Seamus Heaney HomePlace

The new £4.5 million Seamus Heaney HomePlace is the transformation of a - once heavily fortified - Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station into a contemporary arts hub dedicated to the life and works of Seamus Heaney, the Nobel prize-winning poet from Bellaghy, who died in 2013 and is buried in the nearby church graveyard.

In addition to the main exhibition designed by Tandem Design, the company responsible for Belfast’s popular Titanic exhibition, the development includes a 189-seat performing arts space, education and learning spaces, library, café and annex for community use. The library includes the desk Heaney used in his attic study – a place he affectionately called his ‘hutch’ – as well as a large selection of books from his personal collection.

The 21,000ft^² centre, covering two expansive floors, is expected to not only attract visitors from within the UK and abroad, putting Bellaghy firmly on the map, but to be an important driver of arts and culture for the north of Mid Ulster.

Our role

Currie & Brown was appointed to deliver cost consultancy services. We provided cost advice from feasibility for the building, groundworks to landscaping and specialist fit-out. The project started on site in January 2015 and completed in September 2016, in time for the grand opening which took place on 30 September 2016.