Former railway cottage in Waterfall signals great potential at €375k

On the right track for getting to the city or to western suburbs

Railway Cottage, Castlewhite, Waterfall, Co Cork.

Waterfall, Co Cork
€375,000
Size	93 sq m (1001 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

In a reverse of the way things have progressed for a lot of properties, things are a good deal less busy here now than they were 100 years ago.

Back when this house was built in 1900 as a railway station manager’s home, this was the setting for the Waterfall Station, a stop on the old West Cork Railway Line where trains chuffed over the 91 feet high viaduct at nearby Chetwynd on their way to Bandon and the south coast.

Railway Cottage at Castlewhite in Waterfall is a three-bed detached home, bought by the current owners in 2019 (for €225k according to the Property Price Register).

Trains stopped running past this property on Good Friday, 1961, more than 100 years after the rail line was incorporated in 1845.

This house sits on around quarter of an acre on an elevated site with views over fields and hedgerows towards Cork city.

Despite the lack of a railway, connectivity isn’t a huge issue as Bishopstown and Ballincollig are only 12 and 14 minutes away, meaning that Wilton Shopping Centre, CUH and the South Ring Road network are all within easy reach.

Changes took place indoors too when a small bedroom was turned into a nice-sized walk-in wardrobe for one of the two remaining double bedrooms... but could be switched back again by new owners.

“It’s a lovely countryside location with the city not far from your doorstep,” notes agent John Moynihan of Sherry FitzGerald, adding that the “charming home” had previously been rented out.

He’s seeing it attracting more interest from first-time-buyers now than from investors though.

VERDICT: A pretty home in an attractive setting, though sorting the energy rating will likely be on track for the next owners.