House of the Week

ALL the drama at Ballea Cotage takes place quietly, off-stage, in the gardens — the spot loved by its late owners, Harold Johnson, a former chairman of Cork Opera House, and his wife Chloe.

The couple, who rowed to the rescue of theatre in Cork in the 1950s after the old Opera House burned down in 1955, were instrumental in fundraising and keeping energies going for a new, 1965 replacement.

An accountant by training and profession, Mr Johnson remained on the board, and served as Opera House chairman, into the 1990s, as well as being actively involved in the Cheshire Home and RNLI. He was awarded an honorary MA from UCC in 2000 for his work for Cork Opera House.

Now, a slight link with his many years’ active involvement and lifelong interest in theatre can be glimpsed in no less a rarified setting than the family bathroom of his and the late Chloe Johnson’s home, Ballea Cottage. Its walls have been peppered and papered with posters from shows which came to visit Cork’s Opera House, from serious theatre to light opera, and from pantos to circus companies like Barnum and Bailey (see accompanying image taken in 2000).

Following Mr Johnson’s passing at the age of 86 this September, Ballea Cottage comes up for sale as its garden glories fade into winter dullness, but will spring back in 2012, when new owners may be in situ.

The house, built almost 30 years ago to a design by local architect Michael Casey, sees the L-shaped distinctive dormer home of 2,700 sq ft placed at the entrance side of its half acre site, so most of its gardens are private, notes estate agent Michael Piggott of Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan Daly.

Mr Piggott sets his own scene at this Ballea Road offering, close to Carrigaline town in south Cork, describing the setting as beautiful and private, with the house oozing with character.

It’s a four-bed, with two upper floor bedrooms and two downstairs, with baths in each of the two bathrooms, while the main living room is a decent space at 20’ by 16’ with marble fireplace and sliding doors to the stone-flagged rear patio.

Another sliding door surfaces in the kitchen, which has a Rayburn range, there’s a dining room/second reception, guest WC, and a studio (16’ by 11’) reached via a utility off the kitchen, with further access to the front of the house by the drive, so handy for those seeking to do a bit of work from home. There’s access to overhead space from this studio. Adding also to the indoor/outdoors feel of this house with good gardens is the sheltered balcony off one of the two first floor bedrooms, and that balcony’s large enough to put a breakfast table out on for a couple, and the deep eaves overhead make it fairly sheltered.

Outside, the house is marked from the Ballea Road by fairly recently added stone pillars, the half acre is mature and well-planted, the ‘cottage’s approach is softened by climbing plants up its walls, there’s lots of trees, and behind is a large stone patio, glasshouse, outbuilding and there are two stable-style store rooms in a pleasing-on-the-eye detached building.

VERDICT: The floor plan of Ballea Cottage has stood the test of time, with a good balance of bedrooms, bright living space and lots of indoor-outdoor access to enjoy the gardens.

The late Harold Johnson of Cork Opera House fame among his theatrical memorabilia which remains at Ballea Cottage.