Make an entrance here

Tommy Barker soaks up the old world charm of a lodge full of character.

IF you can’t afford to go large, what about going for the little? The lodge to a large €1.5 million house, Greenawn, which featured in these pages recently, is available as a separate buy, for less than the price of a city apartment.

Carrying a €300,000 price guide, the period lodge is on Church Hill, just up from the old Glanmire village, and it stands next to the gates of a 1960s replacement dwelling inside on an acre (see inset picture). It is steeped in old world feel, and is for sale with Michael O’Donovan and Sheila O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald, who also seek buyers for the grander, 3,600 sq ft Greenawn.

An early 1900s picture on the lodge’s walls show just how little the property has changed externally: the only difference is that the original upstairs latticed steel windows are shown pivoted open in the middle, though time has taken enough of a toll for them not now to open in this fashion. But they have been maintained and add hugely to the charm both inside and out. It is a sweet little buy, with a compact front porch, opening into a kitchen/reception room, with old stone walls painted a cream shade, the kitchen units and open staircase in a kind of olive green, and off to the right is a living room. This room also has painted stone walls, old varnished wood floors, a bay window with dinky little sashes and an arched, latticed old window.

A large solid fuel stove looks powerful enough to banish cold and damp on the most miserable of days (probably no harm, as the back of the lodge is right up against a high bank of ground).

Overhead are two bedrooms, with low-set lattice windows (two to the front in one room, one in front and one in a gable in the other) and with Veluxes overhead, painted wood panelled ceilings and old wood floors, and off the tiny landing area is a shower/bathroom.

This is a quirky, characterful property which has stood the test of time and still carries a gentle feel of antiquity, all for the price of a box apartment in the city centre or suburbs.

While there isn’t a garden per se, there’s a railed off section of the hill by the front door, with picket fence and some pretty planting, but whether you’d sit out there during a sunny spell is a matter for any new occupant. Directly beneath is a spot to park a car.

The decor levels are spot-on, there’s electric storage heating and all a hopeful buyer has to do is to see off any challenges from intending bidders on Greenawn itself.