Perfect cottage in perfect setting

A PERFECT country cottage in a perfect country setting: that’s Rosario on Cork’s Old Mallow Road where even the name harks back to another era.

This red-brick, three-bed is about 70 or 80 years old, says Katie O’Sullivan of Thomas J O’Driscoll and Co., who’s looking for offers in the region of €530,000 for the house and site.

The setting is superb, she says, the house is located just after the One-Eyed-Bridge and is utterly private. It stands on a site of a third of an acre and is surrounded by mature trees.

The garden is ‘absolutely spectacular,’ says Ms O’Sullivan and it also would allow plenty of room for expansion, it could even be used for another dwelling with planning permission, but only if the zoning changes.

Meanwhile, those that live outside the rural control areas have only one option and that’s to buy in. In the case of Rosario, its very attractiveness is bound to bring in the buyers, and according to Katie O’Sullivan, there are a lot of local people coming to view the property. House sales are rare in the area so she expects an offer close to the guide price soon.

Rosario is in a bit of a state of grace: it hasn’t been changed in years and still has a working Belfast sink in the kitchen and cast iron fireplaces in the bedrooms. Overall, it’s in very good condition and comes with a modern, detached garage that could function as a separate flat, it has a shower room and living area and is fully wired with a sheeted pine ceiling.

The reception rooms include a sitting room, dining room and conservatory and old wooden floors run throughout the house.

There’s a good master bedroom and two other bedrooms with a bathroom and separate WC

“The gardens are so private here, you wouldn’t know where you are,” says Katie O’Sullivan.