Special Delivery: Heavy renovations give former Cobh post office new lease on life

Following an offer of €69,000, Fiona Geary became the owner of a derelict old building that most people would run a million miles from

Mon, 01 May, 2023 - 13:00

Cathy Mullen Pictures Denis Minihane

Growing up in London, Fiona Geary got an enormous Victorian dolls house one Christmas. I picture her joy as she played with it endlessly and peopled it with happy families and miniature cats and dogs.

“Not a bit”, she said. “No doll ever went into that house! I spent every waking moment, lost in another world, measuring and cutting up sample bits of carpets and wallpaper and redecorating the tiny rooms as often as the city’s changing seasons.” Her paint-by-numbers palette created two toned painted spaces and contrasting colour styles in the high-ceilinged rooms of that Victorian playhouse.

“I’ve always had an innate sense of colour and I can envisage how a room will look from the colours I’ll use and to how the furnishing will blend in”, she explained. That dolls house was the foundation of her passion to renovate buildings down through the years, from a beautiful sandstone town house in Majorca, to an old warehouse building in London’s docklands (now a trendy restaurant), to, in Cobh, her current home, the old Post Office on Harbour Row, overlooking the harbour.

If you can make your career from your childhood passion, you have it made. And this is what Fiona has achieved. Her talent was put to great use last year when she transformed her streetscape into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, from bright pinks, orange, mauve, lilac and purple to blue, aquamarine and green, best viewed from the water. With the backing of Cobh’s Tidy Town’s Committee and a €25,000 grant from Cork County Council, Fiona brought in Midleton paint shop ‘Summit Paints’, who supplied Dulux colour consultants to advise.

“80% of the homeowners came on board”, Fiona said. “The project was turned around in two weeks. Each household paid €1,500 to have their four storey houses painted.” “The vibrant colours really stand out and create a lasting visual impact on the town as other premises, both commercial and homeowners have continued the trend of using bold, bright colours which adds to the town’s charm and reputation as a colourful, quaint tourist town.” But her pride is No. 41, the old Post Office building, now a cosy four bedroomed, five bathroom home for Fiona and her partner Gerry.

“I firmly believe in retaining the character of a building I’m renovating, by repairing and renewing, rather than ripping out”, she explained. “When I saw the interior it wasn’t for the faint hearted, but I’ve seen worse!”.

A cheeky offer of €15,000 in 2013 was instantly turned down, but Fiona’s third offer of €69,000 was accepted two years later, and she found herself the owner of a decrepit and derelict old building that most people would have run a million miles from.

During the renovation, locals popped in with tales of the old post office mistress, a Mrs Twomey, who ran a happy shop. “It was the centre for meeting up, as people stopped by to buy stamps, make calls in the old wooden booth in the corner, collect parcels and generally exchange stories”, Fiona said. “The locals said I was a ‘great bit of stuff’ to be taking on such a project and their encouragement, as well as the spirit of Mrs Twomey, kept me going on the days when I had to dig deep.” Fiona project managed the entire renovation. She had a builder in for the earlier foundation and excavation works, and kept a tight rein on costs. Her background helped.

Her father Denis, one of 17 children, grew up on a farm in North Cork, but left for London in the 60’s. Starting on building sites, he later founded a successful conservation construction company in London. Fiona spent her Saturdays helping out.

So she understands the building trade and has very set ideas on what she wants.

“It‘s vital to project manage a restoration, if you want it to turn out the way you’ve envisaged it”, she said. “I source and purchase all the materials myself, I know the worth of products. I then bring in the labour, plumbers, plasterers and electricians.” Fiona is scrupulous with her budget and reckoned she did not spend over €100,000 on the project.

The blue front door leads to an inner slanted half glass door that was the original entrance into the post office, where a comfortable mustard coloured couch and wooden bench, with blue cushions, now welcome the visitor, with views overlooking the harbour. In the middle of the long room, where the post office counter would have been, sits a large 80’s style kitchen table, big enough for ten people when extended. The table is surround by 70’s chairs which came from a North London bowling club.

On the side wall is a long strip light which can change from neon pink to blue at the flick of a switch. The entire room, including the wooden panels on one wall, is painted in Farrow and Ball's ammonite, an understated grey, contrasting with the inky blue support poles and wooden panels in the kitchen.

Fiona’s kitchen was created entirely by herself.

“I ended up using a lot of IKEA units and some old wooden glass units which came from my friend’s grandmother.” As the kitchen is built into a cliff at the back of the house, there are no windows, so Fiona cleverly used an inset into the wall as a storage area, lighting up the space with mirrored tiles and effective lighting.

Fiona’s furniture is an eclectic mix of items bought from charity or junk shops, found in skips, or end of line items from shop closures.

“I’ve never spent more than €60 or €70 on a piece of furniture”, she said.

It’s a pleasure to walk up the winding, soft, striped carpeted stairs to the first bedroom on the return, her granddaughter’s room. North-facing, Fiona made it cosy with children’s toys and teddies, and an old cot made by her father, containing her first ever teddy. Here an open cream rail serves as the wardrobe, matched by a cream round metal table, acquired from junk shops for a tenner. There is a tiny separate bathroom containing a corner toilet and sink and double doors to maximise space. Outside is a cushioned window seat.

The south facing main living room on the first floor overlooks the harbour towards Roches Point Lighthouse. Fiona knocked this room through to the north facing back room as she wanted to create a larger space.

“This back room is what I call the pointless room”, she explained. “It has no real purpose other than adding a sense of space and light and airiness.” The sitting room, like most of her rooms, has a mix of Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and mid century furniture.

“This is my favourite room and the views are stunning”, she said. “When I watch TV I often find my eyes are busy looking at all the marine traffic on the harbour”.

A beautifully patterned large Ottoman sits centre stage. It’s a street find Fiona had reupholstered in patterned material from a favourite London upholstery shop.

On the next return is a twin bedroom, where strip lighting is used effectively to brighten up the north facing room. It’s served by it’s own separate bathroom.

The second floor contains the master bedroom, again with views over the harbour and the back bedroom was turned into a luxurious bathroom.

The top floor has a comfortable guest room with the bed facing the spectacular views out to sea, and the bathroom next door has a large walk in shower and repurposed Edwardian washstand. A glass bowl (€20 from a charity shop), sits on the marble top. The house is full of charm and quirky character.

Would Fiona do it all again? She already has another project underway, restoring a spectacular Victorian property on the water’s edge near the train station at Carrigaloe, just outside Cobh. So that’s a yes!