Ballynoran’s half mile by the Suir
The house and lands, 13km from Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary, with half a mile of fishing rights on the Suir, are due for auction on June 16, and the agent has a guide price of €1.5 million.
The house was a shooting lodge for the Marquis of Waterford, designed by William Tinsley, a noted local architect, and completed in 1809. It has been owned by the Hackett family since 1927.
The front lawns and grounds are defined by a bank, or ha-ha, a distinctive Irish 18th century feature.
The farm includes the ruins of a 12th century church, at Dovehill, and a medieval roadway upon which Cromwell marched to seize Dovehill Tower, a Norman fortress held by Piers Butler.
This was subsequently destroyed and Dovehill House was built on the ruins, that house is also now in ruins.
Although the estate is no longer as large as it was when the house was built, the Hacketts were improving farmers, and one of the first to install electricity in the farmyard, in the late 1920s.
According to John Stokes, the land quality is ‘superb’, it’s one block, 71 acres under tillage and the rest in rolling parkland. The tillage land is eligible for cereal aid.
Most of the land is in large divisions with lots of mature timber, very well maintained, says Mr Stokes.
While he expects some foreign interest, because of the superb setting and rare architecture (however, the house will need substantial investment to bring it right), the quality of the land will bring in farmers.
The guide price averages €9,000 per acre, including the house.
If sold without the house and outbuildings, the per acre price could be substantially less, but the agent is keen to sell the property in the entire.
It could be ideal for a stud farm; the old stone outbuildings would easily convert to loose boxes around the 6,000 square feet courtyard.
The lofted and single storey cut-stone sheds could convert to any number of uses, and there is a walled in garden.
Ballynoran once had a glazed entrance porch, but now the original, fan lit, double doors lead into the main hallway, lit by an atrium.
The servants’ quarters are underneath; a staircase leads down from the hall.
The house has three doors, the main door, a rear door to the courtyard and access to the walled-garden and yard from the semi-basement.
The main level has two formal reception rooms and just three bedrooms. The main drawing room has fine views over the river and a small artificial lake on the grounds.
Both it and the dining room have their original fireplaces.
