Georgian country mansions rarely come to the market in such mint condition as Birchgrove House, a perfectly-restored mellow stone residence close to Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

Selling agent Victor Mitchell of Roscrea is guiding £875,000 (€1.1m) prior to auction on October 4th. The five-bedroom, 6,300 sq ft property includes a restored coach-house, an Old English stone barn, a hay barn, a stable yard and over nine acres of parkland.

The Birch family, who have lived at Birchgrove for generations, operated a distillery in the barn which enjoyed a considerable reputation until it closed in 1850. So attached were the family to their ancestral home that, when family members moved abroad, they inevitably called their new homes "Birchgrove".

When the present owner - Paddy Fitzgerald, an antiques dealer in Roscrea and Dublin - purchased the house with his wife two years ago, he brought in a team of restorers and craftsmen to return the house to its former elegance.

Shutters and sashes, Rococo ceiling plasterwork and marble fireplaces have been expertly restored. Gilt chair rails and period door fittings are in perfect order and radiator cabinets have been hand-crafted. Farrow & Ball period paints and wall-coverings in soft Georgian shades have been used throughout the house.

A practical blend of authentic period style and modern convenience was considered essential by the Fitzgeralds, so central heating, power showers and recessed lighting were installed.

In true Georgian fashion, almost every room in the house enjoys good natural light from tall sashed windows with a south-facing aspect. One of the most notable features of Birchgrove is a roof-height bay with glorious stained glass windows which stream coloured light across the drawingroom.

A double mahogany front door opens to a grand hall with an oval leaded glass skylight. There are two curved niches awaiting statues and the floor is Portland stone and wood. Off this is a large study with ornate plasterwork and a white marble fireplace, a similarly ornate diningroom and a bow-ended bathroom with antique-style sanitary ware.

The damson-walled drawingroom - entered through a decorated portico - is probably the most imposing room in the house. This used to be the ballroom and original pitch pine floorboards have been polished to a high sheen.

The magnificent triple-section bow window incorporates engraved glass panels picturing Irish emblems. Sunlight through this scatters fragments of colour across the room. The original gilded pelmets over the windows have been restored. The ceiling coving depicts lion masks and a black Kilkenny marble fireplace has an ornate brass grate, complete with andirons.

Another unusual architectural feature is a Regency tower to the side of the house, with a staircase accessing the drawingroom, the kitchen and the main bedroom on the second floor.

The main staircase is lit by a Venetian arched window which gives a view of the restored courtyard. Five double bedrooms on the second and third floors are all now en suite.

The main bedroom off the first landing - papered in Farrow & Ball blue - has a bow window, Georgian shutters and a black marble fireplace. This room has a full bathroom en suite, with recessed bath and granite-topped vanity unit. There is also a dressingroom and a walk-in shelved wardrobe.

Glass panelled doors lead from a sandstone terrace into the garden level, which houses the kitchen, a boot room, wine cellar, various laundry and store rooms and a parquet-floored family sittingroom.

The big country kitchen leads down from the entrance hall, entered through a triple stone and brick arch. Custom-made units in soft green are set against cream-painted walls and worktops are limestone. There is an island unit, a bow-backed dresser specially made to fit the curve of the window and a new four-oven oil-fired Aga.

The Fitzgeralds have also renovated the outbuildings in the cobbled courtyard. A coach-house has been given teak double doors and there is a new chimney stack for the oil-fired burner. The vast stone barn, formerly the Birch family distillery, still has its original roof trusses.

There is also a hay barn and a set of stables with teak doors. The grounds are partly wooded, with lawns and a walled garden entered through a picturesque cut-stone arch.