Wexford has a rich history of mills dating from the 17th century, reflecting the area’s industrial and agricultural past. These included industrial mills, watermills and tidal mills at the head of a small inlet on the Wexford coastline. The town, today known as Saltmills, takes its name from tidal mills constructed by monks to harness the power of the tide to grind their grain into flour.
These mills were built by monks from Tintern Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded circa 1200 by William Marshal. The Norman knight had been caught in a violent storm while crossing the Irish Sea, and legend has it that he fell to his knees and prayed, vowing to construct a religious house if he survived the tempest.
Today the nave, tower, chapel and chancel of Tintern Abbey still stand and the area it occupies is now a Special Area of Conservation surrounded by superb woodlands and walking trails.
Adjacent to this slice of history is Tintern Height, a 212sq m (2,282sq ft) detached bungalow built in 2020. It is on an acre of gardens, close to the village of Saltmills. The brief to an architect by its builder owners was to design a spacious home with lots of natural light. This has been achieved with 14ft-high ceilings and lots of glazing to make the most of its southerly aspect.
Inside a custom-built front door – designed by Brian Maher of Maher Woodcraft, who also designed the bespoke kitchen – is a fine entrance hall with a vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows.
From here, a long corridor houses three bedrooms and a family room, while a spacious open-plan L-shaped area housing the living space and dining area, and the kitchen lies opposite. This triple-aspect space is accessed by glazed double doors, again flooding the rooms with natural light. This is further emphasised by high ceilings and a raised feature fireplace in the living area, which is flanked by large windows on each side, giving much symmetry to the room.
Off the dining area, which has a custom-made ash dining table, lies the Maher Woodcraft kitchen with an abundance of storage in tall larder-style units. A movable island with hidden storage and a breakfast bar creates a natural divide between the dining space and kitchen – which has Smeg units, granite countertops and a Quooker tap. Extra storage can be found in a smart utility room – also designed and built by Maher Woodcraft – that sits adjacent to a comms and cloak room, ensuring that the house is streamlined with a minimalist feel.
Currently laid out with three bedrooms, the principal is dual aspect with a large walk-in wardrobe and a fully tiled en suite with a double rainfall shower.
To the rear of the kitchen is a garage, accessed externally by a roller door, which has an attic accessed by a Stira. Beyond that is an office and a treatment room/snug – which could work as a fourth bedroom – alongside a smart shower room.
The house, in walk-in condition, is perfectly staged for sale, with not an inch out of place.
Included in the sale is a hot tub on the southern side of the property, on a large patio overlooking the woodlands of Tintern Abbey. Owners are also offering the contents for sale by negotiation, as they include the custom-made ash table in the dining area and some bespoke furniture.
The house, which has Pergo laminate flooring and remote-control activated blinds, is on an acre close to the Barrow estuary and a local rowing club. About 5km farther down the road is the popular seaside village of Fethard and the famous cove and strands of Baginbun Beach.
Sherry FitzGerald Radford is handling the sale of the A2-rated four-bedroom property, which is on the market seeking €895,000.
