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St Malachy's Church, Belfast

Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
During a major renovation of this Grade A listed building, Stronghold Preservation were instructed by Consarc Architects to design and install bird proofing measures on St Malachy's Church. Due to the urban setting of this church, roosting and perching pigeons were not only causing a nuisance, but also causing an unsightly mess; pigeon droppings (guano) also has the potential to damage buildings, especially historic ones.


  • This listed church building was suffering from a bird control problem, and required bird wire and bird spikes: St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, NI 
  • This listed building required a bird deterrence system: bird wire and bird spikes were fixed by Stronghold Preservation, at St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 
  • This listed building was suffering from a bird control problem, and required bird wire and bird spikes: St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, NI 
  • Detail photos of the bird spikes; a discreet solution to a bird control problem, at St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 
  • Detail photo of bird wire on decorative window: a discreet solution to deter nuisance birds, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 
  • This listed church building was suffering from a bird control problem, and required bird wire and bird spikes: St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, NI 
  • This listed building required a bird deterrence system: bird wire and bird spikes were fixed by Stronghold Preservation, at St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 
  • This listed building was suffering from a bird control problem, and required bird wire and bird spikes: St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, NI 
  • Detail photos of the bird spikes; a discreet solution to a bird control problem, at St Malachy's Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 
  • Detail photo of bird wire on decorative window: a discreet solution to deter nuisance birds, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland 

Further Information


Stronghold Preservation designed a series of bird control measures before installing a fine mesh bird netting to the towers, to deter pigeons and nuisance birds accessing the internal areas; thereby preventing nesting and droppings becoming a nuisance. The fine mesh was chosen for longevity, discretion and to prevent staining to the facade. In addition, as the church is a listed, aesthetically pleasing building, the mesh is unobtrusive, and fairly inconspicuous, resulting in a minimal visual impact. Ledge protection, by way of bird spikes, was installed at high level to horizontal ledges and surfaces to help prevent pigeons from landing on the ledges and fouling the facades in the process.