The great white hope of West Cork
DO addresses sound more upwardly mobile than The White House? The proud owners of this Rosscarbery, West Cork White House say they are often queried about its postal address.
But, it’s a name that has stuck with the Victorian-style house for years, and it’s a place that has links to the village’s ancient and monastic past. Right in the core of scenic Rosscarbery, and overlooking its amenity salt-water lagoon, it even has a doorway in an ancient wall, leading to the 1612-built, and still proudly standing and serving, St Fachtna’s Cathedral.
The cathedral, said to be the country’s smallest, had a substantial rebuild in the 1640s, a major overhaul in the late 1800s, and conservation has been on-going since 2003, with attention now turning to the bell tower and peel of five bells.
In the slender, arcing shadow of that spire is The White House, built as a Church of Ireland rectory or deanery in 1920, on the wooded grounds of the former St Fauchtnan College (Rosscarbery was a noted centre of learning, with a school established in 590AD that forged important European links.)
You can still feel the agedness of the setting around this exceptionally-solid house’s 2.6 acres, and in-town, walled garden oasis with a remarkable Chilean Brugmansia sanguinea, more commonly known as Angels’ Trumpets, and the old roots are most palpable in the grounds’ trees and old chestnuts, some of which have protection orders, and one of which has recovered from a bolt of lighting many moons ago.
Back, too, in the fullness of its health is The White House, as its 100th anniversary looms.
It’s only appropriate to say it’s ship-shape now in every way, thanks to the intervention of current owners, retired boat-builder, Nevil, and Jackie Scott, a native Leeds couple who moved here from Glandore around a decade ago. Nevil was given a Glandore site for his 21st birthday, starting a link with West Cork that has lasted into his own now-adult children’s generation. With offspring now into their 20s and more, it’s time to downsize: “we’ve only been custodians, really,” says Nevil, rather modestly, given the amount of investment they’ve ploughed into the property during their caring tenure here.
On top of what was already an exceptional quality build, it now has a chemical damp-proof course, refitted roof slates on breathable membrane, high re-insulation values, all lead valleys and flashings replaced, and soffits and fascias replaced with teak and cast-iron guttering, and down pipes fitted, chimneys rendered and flues lined with stainless steel, Velux windows replaced and sliding sash, top-quality Marvin units in situ, especially in the massive front window bays.
As well, it’s all been replumbed with new condenser boiler and reordered bathrooms, and all radiators are mint reproduction cast-iron, with brass thermostats sourced from a specialist UK maker, Aestus; hall wiring has been redone and spare wires left for any future upgrading (handy, when inside walls are two-foot thick).
The White House has lagoon and tennis court views from its two 22’ by 16’ front-reception rooms and those great window bays, a wide hall with pristine original tiles, pitch-pine staircase, and two linked kitchens, one with reconditioned Aga, the other with new, solid, pippi-oak units by the House of Coolmore.
There’s a small series of service rooms/pantries by the back hall, as it leads to a sun-trap terraced patio and leafy lawns, and beyond is a courtyard with old stables and lofted stores, bone dry.
Back in the main house, there are four principal first-floor bedrooms, three bathrooms plus office, and a possible fifth bedroom, and the top floor is home to two very airy attic bedrooms (with feature high-gable porthole windows) around the internal chimneys, plus shower room.
It’s absolutely in spotless condition on every level, so bar changes of paint or paper or carpets, it really is a walk-in job, and the gardens are immaculate, a pleasure to wander through, with tree-fern and palm-fringed bowers, and old walled garden.
It is an easy walk-out job to Rosscarbery’s picturesque square, shops, cafes, bars, bus stop and other services, very literally on the doorstep of this country house, in a village and cathedral grounds setting, with beaches and boat berths to hand, and Cork City and airport an hour away. Selling agent for The White House is Ray O’Neill, of Sherry FitzGerald in Clonakilty, with Christie’s International Real Estate, and the price is €1.295m for a place that has to be visited to appreciate. Factor in the likelihood of a few sites on the lower grounds, where there’s road and lane frontage, and options for new owners begin to take interesting possibilities — because the house itself is a given.
Rosscarbery, West Cork
€1.295 million
Sq m 405 (4,350 sq ft)
6/8
C3
Sublime setting
Rosscarbery and nearby Glandore have pulled off a few million-euro plus house sales in the past few years, so the White House aims to be in good company.
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