Chantilly on Ballybride Road in Rathmichael, Co Dublin is a Georgian five-bedroom house on 1.75 acre of beautifully maintained gardens. Scheduled for auction by Lisney on July 8th, the two-storey property is expected to make in the region of £1.1 million.
Until recently, Chantilly was owned by property developer John Flynn, who lived there for many years. He sold it last year to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council who shaved off part of the garden for the M50 motorway extension, due to be completed in 2003. The new boundary is clearly marked by a high metal fence, and the ground beyond it will be used as a landscaped slope down to the motorway.
Viewers will have to consider how much disturbance the road is likely to cause and it could end up being a relative bargain because of this. Modern houses on the nearby Ballybride estate are now valued in excess of £800,000. Chantilly is a very handsome period house in good condition and with the added benefit of a courtyard and several outbuildings, with direct access to the road, that could easily convert to offices.
High entrance gates open on to a winding tree-lined driveway leading to the front of the house. Most of the garden is in front, with a wide manicured lawn and a stunning 300 years old beech tree dominating the view from the house.
The gardens are exceptionally pretty, with clematis-clad archways leading from one section to the next. There is a rose garden, a hidden courtyard garden behind the house and dense shrubberies filled with camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons. Two gravelled areas surrounded by box enclose high sandstone plinths and urns. These are arranged to be viewed from each of the two main reception rooms, the drawing room and the dining room, which are to the left and right of the hall.
The house is empty at present, but even stripped of its furnishings and carpets, it looks very elegant. It has an excellent square layout, with two large rooms on either side of the outer and inner halls. The outer hall has its own fireplace to welcome guests on winter evenings.
The drawing room is a lovely light-filled space with original French doors on two sides. It leads into a third reception room - a study or sitting room. This in turn opens into the inner hall where there is a store room and cloakroom.
Both halls have polished timber floors and a dense floral wallpaper that makes them appear rather dark.
New owners will probably refit the kitchen, as its dark timber units are a little dull. From here, a glazed door leads out to the enclosed gravelled courtyard which has buildings on two sides. The kitchen also connects with the dining room. Upstairs, the five bedrooms are all large and bright, although they have surprisingly low ceilings. The main bedroom has an en suite bathroom with an eye-catching lavender suite.
This bedroom connects with a second large bedroom. The remaining three bedrooms share a large family bathroom. The outbuildings include a single-storey cottage that is arranged as a one-bedroom house, suitable for staff or guests. The other buildings have been well maintained but not converted.
