Start with a clean slate

ALTHOUGH the Old School House in east Cork’s Cloyne village has been expensively made over into a private home, its sale could see it going back to a more public use.

The 3,000 sq ft family home on the pretty and historic village’s River Street is for sale with joint agents David McIntyre of Home and Away in Midleton, as well as commercial sales specialist Barry Cogan.

The latter is been drafted in for the commercial/business use potential of this large property, with the original layout of four open classrooms still more or less retained internally.

It has been a family home since its smart conversion by a couple, Michael and Gráinne Murray, who returned from Britain back in the early 2000s, and it featured as a house conversion project in these pages as a result back in 2004.

However, the fact that land all around it has now been zoned for mixed development gives it commercial potential, and the property has Town Centre uses zoning.

The selling agents say the property could be used as a restaurant, or as an office for professionals such as an architect’s firm.

Its setting on the edge of village is a plus, and the facade and exterior is very attractive, a mix of limestone and red brick.

It has four bedrooms, all at the upper level, as well as three bathrooms in all, taking in an en suite, main family bathroom with Jacuzzi, and guest WC.

“It has been renovated to the highest standards, must be seen to be appreciated and many original features of the property have been preserved,” say the selling agents.

The work was carried out by the Murrays, who bought the 1886-built school and reworked it, over a nine-month period.

Rooms include a kitchen with exposed stone walls and feature fireplace, with a utility room off it, a large 22’ by 20’ lounge with fitted bar in red brick, living room, study, four bedrooms. Heating is oil, with good drylining and insulation levels.

Site size is c. one-fifth of an acre, with automatic electrically-controlled gates.