Cottage glory restored

A TRUE Georgian cottage - the kind which features in Jane Austen’s, Sense and Sensibility, is accessible enough for the 21st century and comfortable to boot.

Built in the early 1800s and now refurbished and restored, Green Cottage in Glenbrook, Co Cork, is on the market at the moment with Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing and Associates.

Now at the end of a terrace, this house would once have been the only house on the hill upwards towards Monkstown, says Mr Tyrrell, and it still commands fine, harbour views.

As it’s set on the side of a stiff hill, the house has a wonderful, terraced front garden and a steep back garden with access via a flight of steps.

However, the puffing climb is well worth it, because the views from this level are superb, taking in the upper and lower harbour and the hills of Cobh on the opposite bank.

he Glenbrook area still has that quiet, genteel feel of a Victorian resort - period villas and pretty terraces run side by side with the grander terraces and houses of Monkstown just down the road.

However, the city is 20 minutes drive with access to the Link road and the beaches of south Cork are 15 minutes away in the other direction.

And even though it’s in a relatively built-up area, Green cottage has plenty of privacy and is not overlooked. While it has age, the house wears it lightly and has been renovated with a sensitive touch.

The main reception rooms to the front have had little disturbance, save for replacement windows and one room in particular, the drawing room, runs the full length of the house.

A bright, airy room, it has a large bay facing the water and a soft, cream colour scheme. Pride of place is given to a shiny black, baby grand piano which stands near the rear window.

The second reception room could be a formal dining room or a TV room. Smaller than the drawing room, it nevertheless comes with a matching bay window and a fine, slate fireplace.

At the end of the circuitous hallway is a surprisingly modern kitchen. Styled in pared-down units, this is part of a newish extension to the house and it comes with light oak fittings and recessed lighting: a door leads to the rock-faced yard at the rear.

The working end of this kitchen is original and is a bright galley tucked in behind the main staircase with cooker and sink and worktops tidily built into the space.

One of the nicest features in this house has to be the staircase: with characteristic fine joinery, this has a small turn off the spacious hallway and gives onto a half landing which leads to one of the house’s two bathrooms. At the top of the staircase is the main bedroom floor with the master taking up the entire front of the house with three windows overlooking the inner harbour. A bright room, it comes with new wooden floors. Bedrooms two and three are double sizes and the main bathroom was probably a bedroom at one stage. It’s quite a large room and comes with a three-piece suite.

The fourth bedroom is at second floor level, accessed via a narrow staircase and beside this room is the walk-in attic space which gives a good idea of the age of the house. Huge old beams would make it difficult to convert, but it’s a wonderful, secret hideout for children or a good storage space.

Green Cottage also comes with an external conservatory with access from the side of the house and the front garden: a simple lean-to, it has the perfect aspect to make the most of our intermittent sunshine.

While buying a period property can be a bit like shooting in the dark in terms of structural problems, this house has been given a new roof, new flooring, windows, wiring, a damp proof course and gas heating, which means it’s in a warm and comfortable state for new owners.

Even the decorative style, mostly cream, allows a blank canvas upon which to work and the gardens are done to a tee, leaving nothing but the odd bit of painting for the new incumbents of Green Cottage.

The guide price is €375,000 through Cohalan Downing and Associates.