Co Meath: €1.7mAsparagus, say the owners of Bellewstown House, is terribly easy to grow. Well that's clearly the case within their own sheltered kitchen garden which, over the years, has also provided them with a wide range of additional fresh produce such as artichokes, lettuces, courgettes, French beans, peas and soft fruits.
Meanwhile, at the furthest reach of the main garden stands a phalanx of trees that will shortly be yielding a fine crop of apples and plums. To either side of the terraced lawns lie deep, well-planted herbaceous borders surrounded by more than 120 different species of trees including magnolia, scarlet oak, weeping beech and the euphoniously named handkerchief and snowbell trees.
There must be something in the soil around here, because everything seems to thrive - including the residents.
Adjacent to the picturesque Meath village of Bellewstown, which hosts an annual racing festival on its diminutive course, the house and surrounding five acres deliver a powerful argument in favour of country living, especially since Dublin lies less than an hour away.
Yet thanks to judicious planting by successive generations, there's absolutely no evidence of the urban environment here.
Found at the end of a long drive, the south-facing property dates back to the mid-18th century and was probably once the home of a wealthy farmer or land agent. However, it was later expanded and 'improved' by a Victorian occupant who added the entrance hall as well as the flanking sitting and drawingrooms, both of which retain elegant cornicing and handsome marble chimneypieces.
Behind them to one side lies the diningroom and to the other a fine kitchen with conservatory attached (perfect for raising plants like tomatoes which need protection from the elements).
And then beyond again is a charming cobbled courtyard with double-storey stone store that could be converted into a self-contained home.
Back inside the house, a staircase daintily winds up to the broad first-floor landing with a big sash window from which to admire the terraced gardens - and check how this season's apples and plums are doing.
There are two large bedrooms to the front, the principal one having its own bathroom. At the rear, two further bedrooms with exceptionally high ceilings share another bathroom and then it's up to the top floor where another pair of rooms would happily accommodate a pleasant nursery and nanny's room.
Due to be auctioned by Savills Hamilton Osborne King on June 14th with an expected price of €1.7 million, Bellewstown House is 'manageable without staff' according to its current owners. Their devotion to the place is apparent but after almost a quarter of a century in residence, and with the departure of their children, they've decided it's time to look for somewhere smaller and even more manageable. Someone else can look forward to discovering just how easy it is to grow asparagus in Bellewstown.
