Own a slice of Cobh’s naval history

THERE should be a border crossing at Belvelly Bridge because going to Cobh is like entering another country — and another time.

This a town that embodies the last stand of Empire, a town with grandeur and fine buildings and an independence allied with a long seafaring tradition.

High up above Haulbowline Island, the one-time home of the British Royal Navy and now the headquarters of the Irish Navy, is No 3 Fort Villas, the latest market entrant in Cobh this Christmas season.

It has a panoramic view, taking in the islands, Haulbowline and Spike, Aghada, Whitegate and Roches Point and the ferry port at Ringaskiddy.

The house is accessed via a private road which serves just two blocks of sem-ds on this high, south-facing hill and it’s a carefree buy.

At No 3, all the work’s been done. The fact that the owners are comfortable going to market at the wettest and coldest time of the year is testament to the quality of the upgrade here, both in environmental and aesthetic terms.

And for all that it’s a big house, the layout makes it a very manageable property — one that’s easy to heat and to hoover.

And yes, you get the 12’ high ceilings, sash windows and magnificent fireplaces, but the windows are Marvin double glazed, the ceilings and cornicing are fresh and repaired, (with picture rails added to decrease the height) and the fireplaces are cleaned and working.

Upstairs, bathrooms are finished in tumbled marble with reproductions sinks, baths and basins and the heating and plumbing is on a fast-return pressurised system, so no boarding-house trickles here.

And then, there’s the feel and style of the house — No 3 is not show-offy, just tasteful, with lots of heritage colours and that old favourite, Colour Trend’s Innocence, used in the main living room and bedroom.

The hall colour is Khaki Mist by Dulux and it’s mixed with an off-white to create a fresh, contemporary feel in contrast to the fine, curved staircase.

This is a house that’s big enough to take bold colours and while understated on the ground floor, upstairs it lets rip.

That means a deep Prussian blue in the bathroom, but only on an accent wall and electric pink in a teenager’s room, while the master bedroom is all soothing creams with mulberry highlights and dark wood tones.

There isn’t a bad room in this house, even the furthest attic room, (with its rear entrance onto a higher road), is fully dressed as a study/ games room and would be ideal as a teenage den.

The ground floor has two formal rooms, on either side of the bright entrance hallway with its old, internal porch against the south-westerlies — the sea is right outside the door, after all.

The right-hand side has the family room, which in turn connects through a large arch to the kitchen.

This has a great simplicity using just a soft white sofa and black chenille armchairs around a red-tiled fireplace in black slate.

Floorboards are stained and polished and the alcoves are fitted with bookshelves, a classic look but one that works every time.

The fireplace is very unusual too, with its integrated pot stands or teapot shelves, on either side of the fire basket.

The kitchen/diner is two steps down, and has vanilla hand made units with a seven-ring Stoves range in a central firebreast.

Subtly but expensively fitted, flooring is marble and worktop is similar tumbled marble, with a white ceramic sink under a high sash window facing west.

On the opposite side of the hallway is the formal sitting room which has a white marble fireplace, black tiled insert and again, old polished floorboards. Best of all, it has windows to the south and west, the latter overlooking a sheltered garden and limestone patio and the former, a big bay with enough room for a card table and chairs.

Overhead, there are four main bedrooms, with the fifth on the second floor return, and all are warm, well finished and spacious.

The main bathroom comes with a shower unit, stand-alone bath and marble tiling and on the ground floor, there’s a fully-fitted utility with plumbing for a guest bathroom.

The rear of the house is built against the rock and has a warren of old shed and coal holes that could convert to any number of uses or just remain as they are, useful areas for storage.

The high stone walls at the rear are covered with climbers and to the front, there’s a newly-installed parking area with driveway sweeping around to the front of this double-sided, semi-d.

No 3 Fort Villas was once called White Star Villas, after the shipping line which ran transatlantic liners, including the Olympic and her sister ship, the Titanic.

The terrace was home to a Captain James McGiffin, the marine superintendent for Queenstown Harbour, and the man who had not only sailed the Olympic but supervised the loading of the Titanic before it left port on its fateful voyage.

McGiffin remained convinced that the disaster was the fault of the White Star line officials who forced the ship through ice at full steam to win the Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.

No 3 remains as an elegant period home with one of the best, south-facing vantage points on the lower reaches of Cork harbour.

The property is on offer at €630,000 through Liz Hannon of English Auctioneers, Cobh.