Demesne event in rural Co Meath
LIKE many houses of its type, Summerhill House, the massive and imposing Palladian mansion in Co Meath, was destroyed by fire in 1921. Even the ruin is gone now. The demesne, however, is still there, with its woods and streams ideal for shady, fragrant walks.
Just on the edge of the demesne and about two-and-a-half kilometres south-west of the heritage village of Summerhill, is Cedarwood Lodge, an architect-designed detached house on three-quarters of an acre.
Built in 2010, it has the look of a simple rustic lodge from the outside, with timber and stone features and varying rooflines. The internal dimensions give the lie to that, though, as it’s a substantial 2,992 sq ft in size.
It’s split-level with stairs going both up and down from the entrance hall to bedrooms above and below.
There are four bedrooms in total — two on the lower floor and two upstairs — and if there are to be quarrels in the family, they will be about who gets to sleep on the top floor and who has to bunk in less sumptuous conditions below decks.
Of the two upstairs bedrooms, one (the master bedroom) has an en-suite shower and a walk-in wardrobe, but both have French doors giving onto separate balconies.
The living rooms at entrance level are more or less open-plan. Right of the hallway there’s a living room with an open fire and French doors to the garden.
Two steps in that room go up through double doors into the kitchen, which has a beamed ceiling and is fitted with high-gloss cabinets and a centre island. There are more French doors here to a different part of the garden, and to the left is a dining area with a third set of French doors.
Cedarwood Lodge at Summerhill Demesne is for sale for €575,000 with joint agents Savills Country (01) 663 4350 and REA Coonan (01) 628 6128.