms of shop fronts in the town centre, and he understood that the building is for sale.

The former chemist shop and opticians has been closed for many years and the building is listed as a protected structure.

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, run by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has documented the building as “a notable feature on the streetscape” in Clonmel.

It noted that “the well-crafted and designed shop front is an unusual feature in a town whose shop fronts are largely recent and, along with the cast iron railings, adds considerable artistic interest to the site”.

A painting of the shop front went on public view at Sotheby’s saleroom in London’s New Bond Street eight years ago.

The painting, titled Prescriptions Accurately Prepared, by John Doherty, went under the hammer in 2016 in Sotheby’s Irish Art sale, one of the key events in the art market calendar.

Kilkenny-born Mr Doherty is an architect-turned-painter who is well-known for his paintings of Irish shops and pubs.