Cute thatched lodge on very attractive Lee site

WELCOME to Rosanna, in the Highest.

The old period house Rosanna, high above the Lee Road running just west of Cork city along a rocky, but wooded escarpment, was associated with the Blarney Estate, and its half mile long approach leafy bower road is now a private avenue serving six or seven large family homes.

The location, about a mile and a half or two along the Lee Road from Victoria Cross, is marked by a cute thatched stone lodge and entrance gates, and the avenue was painstakingly hewn through the ridge’s rock.

New to the market, on this acutely attractive site, is the 1960s family home Beech Hill, a two-storey split level house, on an extensively landscaped, tree-ed and sloping site, with a full-on southerly aspect, packed with light and views over the Lee. Horgan’s Hill and Curraghkippane cemetery run to the back of this c 0.9 acre house site, and part of the boundary is the original high stone orchard wall of the Rosanna Estate.

Its vendors bought Beech Hill in an off-market deal seven years ago, and the previous family had lived in it from day one. It was designed by an architect brother of one of the original owners, and he did all the sensible things of the day, such as putting all of the main living rooms and bedrooms to the front for light and views, and service rooms to the back.

It is two storey, and sort of split level, entered to the back via a sheltered porch by the drive and sheltering attached garage. Beech Hill has its four bedrooms at the upper level, off one straight flight of stairs with open ballustrading, and two have en suite bathrooms. Bathroom suites include ranges of avocado, and a more tolerable blue.

Downstairs, there’s a great spread of reception rooms, some joined together for more open space, and the main living room and kitchen (with original ORM pine units) both open to the full-width patio terrace.

There’s a family room/TV a few steps back up from the kitchen, and there’s a room-sized utility, with guest WC, and access back into the garage.

The house is dated in its design and a new owner will want to put a firm modernising stamp on it. You could spend right up to the €2 million mark, taking in purchase price, stamp duty and extension/upgrade costs, and still have value given the exceptional nature of the place.

Estate agent Andrew Moore guides Beech Hill at about €1.4 million. Whoever buys it is going to treasure the site, the setting and ease of access to UCC, etc.