€900k Historic Cobh manor with grandeur, harbour views, and infinite potential

Having already featured in a local history book The Manor is ready for its next chapter

The Manor, Cobh, Co. Cork

Cobh, Co Cork,
€900,000
Size	470sq m (5,059sq ft) on 2 acres
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	5
BER	Exempt

Gleaming brass door furniture, stained glass, gracefully curving banisters... all the hallmarks of a grand house are here for a new owner but they’re going to need a healthy restoration budget to do this 200-year-old Cobh home justice.

Set on nearly two acres, The Manor at Bellvue is rich in history and architectural character but is ready for someone to really make it shine now.

There’s no shortage of grandeur with high ceilings, timber sash windows, oriel windows, original fireplaces, and elaborate plasterwork at this house which dates to c1811 and which had a gable-fronted extension added on c1885.

And its future could take any number of forms too as it could be a grand family home once more but could also be renovated with a view to short-term luxe accommodation.

Owner, Meg O’Hanlon grew up here and her late parents were well known in the town. Her mum, Margaret was a popular teacher in the local Coláiste Mhuire secondary school, and father John was a farmer and later a butcher in the town (his shop was based where Leonardos Café Kimbo is now).

Everything from spotting dolphins in the harbour below to making camps in the front garden to taking wedding photos on the graceful staircase here form part of her memories of The Manor, which is also known by some as Manor House.

What’s unusual about this already unique property is that the 470sq m house naturally divides into two separate homes if the owners want, notes agent Johanna Murphy of Johanna Murphy & Sons.

“This gives The Manor House remarkable flexibility for a large family, or for multi-generational living, or a combination of private and income-generating accommodation.”

To the front of course is the panoramic view of the water and Spike Island and surrounding harbour.

And to the back is the majority of the two acres including former stables. The grounds, with apple trees, camellias, palm trees, and a monkey puzzle tree, are laid out as several private gardens and the furthest section is more elevated than the house so any other (permission dependent) development here could also enjoy attractive views.

Those views do come with a certain degree of exposure to the elements, a fact noted by Meg’s own father in a limited print run book he wrote documenting the family and house’s history. He had the bright idea of contacting Irish Lights, the organisation responsible for the upkeep of lighthouses around the country, accurately reasoning that they would know more than a bit about durable paint. In 2010 he put up a number of expert painters for a few weeks while they worked on the exterior.

Back indoors, there’s no doubting you’re in a really spacious home when you step into the main living room which is more than 9m long. To give an idea of scale, that’s long enough to fit two estate style cars one in front of the other. Add in a canted bay-window and two other side windows and you’ve got light flooding into this room which currently has a grand piano, numerous armchairs, a six-seater dining table, book cases, a sideboard, and still offers plenty room to move around. It could well become an attractive drawing room in a boutique guesthouse or a communal space in a retreat, or wellness or hospitality venue.

The main bedroom directly upstairs benefits from the same window configuration so it’s got those great views from an even more elevated spot.

Meg recalls having two horses, Bobby and Crystal, here when she was growing up. And the family also ended up with a very canny dog, Spot, when her dad found him in the town one Christmas. A dog going home with a butcher to a large house with extensive grounds ... ‘Lucky’ might have been a more appropriate name.

Meg’s mum Margaret was the one who took charge of decorating the house. “I remember her up on a ladder hanging wallpaper in here.”

In his book, John salutes her skills: “My Margaret took on the task of keeping up the house and you can see her touch and taste all over our home.”

The pair travelled to auctions to pick up artwork and antique furniture for the house.

The rooms are of such a generous size that there are ‘only’ five bedrooms here with one extra room that could be used as a sixth bedroom. But there are multiple living rooms, including that large formal living room, along with a dining room and two sitting rooms.

The kitchen brings a real Upstairs, Downstairs vibe with its high ceilings, large stove and ceiling-mounted pulley clothes airer. And there’s a good-sized laundry room extension behind the kitchen as well.

Any child or guest would surely love waking up in the bedroom at the back of the house with its own large bay window overlooking the stables. There are private houses directly behind the rear boundary and beyond those is Coral Leisure’s swimming pool and gym. The house is about 600m from the town centre or a 15-minute-walk from the local train station.

Meg has her own family home elsewhere so she’s selling this €900k house and grounds with the hope that it’s given a whole new lease of life. Given its age The Manor is BER exempt. That great age also means that transport looked a little different back when this house was built — the driveway is somewhat tighter than some drivers might be used to so some good creative vision is definitely needed here to hold onto the character inside and out while bringing aspects up to modern standards.

VERDICT: For a buyer, developer, or hospitality entrepreneur with a passion for heritage and capital to match, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a fine coastal estates.