Join the village people in Stradbally

Tommy Barker says Glenamara has old village charm and tranquillity.

ALL the attributes and charm of a period country house come with Glenamara, but it has an obvious bonus for many buyers — a setting right in the prettiest of villages, Stradbally, in west Waterford, with beaches a walk away.

Lightly carrying its age, dating as it does to the early 1800s, it is a wholly practical and carefully kept 3,500 sq ft home on an acre of largely walled gardens including a lofted stone coachhouse and stables with separate street access.

Glenamara carries an asking price of over €785,000 with estate agents Michael H Daniels & Co, jointly with Shelley and Purcell, who say it was most likely the dower house for the Woodhouse estate in earlier years: Woodhouse itself, on 126 acres, last year had its own sale price cut from €6 million to €4m.

With up to five bedrooms and intact period character as well as sea glimpses, Glenamara, says Mr Daniels, “would make a wonderful south coast holiday home — or a permanent residence for someone seeking a gentler lifestyle, with village amenities on the doorstep.

The vendors are an older couple, returning to England after decades of ownership of various Irish country houses.

Their home, just nicely separated from the village streets, has intact ornamental plasterwork, sash windows, internal arch in the hallway, marble fireplaces, an Aga in the kitchen and up to four reception rooms. One room is a dedicated library, complete with a fake bookshelf section which swings back to reveal itself as a door to a study or fifth bedroom. The library also has french door access to the side gardens.

The acre of grounds includes under-planted mature beech trees, giving a rural feel behind and village life beyond its front steps.