Life and houses need to be forever moving on if they are to survive. So it is with Stickens, a thatched cottage in Co Kildare, and the family who have owned and lived there since 1820. Stickens in Donore, Caragh, was built by hand by the Cahill family's great-great-grandfather in 1820 and, ever since, unbroken generations of Cahills have lived there. But, with the present generation spreading its wings, the time has come to sell. With an asking price of €350,000 it is on the market through agent REMAX Partners Donnelly Little Wright.
There is a preservation order on the original front of Stickens; a modern, rear extension added in 1989 almost doubled its original size. The floor area covers 94sq m (1,010sq ft) and includes two bedrooms, a study, a bathroom, livingroom and kitchen/breakfastroom. Features, including panelled and stable doors, quarry-tiled and polished timber floors, wood-beamed ceilings, combine to create an intimate feel as well as speaking to the cottage origins.
“It’s a lovely, lovely place,” the vendor says, “full of good memories and on a great site.” The site, with 0.5 acre to the side, known as “the field”, ripe for development (pending planning permission), has luxuriantly mature gardens and an orchard.
A family member who grew up in Stickens remembers when “the ceiling went all the way into the thatch, when the floors were packed mud and the mud walls held up with 40 years of wallpapers.” The 21st century Stickens is a turnkey home – albeit with the fittings of a contemporary house and the mood of a traditional cottage.
The fitted kitchen in particular has a rustic feel, with an old chimney breast ready to house a stove, a door to the garden and tiled floor. The livingroom has an open, brick-surround fireplace, polished wood floor and, like most other rooms, a wood-beamed ceiling. A bright bathroom has a separate shower and bath, the bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and there is attic access from both the study and bathroom.
Stickens has been well maintained over the years, including having periodic repairs and work on the thatched roof carried out by a local thatcher. Because of its protected structure status, grants are available for thatching and other work related to its preservation.
To the front, there is a lushly planted car-turning circle as well as parking. Nearby are Naas, Newbridge, Sallins, Clane and Prosperous, and access to the M7 and M4 motorways .
