A Brian Cross-designed garden and a floored stone loft are some of the attractions at this €600,000 farmhouse 

Careystown, in Whitegate comes with lots of options for an enterprising buyer

Careystown, Whitegate

Whitegate, Cork
€600,000
Size	279 sq m (2950 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4/5
Bathrooms	4
BER	C2

THERE’S a hell of a lot more to this Whitegate farmhouse than a solid rectangular block. How many farmhouses do you know with a Brian Cross-designed garden? 

What about the beautiful old stone loft to the back of the courtyard, dating to the 1800s, once the living quarters of busy farm labourers?

 How about the sundial salvaged from Rostellan Castle and bought at auction? And what of the Careystown House itself?

It’s been lived in for the past 26 years by the vendor but there are family-in-law connections that go way back, with successive generations acting as custodians of the land, including the late husband of the current owner, A tillage farmer who could turn his hand to gardening, he dug out the front garden, a vast expanse of lawn, and together he and his wife planted it. Before they did so, they drafted in the help of an expert. As a gift to his wife, the man hired Brian Cross to devise a garden design and the late landscape gardener introduced a west-facing patio, framed by stone walls and raised beds. 

Out front, he made provision for a fish pond, which is quite the water feature.

 He advised the couple too on what to plant and where to plant it and many years later, with all the different strands pulling beautifully together, the farmhouse has as fine a garden as you could wish for, displaying a good deal more sophistication that you might normally associate with a farmhouse. 

The owner is particularly proud of her towering Echiums aka giant bugloss, common in the Canary Islands, but quite exotic in an Irish landscape.

Much work was done to the house too when the owners embarked on expansive renovations 20 years ago.

“We added on the whole back of the house,” the vendor says and this included a conservatory, kitchen, utility, downstairs loo and home office/bedroom.

 They added a bedroom upstairs too, as well as two en suites and a walk-in wardrobe. The two-storey 4/5 bedroom house, on two acres, is now almost 3,000 sq ft – too big for the owner, who is downsizing, and taking her sundial with her.

An academic and author of Self Neglect in Older Adults, a seminal work on a serious public health issue, the owner has loved her quiet oasis, away from student life. She’s enjoyed living in a farmhouse, which comes with an impressive array of outbuildings to the rear, which new owners can put to any number of uses.

 The lovely old stone loft, which she floored about 10 years ago, fitting windows and doors at the same time and hiring a stone mason to expose/restore the beautiful stonework, offers endless possibilities too: studio, workshop, home office, additional dwellings – with planning consent.

Farmhouse with harbour in the background

Selling this unique property is Lawrence Sweeney of Savills and he says it’s a house “of charm and character, rich in history”. It’s location is ideal, he adds, just 1.1km from Whitegate village, 12 km from Midleton town and 29km from Cork city.

“It’s in a peaceful, private setting and it’s the perfect family home,” Mr Sweeney adds.

His guide price for Careystown House is €600,000.

VERDICT: The outbuildings that come with this property offer lots of possibilities for enterprising buyers. As it also comes with a landscaped garden and 3,000 sq ft of living space, €600,000 seems like a good price.