Sometimes a property comes with more than bricks and mortar. Garden inhabitants may also be included in the sale. Last year two Irish properties on the market came with particular fauna: a bevy of swans and a herd of fallow deer.
The oriental-themed gardens at The Brambles, a spacious five-bedroom house outside Celbridge, feature a large pond inhabited by Japanese koi. The oldest fish here is Moby, who is nearing the age of 40 and weighs 12lbs.
"I inherited him and other koi from the previous residents," says owner Charlie Farrell. "They are quite amazing fish, need very little care and hibernate for six months of the year." The kidney-shaped pond with several cascades is the central focus of the gardens, which meander about the 0.5-acre site laden with several species of acer in keeping with the Japanese theme.
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Charlie and Mary Farrell purchased the property four years ago and extended the gardens to include further specimen plantings and a lawn. These are now in full bloom, (the photographs were taken in February) with pergolas bursting with climbing roses and clematis, and agapanthus and crocosmia lucifer on the cusp of flowering.
The house was initially two cottages – the façade on the roadside is the only element to remain, which was completely rebuilt in 2007 and now extends to a spacious 334sq m.
Off the hallway lies an elegant kitchen-cum-dining area that looks out on the gardens. A formal reception room rising to double height lies adjacent.
Four of the five bedrooms are en suite. Three lie at ground level with the master and guest rooms on the top floor. The master suite, which features a dressingroom, extends to 44sq m and would give any five-star hotel a run for its money.
The Farrells are downsizing due to an empty nest and have placed their home in turnkey condition, with an energy rating of B2, on the market through agent Remax Partners with an asking price of €895,000.
Last year Charlie introduced sturgeon to the pond “as they clean the internal walls of the pond”. New owners might just have the added bonus of a bounty of caviar.
