A tower and a castle make Cois Fota's setting pretty special

Not to mention the Wildlife Park on the doorstep of this family-made €650,000 home

Thu, 04 Jan, 2024 - 18:05

Catherine Shanahan

Belvelly, East Cork
€650,000
Size	250 sq m (2691 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	5
BER	B3

BELVELLY, on the northern tip of Great Island, may be a small settlement, but it punches well above its weight in terms of exceptional dwellings.

These dwellings include an early 19th century Martello Tower — built as a defence against the possibility of a Napoleonic invasion — and a 13th century castle, built by the Anglo-Norman Hodnett family and later lived in by Walter Raleigh.

Owners of these unique homes see themselves as custodians of structures of great architectural and historical merit and have invested heavily to enhance and preserve them for future generations.

Conservation-sensitive engineer Peter Haughton, of the Brooks Haughton timber merchant family, oversaw the elegant rehabilitation of the Martello Tower, which he lived in for a number of years, before selling it for c€700,000 in 2022 to a former Irish international and Munster rugby player.

Restored Martello Tower is now a private residence Picture: KC 3D Tours

At the castle, Belfast-born couple Garry and Anne Wilson reclaimed and transformed it into a spectacular monument/private residence/de facto tourist attraction.

Belvelly also has a 19th century redbrick schoolhouse, bought for private use and converted into a home in the 1990s.

All three are reached via the ancient, humpbacked Belvelly Bridge which links Great Island to the great Fota Estate at the shortest crossing point.

You will find modernity too — in the midst of these historical landmarks — in the form of Cois Fota, a now 20-year-old upmarket cul-de-sac of detached homes on three rolling acres of former farmland.

Designed and built by two Kinsale-based professionals — architect Richard Rainey and builder Joe Neville — just two have been re-sold in the past decade.

Now another pair has come up for sale, one of which — No 2 — is on the market with Johanna Murphy, with a €630,000 guide and an offer just shy of that price.

Meanwhile at No 9, featured here, viewings are set to get underway.

No 9 — towards the end of the cul-de-sac — comes to market via Ann O’Mahony and Paul Fenton, of Sherry FitzGerald, with a guide price of €650,000.

It’s a well looked after rental and differs from some of its neighbours in that an adjoining garage was converted from day one, and a separate garage built (home office/gym possibilities?).

At 250 sq m, No 9 is a tremendously generous family home where the sense of space starts at the double height hallway and continues into two spacious living rooms, and on into a large kitchen to the rear, which is open plan to the dining room and sunroom.

A large office to the front of the house could be a fifth bedroom or playroom. There’s a utility and guest WC downstairs too, and overhead is the main bathroom and four double bedrooms, three with en suites.

Outdoors is generous and private. The south-facing rear garden is surrounded by trees and shrubs, and a large patio is positioned to catch any sunshine. The garden can be accessed from the sunroom.

Ms O’Mahony and Mr Fenton say No 9 is a “seamless combination of style, practicality, and functionality” in a very special setting.

Kids attending school in Cork city make good use of the nearby rail link at Fota train station, about a 15 minute walk away.

And, of course, there’s the added attraction of living next door to Fota Wildlife Park — with all manner of exotic birds and animals on your doorstep.