A fitting slice of history

Rose Martin is intrigued

HOUSES come with history, the older the house the longer the story and some are just that little bit racy. Take for instance, this little house, Ballymore Villa, near Cuskinny Bay in Cobh, Co Cork.

Built in 1820, it was once part of the Jackson-Bennett estate which included The Priory, Ballymore Lodge, Ballymore Cottage and Bennett's Court, now Cuskinny Court.

The first of the Jackson-Bennetts built all of these houses around his estate for his family and his string of mistresses. A noted philanderer, he installed one of his favourites in this house, Ballymore Villa, and had a connecting pathway made through the woodland from the main house.

Local lore goes so far as to say that the man was also in the escort business: with his considerable local knowledge, Bennett's Court became the focus of raucous parties where naval and seafaring guests has their pick of Queenstown's louche ladies.

By 1900 the estate was almost frittered away and, as the head of the family now resided in Liverpool where the family's shipping business was based, he took legal action against his prodigal son.

The decline was set, however, and in 1905, the estate passed to the Hornes, a wealthy, Cobh merchant family. They eventually dispersed the estates assets and all of the property was sold off. But the whiff of scandal continued The Priory was purchased by Swiss national Bernadette Jehle, who ended up as the first woman to be jailed for fraud in this country. Subsequent to her incarceration, the cut-stone property was sold at auction for just over £1 million and purchased by the McCarthy family, a well-known family firm of developers.

The names of the various properties don't reflect their varying sizes. Barrymore Villa is truly a cottage, whereas Ballymore Cottage across the road is much more the Victorian villa in style. The villa was probably a renovation of an earlier dwelling and the size and depth of the internal walls goes some way to prove this. Bought in 1976 by the vendors, they completely renovated the property over a 10-year period.

Perhaps the finest touches are the accurate, casement windows which replace the original and the sympathetic conservatory which was added on to the south-facing gable wall of the villa. The upper windows still have latticed windows.

It's quite a chocolate box house and would have suited the pastoral fashion of the early 1800s when the rich played at being peasants, or in this case, with the peasants.

Inside, its not as small as it would appear with a kitchen, dining room and sitting room on the ground floor and three bedrooms overhead.

However, ceiling height is low, especially on the upper floors and the rooms could convert to one large, master suite, with a larger guest room.

Although children have been raised here, selling agent Joanna Murphy sees it as more of a home for a couple, retired or otherwise. It faces out over the sea (Crosshaven can be seen in the distance) and comes with two-thirds of an acre of gardens.

The soil here is ideal for growing at the moment, there are beans rows, blackcurrant bushes and healthy spreading artichokes but the lawn could be transformed into a blooming paradise by a gardener with plenty of time on their hands.

The villa is also a manageable size while being a comfortable house. It comes with central heating and has some lovely fireplaces in the living rooms, all a different style.

New owners looking for a property which is structurally sound, but which they would like to remake in their own way couldn't find a better house. It's peaceful, private, five minutes from Cobh, 30 minutes from Cork and has a beach just down the road there's also a the possibility of a mooring being thrown into the package.

Johanna Murphy of Johanna Murphy and Son is the contact. She quotes a €35,000 guide price.