Built on the grounds of Ballintyre Hall, the Ballintyre estate won Irish Development of the Year for Ray Grehan's Glenkerrin Homes back in 2005, and is now a flourishing spot with a mixture of houses and apartments in matured grounds. But what about the original big house itself?
Built in the 1800s, it has had mixed fortunes: once occupied, at the end of the 19th century, by barrister and MP for Dublin, Edward Grogan, it ultimately fell into disrepair, and Grehan's plans to convert it into 12 apartments got caught up in planning.
Grehan is the developer who famously paid €171.5 million for the Veterinary College site in Ballsbridge, and bought the 24-acre Ballintyre estate in 2003 for a reported €51 million. The house has now been almost completely restored, and is being sold by receivers, Grehan having opted for UK bankruptcy at the end of 2011. Savills are handling the sale, at a guide price of €1.25 million.
The restoration has been very well done, with care and attention paid to all the original features, and the 556sq m (5,985sq ft) of space is grand, lofty and beautifully proportioned. There’s still a little to do however, as the decision was taken to leave the kitchen, bathrooms, and upstairs radiators (downstairs has underfloor heating) to the taste of the new owners.
So you get vast airy rooms, elegant fireplaces and the kind of staircase you could sweep down in your best ball dress, while still having the opportunity to select your favourite sort of bidet, make and model of Aga, and conjure up the optimal kitchen-island unit.
Downstairs the area designated for kitchen/dining sweeps through to the living room, taking up the whole of one side of the house, and at about 74sq m (797sq ft), is larger than many entire houses. There’s also the grand hall, drawing room, sitting room, and various storage areas and utility room at this level.
Upstairs, the bedrooms are all huge, with vast windows, and views across to Three Rock Mountain on one side, and screened by trees on the other.
Ballintyre is in the centre of the housing development, though on an enclosed 0.42-acre site, and the price undoubtedly reflects this location. Hedging has gone in, but more trees would give you greater privacy still.
It is a very beautiful house, awaiting the next chapter in its story.
