Classy holding in the Wicklow hills
A 118ac stud farm and Georgian residence close to the capital is on the market for €2.5m, writes
WHEN time and fortune favour, I like to leave the main roads and take to the byways on my journeys around the country.
On a trip to Wicklow last week I left the industrial road complex at Naas and took the winding roads through the Wicklow Mountains, over the Sally Gap and down to Roundwood and into the shadow of the Sugarloaf.
My journey on the road less travelled was rewarded with a breathtaking drive through the wild expanses of Wicklow, clothed in a myriad of autumnal browns.
The beauty of the mountains wasn’t the only loveliness I was treated to that day. My journey from Roundwood took me to Ballinteskin Stud, a residential stud farm on 118ac in the fertile lower reaches of the Wicklow hills.
The understated Georgian house around which Ballinteskin is built is reached at the end of a shared private road lined with cherry trees.
Nestled behind some fine stands of trees that include a pair of rhododendrons planted in 1850, the house and yards are in perfect condition, having been renovated in the last decade.
The stud is located just 5km from Enniskerry, 3.5km from the N11/M50 at Kilmacanogue and 27km from Dublin.
This property is a turnkey proposition for any prospective buyer and even includes its own helicopter hangar and helipad. The original part of the house is a smaller Georgian structure that has been sympathetically extended to the rear.
The accommodation includes a porch leading to an elegant hallway, a comfortable drawing room, a family room, a dining room and a fully fitted kitchen with a Travertine stone floor, a four-door Aga and top-of-therange fixtures and fittings.
One of the more recent features is a substantial conservatory on the southfacing side of the house linked to the main reception rooms and designed to fit with the Georgian ambience.
Also on the ground floor is a utility room and a playroom/television room.
Upstairs are five bedrooms, of which three are ensuite, with the master bedroom ensuite having separate bath and shower facilities. The main bathroom is spacious and fully fitted with top-class fittings and ware.
The house is filled with light, let in through tall Georgian sash windows complete with shutters.
There are many original features throughout, including decorative plasterwork, cornicing, central rose light surrounds, while more modern features include under-floor heating.
The gardens, home to an array of plants, trees and shrubbery, are tastefully laid out and maintained to manicure perfection.
The equestrian facilities are a mixture of charm and practicality. A stable-yard immediately to the rear of the house is in spotless condition with 10 loose boxes, a tack room, a store, a stud office and a staff apartment with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
A large American barn extending to 3,600 sq ft is located not far from the courtyard. It houses 16 loose boxes fitted with ‘Loddon’ automatic feeders, a wash bay and a tack room. Other facilities include a foaling unit with two large stables and an observation room.
The property has two arenas, an outdoor allweather arena with a paved viewing area and an indoor lunging arena capable of schooling with jumps. There is also a four-column haybarn with lean-tos at either side.
The land is made up of 118ac of self-draining dry ground all around the house and yard, fenced with stud rail fencing and sheepwire. The paddocks are serviced with water and the fields are sheltered by hedgerow and mature trees.
Philip Byrne of selling agents Coonans, Maynooth is anticipating lively interest when the place comes to auction at Buswell’s Hotel, Dublin at 3pm on Wednesday, October 25.