Unconventional Kinsale convent

Harvest Walk at Convent Garden, Kinsale, Co Cork

HARVEST Walk is the latest phase at Convent Garden, a development being built on the grounds of a former Mercy convent on Winter’s Hill in Kinsale that enjoys sweeping views over the upmarket seafaring town and its harbour.

Even though prices start at €585,000, three of the five four-bed, three-storey detached homes launched at Harvest Walk at the weekend sold on the opening day. Buyers can avail of a PC sum of €15,000 for the kitchen units and appliances, utility and wardrobes, while the PC allowance for tiling is €8,000.

Blarney-based Cumnor Construction is building Convent Garden on a site that was once home to St Joseph’s Convent, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in the maritime town, right before the Famine, to educate and feed local schoolchildren. It later fell into dereliction and, in the early 2000s, Cumnor was granted permission to convert the austere, grey buildings into apartments and to build houses on its grounds. After several years of inactivity and a scaled-back planning application, building work restarted in 2015.

While previous phases at Convent Garden were dominated by three-bed townhouses, the latest tranche of homes are larger, with 2,067 sq ft of living space and four double bedrooms. The façades of the timber-framed homes are finished in slate and monocouche self-coloured render, with hardwood double-glazed windows. But the star attraction is a balcony off the first-floor living area that overlooks the back garden and paved patio. There is also access to the garden and patio from the dining area of the ground floor kitchen. The ground floor is home to a second living room, which overlooks the front lawn.

The A3-rated homes are just a few minutes’ walk to the heart of Kinsale. Residents can avail of the nearby Blue Flag Beach at Garretstown and the world-famous Old Head Golf Club and Kinsale Golf Club. The town is also on the Wild Atlantic Way. Cork City and Cork International Airport are within a half hour’s drive.An open viewing at Harvest Walk will take place from 12pm to 12.45pm tomorrow. Enquiries to: Savills Cork (021) 427 1371