Restored cottage in Tipperary is a force to be reckoned with

If the walls of Mill Lodge at Ballinderry, Co Tipperary, could talk, they’d have quite a story to tell.

Built in the 1800s for use in connection with a nearby mill, it was an RIC Barracks during the War of Independence and became a Garda Barracks at the start of the Civil War.

The English cabinetmaker who carefully and beautifully renovated it in recent years, says he has been told tales by locals of prison breaks and arrests during its eventful history. Behind one of the window panels in the living area he found names and dates written on the walls, which he has preserved for posterity.

A listed building, the mill lodge looks from the front like a single- storey cottage but has accommodation at basement level and in the attic.

The gabled front porch with the original entrance is accessed by walking across a causeway built over an archway where a stream, probably the millrace, once flowed.

The property had been derelict for 15 years when the UK cabinetmaker bought it in 2008. Specialising in restoring old houses and owning a company which produced reproduction furniture, he was particularly well equipped to take on the task.

“It was in a terrible state — damp and uninhabitable, and the roof was rotten. I preserved all the old features that could be saved including the main rafters but had to replace the roof.”

A local builder worked on the project which took four years and the old thick stone walls were replastered internally and externally with lime render.

The interior was subsequently fitted out with old-style latched doors, double-glazed sash windows, kitchen units and furniture, all of which have been made by the owner’s company, Tudor Oak.

The main access to the lodge is now at basement level at the rear. A doorway leads through to a kitchen with country-style oak units with a Belfast sink, an exposed ceiling beam, and a wood-burning stove set in a redbrick chimney breast.

At this level, there’s also a bathroom, a utility area, a tiled reception room and a room which could be either a fourth bedroom or a study.

On the middle floor is a sitting room where the RIC, and subsequently the Gardaí, conducted business. Now a comfortable room with a painted timber fireplace with a stove, it has been decorated in traditional floral patterns and has side tables, cabinets and era appropriate furniture.

The second room at this level has been turned into a double bedroom with an en-suite shower room. In the attic, there are two carpeted bedrooms as well as a large bathroom. As an old building it’s BER exempt, but with double-glazed windows, oil heating and two stoves, it’s said to be cosy.

To the rear of the lodge are two outbuildings which have been repaired, replastered and re-roofed.

The gardens which stretch to a third of an acre have been landscaped and lawned. Mature shrubs have been planted along the driveway and surrounding stonewalls have also been rebuilt. Although he’d originally planned to rent out Mill Lodge as a holiday home, the owner has now decided to sell it instead.

Selling agents DNG Gilmartin say it’s historic and beautifully-restored, and would make a wonderful holiday home possibly for overseas buyers.

Guiding at €300,000 it larger than you would expect, with 2,013 sq ft of living space. It’s located 4km from Terryglass village and 20km from Nenagh.

VERDICT: quirky, charming and historic.

Ballinderry, Tipperary €300,000

Size: 187 sq m (2,013 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

BER: Exempt