House of the week

SOME of Munster’s best houses are set along and above the Scilly Walk, in Kinsale harbour — and when they routinely changed hands for millions of euros, they prompted the rather obvious quip about Scilly money.

Last year, houses at either end of the scenic walk changed hands for over €1 million. One was a former B&B called the Moorings, shading past the €1m mark via Sherry FitzGerald. The other was a stunning Victorian home at Summercove belonging to children’s authors Colin and Jackie Hawkins. It sold for an unreported sum after several years on the market at a multi-million euro price tag.

And, in between, occupying probably the very biggest of Scilly-set sites, is the lavish contemporary home of run-away Howard Holding boss Greg Coughlan, built at a likely cost of €5 million and which has been rented out for the last year or so.

Fed up of multi-million euro sums talk? Then how might Hill House grab you, with a price tag just under half of the “Big Note”, scraping in at €475,000?

The Georgian house, with later alterations and a great aspect, is new to market with Sheila O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald in Cork city, who notes it is full of character. “It’s awaiting a purchaser with a taste for something just a little bit different.”

Location is directly across the road from the Spaniard Bar, by the hairpin bend in the road from Kinsale to Summercove road, with the popular Scilly Walk and its quintessential Kinsale views along its kilometre shoreline stretching out below Hill House.

What Hill House doesn’t have is lots of grounds and gardens. It’s on a pretty tight site, but it makes the most of it, and it is blessed with its sunny-south water/harbour views, from inside and from its deck and balconies.

It has four en suite bedrooms (with Jacuzzi baths in the mid-floor’s two en suites), a kitchen/diningroom, living room, sun room, utility, with its main living rooms at ground level and with two attic bedrooms with Velux windows to the road aspect, and large picture windows on the other side for views.

That rear, south-facing side has deep bay windows on its lower two levels, with a small view-soaking balcony at first floor level between the bays and this facade is largely clad or hung in slate, a real Kinsale architectural feature which climbs the whole rear three storey height, up to the square dormer roof extension.

The gable and symmetrical front facade have exposed original stone-work, contrasting with PVC replacement double glazed windows.

Externally, it has off-street parking to the side/gable (it’s effectively semi-detached,) and a stone-flagged rear terrace, landscaped but with no lawn, so it’s an easy place to lock up and leave.

VERDICT: Kinsale values and property inquiries are back up again after a spell in the doldrums a few years ago. Hill House offers a nice mix of period home affordability and setting.