Period mansion set in heart of epic parkland
Transactional activity has increased right across the board, and agents in this rarified business say that sales are looking up again, but growth is at low levels yet.
However, distinctive houses with decent parkland are doing well. Newhall House is a case in point — a large, Queen Anne style house, it’s an 18th century mansion on Killone Lough, close to Ennis town and with views eastward towards the Galtees.
Set on 362 acres of parkland, divided almost equally between grassland and woodland, the house was built in 1765 close to Killone Abbey, whose remains add historical heft to the estate.
A 17-bed residence with just under 15,000 square feet of space, it is in the process of being renovated, and comes with three gate lodges, two matching in folly style. David Ashmore, of Sherry FitzGerald’s country department, says Newhall was built onto an earlier house, which now acts as the service wing of the house, with the newer building spread over three storeys.
“It was built by Charles MacDonnell, MP, to a design of Francis Bindon, and is quite remarkable in that much of the original layout and features remain intact, albeit in need of restoration.
“The mansion has a distinctive brick exterior, and comprises two storeys with two bays to either side of a central three-sided bow, itself surmounted by a balustrade and four equally spaced urns and featuring the fine pedimented cut stone limestone front door case with shouldered architrave. At each end there are two-storey bows, each containing windows of curved glass,” said Mr Ashmore.
The agent is seeking offers of €5m for the entire property, which is for sale by private treaty. The parkland surrounding the house (which is set in the middle of the estate, overlooking the lake) comes to 181 acres, fully fenced with internal farm roadways.
The paddocks are good for the most part, says Ashmore, but some fields are low-lying and will need attention.
The woodland runs to 157 acres of mature, deciduous trees and could make a good sporting estate, says David Ashmore. The lake is, in fact, two linked lakes covering 28 acres and is a huge attraction in itself. As part of a restoration, it could be used as a heat source for a renewable heating system, as well as the usual coarse fishing and boating options.
The mansion is in a sad state at the moment, but has huge potential, as most of the original features remain. The house has remained almost in a state of grace since it was built and with investment, it could be a prize property, says Ashmore.
The amount of accommodation would allow for comfortable family living, he says, along with spacious staff accommodation. And with the original outbuildings, and a stable yard, there’s the option of building up a sport/ equestrian estate. Outbuildings include the original stable yard, two coach houses with four carriage bays, and a stable block with two loose boxes, six standing stalls, and a harness room.
There’s also access to another more modern farm yard through the stable yard, and this has two hay barns and a silage pit. Because of the location the house has fast access to all the amenities of the mid-west, including golf at Doonbeg (snapped up for a song by Donald Trump) and Lahinch, fishing, sailing and hunting etc.
With the right investment, Newhall has the makings of a very fine estate indeed.
