Gate Lodge on the Blackwater
THERE are two gate lodges to Dromana House, the 17th-century mansion and estate on the eastern bank of the Blackwater near Villierstown, Co Waterford.
One, on the northern edge of the estate, is a fanciful Hindu Gothic structure built in 1851, complete with a copper dome and minarets.
The other is the slightly later (1875) lodge at the southern entrance, on the outskirts of Villierstown village itself.
Unlike its whimsical northern counterpart, this gate lodge is perfectly habitable, having been restored and extended in recent years.
Its traditional gate-lodge charm has been maintained, with six-over-sixpane sash windows, cosy dual-aspect rooms and the requisite sprinkling of Virginia creeper.
Its traditional gate-lodge dimensions have not been maintained, however. Gate lodges are typically tiny, whereas the extension has boosted the size of this one to 1,130 sq ft.
That includes two bedrooms on the first floor and one downstairs which, if you didn’t need the extra sleeping accommodation, might be better used as a reception room. It’s off the kitchen and dining room and is triple-aspect, with French doors to the garden.
There’s one main reception room otherwise — an open-plan sitting room and conservatory comprising the single-storey extension. There’s a wood floor in here and a stove in the fireplace, and the conservatory part of the room is used as a dining room.
The kitchen, meanwhile, has a beamed ceiling, a terracotta-tiled floor and a massive stone and brick fireplace with another stove in it. The extension also added a bathroom on the ground floor, and there’s a second shower room upstairs.
The nearby village of Villierstown is picturesque and has a shop and pub.
The gate lodge is for sale for €300,000 with Brian Gleeson Property in Dungarvan (058) 44200.