Spike Island
Over the past four centuries, Spike Island has been both an important military & coastal defence post, and a place of imprisonment. Up to recent times, this fascinating island has not been freely accessible by the public. With the transfer of ownership to Cork County Council, in 2010, Spike Island’s situation changed radically, entering a new existence as a recreational and tourist destination.
Client
Cork County Council
Location
Cork, Ireland
Status
In Use
Area
0
Expertise
STW plots out the magnificent opportunity to create a new 100 acre National Park on the water, with the 40 acre Mitchel Fort at its centre, renovated and developed as a complex of cultural heritage attractions and museums.
Geared to meet the challenges of current funding, the project calls for the leveraging of the island’s unique historic and geographic characteristics to offer a variety of visitor experiences, from community based projects, to adventure tourism to re-enactments of military and penal life, to exhibitions, a major aquarium and learning centre dedicated to oceanography and the expansive marine resources of Ireland’s Continental Shelf.
