Think big about Littlefield
Yes, the roof is gone and the courtyard is forlorn, but the whole estate could be brought up to 21st century standards courtesy of the Revenue Commissioners.
Because Littlefield House has Section 482 relief — something the Micheal O’Learys, Tony Ryans and other heavy hitters have taken advantage of to help fund renovation of period property purchases.
Here at Littlefield, a much more modest, but still impressive property is on offer along with a hobby-farm-sized parcel of 39 acres.
Located near Killenaule, Co Tipperary, and built between 1836 and 1846, the listed building has clean Georgian lines and a six-bay facade over two storeys. It also comes with a full basement and has a very attractive door case, finished in granite.
It’s a prosperous farmer’s home rather than a manor house, and it sits on some of the best land in the neighbourhood, says PF Quirke, who quotes a guide price of €1.1 million for this lot of the property.
Every cent that’s spent on a rebuild can be offset against tax, but the catch is that owners must open the property to the public.
That involves opening for four hours a day on at least 40 days between May and September, and houses and their gardens (for which tax relief is also available) must open for 10 Saturdays or Sundays.
The regulations are the Revenue’s way of ensuring that houses are genuinely open, and they also stipulate that entrance fees have to be affordable.
Littlefield would have been a much larger holding in its day, but is now down to 94 acres of which 54 acres is being sold separately for offers in the region of €1 m. The property can also be purchased in the entire, says the agent.
Land in the area can be a bit “cold”, says PF Quirke, but he says this farm is an oasis of warm, dry land, which you could be drive on at any time of the year. There’s also very little waste on the limestone-based holding, he adds.
The 54-acre portion is in four to five divisions, and bounded by old stone walls: each field has road frontage and the house is approached by a large, partly tree-lined drive.
It faces over a three-acre park and has a collection of stone buildings to the rear, which should also qualify for relief.
The agent expects keen interest from local farmers and business people who see the value in an investment such as this.
Littlefield House is about an hour-and-half’s drive from Dublin.
