Labour of love reaps the rewards at period mansion

Peeling away layers of history, a renowned conservation engineer has restored an old world gem to its original splendour, reports Laurie O’Flynn

YOU have the comfort of Georgian living but with the medieval option of pouring hot oil on unwanted visitors at Marybrook House on 13 acres just outside Kanturk, Co Cork, where its history dates back almost 500 years.

The original building of 1550 was a fortified tower on a manor farm believed to serve the Knights Templar.

Almost 200 years later it became a Georgian farmhouse, and has changed very little since then.

In 2007, the perfect match was made when conservation engineer Chris Southgate moved in and undertook to return the property to its former glory.

“I loved it for its history and architecture and the fact it was virtually untouched. It had been reroofed so it was in reasonable structural condition and at 3,500sq feet, it was small enough to handle,” he said.

It was Marybrook’s certified organic farm and the centuries old parkland trees that attracted Southgate’s wife Karen, who also has ample experience in renovating period houses, just for the love of it.

Comparing today’s external photographs of Marybrook House to those taken four years ago, there are some positive changes. Three bricked-up windows have been opened, the windows and shutters have all been replaced and a new front door installed based on the remnants of the 19th century one found in the hen house.

Fragments of an earlier 17th century door were also discovered there but not enough to reconstruct.

The chimneys have also been rebuilt as well as a wall bordering what was once a terraced garden at the front. Bringing the property up to the 21st century are the broadband and satellite dishes.

The main visible changes inside are the removal of 17 tons of debris from the dining room to reveal an Inglenook fireplace, and the completion of the top floor which had never been plastered or sub-divided.

Some air-to-air heaters have also appeared in the rooms, but there isn’t a wire or a water pipe in site, as they are all housed in an alcove at one end of the house, well out of sight.

All of the work on the house itself is now complete, according to Southgate.

All that remains to do is restore the terraced and walled gardens as well as a 17th century cottage on the grounds, which has been partially conserved. There is the potential to get Section 482 status should a new owner wish to take these on allowing for tax relief in respect of expenditure incurred on repair, maintenance or restoration.

The very thought of living in a tower-cum-farmhouse conjures up images of thick, cold walls and dark rooms. Not so in this case. Because the house is one room deep, there are windows of generous proportions on more than one side in most rooms which warms the surprisingly bright building.

Southgate describes the restoration process as ‘a forensic examination of the fabric of the building’, which revealed some interesting finds including one window dating from 1630 and believed to be one of the earliest ever recorded in Ireland. Also, while repairing cornicing in the dining room, plaster from the 1580s was found behind them.

“It was like peeling away layers of history,” he said.

Although possessing an impressive history, today Marybrook is a compact family home.

The ground floor has the bright cosy kitchen with a Waterford Stanley range, the dining room, which is in the original tower house with an Inglenook fireplace and bread oven, and the sitting room, with a Wyatt window overlooking the small river that flows through the property.

The floorboards show evidence of another huge fireplace in this room, which the owners have decided to leave closed. They also discovered a collapsed arch, similar to those found in Kanturk Castle just a few miles away.

On the first floor is the master bedroom, which has three large windows, a library with a wood burning stove and the main bathroom, with an impressive free-standing bathtub.

The top floor of Marybrook was built in 1820 but never finished or occupied so it gave the owners the opportunity to finish and insulate it to modern standards. This level has three bedrooms and a bathroom off which is a walk-in hotpress.

There are two sources for heating the house, oil and an air-to-air heat pump, which can be switched on and off in individual rooms.

According to Karen Southgate, so far the heating costs the same as a three bed semi-d.

The basement is under the dining room and is a perfect wine cellar.

Marybrook has some of the oldest farm buildings in Munster, and they are all fully restored and functional. There is a lofted cow shed, three stables with direct access to the apple orchard, and a coach house. There is also a polytunnel.

The 13 acres of organic land is in REPS at present with two years left in the scheme.

Wood is in plentiful supply while also on the grounds are a 17th century fish pond, a spring well and a small river.

Chris and Karen Southgate have preserved Marybrook, hopefully, for another few hundred years, and all future owners need to do is remember to paint the windows.

The property is on the market with Kanturk auctioneer, Liam Murphy, who is quoting an asking price of €750,000.

VERDICT: Painstaking renovation, overseen by one of the country’s acknowledged conservation specialists.