Former Smiths frontman Morrissey sells €575k home in Cobh

Seclusion and superb views are part of the appeal at The Manse which the singer bought for his beloved mother

Fri, 17 Feb, 2023 - 00:00

Catherine Shanahan. Pictures: John Roche

Cobh, Co Cork
€575,000
Size	233 sq m (2523 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	F

'STOP me if you think you’ve heard this one before’, but anyone looking to acquire a fine period home without having to break the bank should check out Cobh, more specifically the house featured here, which comes with the sheen of celebrity, linked to ‘This Charming Man’.

That charming man is Morrissey, charismatic former frontman of seminal UK ’80s band The Smiths, who bought the gorgeous property as a holiday home for his late beloved mother, Elizabeth Anne Dwyer in 2002.

An Irish woman born in Dublin, Elizabeth emigrated to the UK in the 1950s with her husband Peter Morrissey and gave birth to the Mancunian crooner in 1959. His close relationship with his mum has been well documented over the years and in a message posted on MorrisseyCentral following her death in August 2020, she is described as his “best friend”.

Prior to her passing, he called on friends in “Chile, Mexico, Italy, Peru, Brazil, the US, Ecuador, Israel and Ireland” to offer prayers for her recovery.

As the location of her holiday home, Ireland was clearly close to his mother’s heart.

It was close to Morrissey’s too, acknowledged in his song, ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’. Why they specifically chose Cobh as a bolthole is anyone’s guess but there’s a good chance they were captivated by the Victorian beauty of The Manse and the stellar setting, on a ridge above the harbour, with spectacular views and that all-important quality so beloved of celebrities — seclusion.

You’d have no reason to drive by The Manse unless you lived in that section of narrow roadway that lies below Lake Road. The road down to The Manse is one-way and swings around a steep elbow bend that eventually brings you down to the High Road.

The Manse is just below the elbow, tucked into a hollow above High Road, barely visible, inside high gates and screened by mature trees. It’s the height of High Road privacy.

How The Manse ended up on this particular site is a tribute to its builders who overcame any challenges posed by the sloping terrain to build a substantial, elegant home for a Presbyterian Minister (‘Vicar in a Tutu’?) in the mid-1800s. This particular property was built for the minister of nearby Scots Church, whose limestone steeple is a feature of the view from the garden. The Church, built by Cork architect Henry Hill, of the Cork Hill architectural dynasty, dates to the 1850s and The Manse is dated somewhere between 1840 and 1860, according to architectural heritage database, Buildings of Ireland. Neither property’s association with Presbyterianism stood the test of time. The Church, which closed in 1965 and was gifted to Cork County Library in 1973, is now Cobh Museum and The Manse became a private home.

It was altered over the years and the owner prior to Morrissey made a number of substantial changes.

This included the addition of two striking sunrooms either side of the gabled central bay, with Gothic-style windows and French doors to the split-level, south-facing, harbour-embracing garden, where giant cruise liners glide by from April to September.

That owner also added a sizeable extension to the rear which included a fine dining room with graceful floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors to a generous patio, with a small kitchen to the rear and overhead, the caretaker’s quarters, with ensuite bedroom and kitchenette.

This upstairs section of the house can be accessed separately, via an external metal staircase, which could also be a convenient fire escape, if ever the need arose.

External stairs to former caretaker's quarters

It could also suit someone with plans to run a business from home.

Inside the original house, two generous reception rooms are interlinked. One is dominated by a beautiful bay window, facing west, with harbour views and a door to the heavily glazed west sunroom.

The other reception room faces the water too and has a door to the east sunroom.

Both reception rooms have impressive marble fireplaces, a ceiling rose and cornicing. A third, smaller room off the back hallway could work as an office or playroom.

The entrance hall has elaborate cornicing and a large recess that shouts “cloakroom”.

There’s a guest WC with a quirky, coloured-glass window, with designs that look like pieces of a chess set, off the back hallway, under the stairs.

An air of old-world grandeur continues upstairs. There’s a hefty bedroom suite with its own hallway off the landing, a partially vaulted ceiling, a dressing room and windows overlooking those stunning views.

The ensuite that goes with it includes a jacuzzi bath, perfectly positioned beneath a window to allow bathers enjoy the live-action harbour shots.

A second bedroom overlooks the water too.

The remaining bedrooms are in what was the caretaker’s quarters, one of which was fitted with a kitchenette, from where there’s direct access to the external stairs. Beyond it is bedroom four, with ensuite.

Decoratively, The Manse is gone beyond its glory days, but that’s purely cosmetic. It has excellent DNA and the right amount of investment will return it to its best. Insulation work is definitely on the cards as it currently has an F-grade BER. The kitchen is probably inadequate by modern standards but there are options to relocate to another part of the house.

The fact that the 2,500 sq ft house needs upgrading is reflected in the guide price. Selling agents Gillian McDonnell and Ann O'Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald have set it at €575,000 which seems good for a period home on 0.6 acres of expertly tended gardens, with a feature pond and very large patio, rich in primroses, ferns and contrasting tree species and a leafy pathway that leads to a right-of-way down to the High Road and into Cobh town.

All of Cobh’s selling points apply: Excellent rail link to Cork City (journey time 20 minutes), good schools, plenty on-the-water activity for keen sailors and oarsmen, proximity to Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis Club.

The agents believe the house will appeal to families, “maybe relocators, returning from the UK”. Two of Ms McDonnell's recent sales of period homes on Cobh’s nearby Low Road involved parties from the UK, with Elmville and neighbouring Oakhurst selling for just over and just under €1m, respectively.

Another prestige property, in Cobh, Ballymore Lodge, on sale with Ms McDonnell with a guide of €1.35m, is currently under offer at close to the asking.

The Manse could equally attract a local buyer, someone with knowledge of the area who is looking to upgrade, the agents say.

Or perhaps it will be a Morrissey fan — after all he’s a man held in high regard in the UK, coming second only to David Attenborough in the vote for greatest British cultural icon.

And if a fan did buy, who knows, there might even be ‘A Song from Under the Floorboards’.

VERDICT: Superb setting for a handsome home ripe for reinvigoration.

As per a few more Morrisey song titles: ‘If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look At Me’, or, for those who do like the look, ‘To Me, You are a work of Art".