Co Kildare development is more than just bog-standard
Hawthorn Manor, Coill Dubh, Co Kildare
THE fuel shortage created by WWII prompted what was then known as Turf Development Board (later to become Bord na Móna) to advertise in local newspapers across Ireland for workers to come to Kildare and harvest the bogs.
Thousands of men answered the call and lived in specially-built camps around Kildare. Once the emergency ended, Bord na Móna realised it still needed a permanent workforce in the area and accommodated staff at Coill Dubh, a village built by the company. These days, Coill Dubh is part of the commuter belt to Dublin, which is 40km away. And housing continues to be added to the village, including Hawthorn Manor, a development of 53 three and four-bed family homes launching in Coill Dubh this weekend.
The six house types are named after trees and the homes are arranged around two landscaped green areas. Of the 15 properties in the first phase, The Willow — a two-bed detached style measuring 947 sq ft — is the cheapest, but both homes have already been reserved. Prices for the Birch, a three-bed, 1,399-sq ft semi-detached house type, start at €285,000. The Laurel, a four-bed semi of 1,464 sq ft, costs from €305,000, while the Ash, a double-fronted four-bed detached design at 1,604 sq ft, is priced from €370,000.
Both the Birch and the Laurel styles have attics designed to accommodate an extra en suite bedroom. Planning permission has already been secured to allow for 300 sq ft of additional space.
The facades of the Birch homes are finished in plaster, with a feature porch. To the rear of each house is a patio paved in Indian sandstone and a garden with solid block walls. There is room for two cars in the paved front driveway.
Internally, there is a lounge to the front of the house with a wood-burning stove. A set of doors leads from this area to an open-plan kitchen/diner with a breakfast bar, and French doors open from the dining space to the patio.
Hawthorn Manor is 25 minutes by car to the
M50 in light traffic. There is also a regular Bus Eireann service from the Coill Dubh bus stop, while Sallins railway station is 14km away.
Viewings at a three-bed showhouse will be held tomorrow and Sunday, from 2pm to 4pm. Enquiries to: Sherry FitzGerald O’Reilly (045) 868412