Heritage buildings and recorded monuments in County Wicklow

County Wicklow has 1,293 buildings on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and 3,089 sites on the Sites and Monuments Record. Either can shape what you are allowed to do with a home — an extension, new windows, a change to the roof — so it is worth knowing which applies before you buy.

Buildings on the National Inventory

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is a county-by-county survey of buildings of architectural, historical or social interest, each with a rating from Local to International. County Wicklow ranks 14th of the 26 counties by recorded buildings. Councils draw on the inventory when deciding what to add to their Record of Protected Structures — and a Protected Structure needs permission for works that would otherwise be exempt, inside as well as out. If the home you are buying is on the inventory, ask the council whether it is on the Record, before you plan any changes.

Recorded monuments

The Sites and Monuments Record maps known archaeological sites, from prehistoric burial sites to medieval churches and 17th-century houses. The most common in County Wicklow:

• Enclosure: 456
• Ringfort - rath: 197
• Church: 157
• Hut site: 129
• Graveyard: 117

Each monument has a zone of notification around it. Works within that zone can require notice to the National Monuments Service before you start, and planning permission may carry archaeological conditions — monitoring during groundworks, for example. That rarely stops a purchase, but it can change the cost and timing of an extension.

Recorded monuments by county

• Cork19,153
• Kerry13,762
• Galway12,511
• Tipperary9,258
• Clare9,019
• Mayo8,864
• Limerick8,396
• Sligo6,679
• Roscommon6,597
• Kilkenny5,555
• Meath4,921
• Offaly4,879
• Westmeath4,540
• Dublin4,224
• Wexford3,978
• Donegal3,647
• Waterford3,468
• Wicklow3,089
• Kildare3,086
• Longford2,659
• Cavan2,475
• Louth2,461
• Leitrim2,305
• Laois2,216
• Carlow1,940
• Monaghan1,626

Figures: the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; CC BY 4.0), counted by each record's own county field. North and South Tipperary are combined.

What else to read closely in County Wicklow

Coastal towns warrant the flood check; upland rural homes lean on septic & wastewater and groundwater. Protected landscapes mean the designated-areas check can matter for extensions and works.

How a VeriSale report checks it for one address

VeriSale reads three records for the property: heritage-inventory buildings within 75 m (the property and its immediate neighbours), recorded monuments within 250 m and whether the point falls inside a monument’s zone of notification, and whether the point lies inside a designated nature site.

• Heritage-recorded building within 75 mFlagged with the top rating: “the home may be a Protected Structure.” National or International ratings grade lower than Regional.
• Inside a monument’s zone of notificationFlagged, naming the monument: “works may require notifying the National Monuments Service first.”
• Inside an SAC, SPA or NHAFlagged: “development here can need ecological assessment.”
• Nothing recordedGraded well.

This is one of 39 checks in the report, each graded A–F with a plain-language summary. The report compiles public data; it is not a survey or legal advice. More about protected structures and how to read it.

What to ask before you bid

• Is the property on the Record of Protected Structures, and has a Section 57 declaration ever been obtained?
• Have any windows, roof coverings or internal walls been altered, and was permission granted?
• Is the property inside a recorded monument’s zone of notification, and has the National Monuments Service been consulted on past works?

Frequently asked questions

More on County Wicklow

Buying a house in Wicklow: the full county guide

Heritage and monuments in other counties