With big home comes big responsibilities -  Lotabeg House on the market

Cork City’s ‘Rip Van Winkle’ Georgian home may need some love but land will still attract big offers, writes Tommy Barker.

THE fortunes of big Irish houses have waxed and waned over the centuries — some go the route of quiet decay, or they get burned down, others get delightful renaissances and new uses, anchoring golf courses and resorts, while more get bought by new money, or Lotto wins, and ‘stay private’.

What will become of Cork City’s ‘Rip Van Winkle’ Georgian home, Lotabeg House, almost frozen in an antique aspic and enveloped by encroaching woodland since 1936, when owner Vincent Hart died?

Lotabeg was rather rudely awoken from decades of slumber in May 2016 when its contents went up for sale by auction.

Some 7,000 citizens of Cork and beyond paid to pre-view it, coming by shuttle bus in their droves, and in their hundreds to the actual auction where the contents and spoils of travel, memorabilia, and antiques, in 760 lots, made over €850,00 via Mealy’s, with bidders online, in the auction room, on the phone, and by advance ‘absentee’ bids.

It all caused quite the stir. Then, it got shut up again, only echoingly empty.

Two years on, it’s time to sell the still solid Lotabeg House and its cocoon of greened-in grounds, which over time shrouded the 1790s/1800s-built square house with feature circular, bowed, and domed hall in woodland, despite being set just 4km east along a shoulder hill from Cork city centre, at Tivoli.

It’s on 36 acres in all, some in the middle is zoned for housing and is being offered in three lots by agents Seán McCarthy of ERA Downey McCarthy, Cork, with Andrew Nolan of Goffs in Kildare.

One option is the house on 17 acres of broadleaf trees which now obscure the River Lee vista which it was designed to capture, at the seemingly low price of €1m — though that sum and more might (pick your multiples, but it’s far from being in bad nick) be needed to update the house alone.

The middle, with 7.4 acres zoned for residential development and currently in tillage, is guided at €3.5m.

A further 11.5 acres, also with the current city development boundary, has a €2.5m guiding, and includes a derelict farmhouse and a large cluster of old farm buildings.

Very true to its original design, and with c15,000 sq ft over its three levels, including voluminous hall with cantilevered timber staircase, six bedrooms, two bathrooms, and formal reception space, Lotabeg House is one of a cluster of 18th and 19th century Cork ‘Merchant Princes’ villas and mansions, with acres of south-facing grounds, gardens, and estates, running down to the River Lee at one time.

One family name, Mahony, crops up as owners at various times of Lotabeg House, Lotamore House, and Lota Park House, and the earliest is the Davis Duckart-designed Lota, built in 1765 and owned by the Brothers of Charity.

Lotamore, after a multi-million-euro investment, is now a gleaming fertility treatment centre run by Dr John Waterstone. Lota Park is a Cheshire Home, alongside Silver Grange House, now the family-run Flemings restaurant and accommodation.

Lotabeg House was built for Sir Richard Kellett, first baronet, with its design credited to Leeds-born architect Abraham Hargrave, who came to Ireland to work on St Patrick’s Bridge after it was damaged by flood. He also designed the Michael Flatley-owned Castlehyde (1801), worked on Fota House and the adjacent Belvelly bridge, and also worked on Vernon Mount, along with churches and barracks.

As distinguished as the domed hall with its sweeping staircase is Lotabeg’s triumphal entrance arch. It is topped by a carved stone statue of an Irish wolfhound, designed by George Richard Pain, and seen fleetingly from the Tivoli dual carriageway, as the world whizzes by this long-forgotten, but recently resurrected, great home.

VERDICT: Don’t, realistically, expect that €1m will get you the house and 17 acres. Likely to be bought all in by a developer who may then sell on the house once development is in train.

Lota, Tivoli, Cork

€1m-€7m entire

Size: 15,000 sq ft on 36 acres

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 2

BER: Exempt

Best Feature: Forgotten jewel