Room at the inn in Carlow
WHEN Barrowville Town House was built in the early 19th century, it had gardens stretching down to the river from which it gets its name.
At the time it was one of a scattering of grand houses on the outskirts of Carlow town, but now it’s become part of the urban area and is surrounded by other properties, including a housing development between Barrowille and its old neighbour, the river.
Its proximity to the town will have been an advantage to its recent owners, who ran it as a successful three-star guesthouse, mentioned in the Michelin and Bridgestone guides.
It now has only half an acre to call its own but it’s a pleasant half-acre at that, with immaculate lawns, neat pathways, some topiary and statuary and mature trees.
While the garden has shrunk over the past 200-odd years, the house itself has grown and now stands at 4,833 sq ft on two main storeys and a basement, with a couple of mezzanine levels as well.
That floor area includes 10 bedrooms, all en-suite — a must in the guesthouse business if a bit excessive for a family home. All those toilets to clean.
The basement has the kitchen and laundry and two of the bedrooms.
The main reception room is a drawing room at entrance level, with sash windows and a fireplace with a gas fire.
This gives onto a conservatory or dining room, where there’s a vine growing along the ceiling and French doors to the garden. On one of the mezzanine levels there’s a morning room facing south, and you can escape from there to the garden via a flight of steps.
The house is on the Record of Protected Structures and was refurbished in about 1990. It’s for sale for €895,00 with Sherry FitzGerald McDermott in Carlow (059) 914 0344.