Never a folly to buy in Blackrock as Lisnalee home comes to market for €540,000
11 Lisnalee Drive, Barrington's Ave
|
Ballintemple, Cork |
|
|---|---|
|
€540,000 |
|
|
Size |
120 sq m (1296 sq ft) |
|
Bedrooms |
4 |
|
Bathrooms |
3 |
|
BER |
D1 |
WHO knew we had a castle with a 40-foot octagonal tower and mysterious Templar style crosses indented in its stonework up behind the old rail line off the Marina, just east of Cork City?
Local historians knew for sure and people living in the area had heard of Barrington’s Folly, but up until this year, it was hidden from the general population by a thick cover of trees.
In recent weeks it’s emerged from its wooded hiding place as Cork City Council continues its transformative work along the Marina and the former railway-line-turned-greenway, unmasking intriguing bits of history in the process.
The stories associated with Barrington’s Folly have a whiff of the Bullingdon Club about them. The latter was a private, all-male dining club for Oxford University students, known for its wealthy members, grand banquets and bad behaviour, (former British PMs Boris Johnson and David Cameron were members).
For its part, Barrington’s Folly was once the HQ of the “infamous Ballintemple Corporation” which operated in the late 1700s/early 1800s and involved local wealthy landowners “the then idle rich” who “poked fun at the rather staid and pompous Cork Corporation and organised carnivals on land and river for the amusement of local people” (ferdiaomahony.blog) Mr O’Mahony writes that cannons were fired from Barrington’s Folly to get festivities underway, and that Sir David Perrier, the Cork Mayor in 1814 “seems to have been a particular target for ridicule, due to his use of a 20 oar barge in which he visited big houses around Cork Harbour, along with availing of “appropriate hospitality” a euphemism for wasting money”.
So what has all of this got to do with the sale of No 11 Lisnalee Drive off Barrington’s Avenue? Well, it turns out the folly is more or less over the garden wall, which is kind of an exciting prospect. Add to this the development of a new children’s playground on the nearby Marina, as well as the new Marina Park.
Then there's the enhancement of the greenway, planned improvements at the Atlantic Pond and the development of new walking trails and you’ve got to think that it’s all happening in Ballintemple/Blackrock right now.
Against this backdrop, it’s likely that No 11 Lisnalee Drive is going to prove popular among house hunters.
The house itself has much going for it, particularly the large rear garden, which has had plenty of time to mature in the 35 years since the 16-home estate was built, just behind Lisnalee House, which sold for a cool €2.6m in 2015. The back garden at No 11 is fully enclosed, it has a decent patio, and a little garden room at the far end.
While No 11 has been a rental for a while, it’s been well-looked after. Accommodation includes two reception rooms, a kitchen diner and breakfast room and guest WC on the ground floor.
Overhead, one of four bedrooms is ensuite and another is currently being used as a home office.
A buyer who wanted to extend could do so with planning permission - there are plenty of examples within the estate of extended properties.
Selling 120 sq m No 11 are Stuart O’Grady and Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald and they say it’s just about the “perfect spot”, near Blackrock Village, and close to artisanal food shop, Menloe Stores. Cork City centre and Mahon Point are a short drive, while schools and sport/leisure amenities are plentiful.
“It’s a real family home with a great size garden,” the agents say, adding that they expect interest from families trading up, as well as from relocating first time buyers who are familiar with the area. The guide price is €540,000. Sales in Lisnalee have been rare. There’s just one on the Property Price Register, when extended No 2 sold for €564,000 in 2017.
Premium location.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
