Discreetly, often tastefully, Co Kildare has a definite edge when it comes to grand country houses. The county has a famously fine range of pursuits and pleasures for those keen on country life; apart from hunting, fishing and golfing it has good land, schools and roads and is synonymous with the bloodstock industry.
Athgarvan House has an impressive Co Kildare location: on a rise overlooking the river Liffey, it is a brisk walk from the town of Newbridge and not far from the Curragh. Surrounded by two hectares (five acres) of landscaped grounds and gardens, it has a boundary of specimen trees and stone wall.
The vendors have carried out a renovation that holds onto original features while taking care of the needs and comforts of a contemporary home. It is a house which lends itself to entertaining, either in the large rear drawingroom where there are long sash windows and panelled walls or outdoors in an open space on the lower ground floor leading to a balcony overlooking the river.
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Agent Sherry FitzGerald is asking €2.5 million for Athgarvan House and lands. With a roomy 775sq m (8,342sq ft) of floor space on three levels, the layout is divided into a large reception hall, three reception rooms, kitchen/breakfastroom, eight bedrooms (four en suite, six in the main house and two for staff accommodation), two bathrooms, games room and wine cellar. A coach house 10 metres from the house could become additional accommodation.
Athgarvan’s reception hall and staircase are central to the layout and lead on to the rest of the house. The diningroom, which is wallpapered and has a polished wood floor, reflects the formal dining mood of its period. The drawingroom looks over the river and a family room has a marble fireplace and views to the side and front. A contemporary kitchen has a tiled floor, granite worktops and wide range of fittings.
The four largest bedrooms are on the first floor. All are en suite with period-style marble fireplaces. The main bedroom has a dressing room. The lower ground, or garden floor, has a further two bedrooms as well as a bathroom, games room with bar and wine cellar or storage. A further two bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom have a separate entrance and could make a granny-flat or suit an au pair.
