The Gun Room dates back to the Napoleonic wars and was allegedly used as gun store by the Duke of Wellington. In later years the building became a tannery and was subsequently used as a village hall and community centre. It was fully restored recently on behalf of the Rathfinny Wine Estate and re-opened as a retail centre specialising in locally sourced products - in due course it will become the ‘Cellar Door’ for the estate where individual wine-tasting sessions and receptions can be held.

Restoring the building involved a new roof, new walls, floor and exterior cladding. The interior was redesigned with open retail space and stairs leading to a mezzanine floor area.

Frameless glass balustrading was installed by Ion Glass to the stairs and mezzanine floor to give the interior a light, airy and contemporary feel. Ion designed and commissioned bespoke bracketry to fix a timber shelf to the glass balustrade at an appropriate height for visitors to use as a convenient place to rest their wine glasses during tasting sessions.

The creation of a new frameless glass lobby area with secure glass doors introduces more light to the building as well as an attractive entrance for visitors to the centre. Bespoke frameless glass balustrading was fitted to the staircase and mezzanine floor, combined with individual oak treads and an oak handrail. The glass balustrade was side fixed along the bottom edge with a double row of brushed stainless steel fixings. Each panel of glass was manufactured in 19mm clear toughened float glass to ensure the glass balustrade is fully compliant.

The glass lobby area was created using fixed glass panels, a fully secure exterior frameless glass door and an interior glass entrance door. Brushed stainless steel hardware fitted to the glass doors ensures full congruency throughout the glass installation.

The frameless glass balustrade achieves a minimal result that creates a light and airy feel to the interior, whilst the combination of glass with the oak treads and handrails is very much in keeping with the heritage of the building. Installing a glass lobby area allows maximum light into the building whilst creating a entrance that is visually welcoming for visitors, allowing them to see the interior from outside the building.