Mount John House | Newcastle, County Wicklow, IrelandOffered by Sherry FitzGerald and Ganly Walters

Mount John house

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‘A charming small private residential estate with an important 18th Century country house and enjoying a beautiful, parkland setting on over 31 acres in a most attractive position,

easily accessible to Dublin city and the sea and offering a myriad of sporting opportunity.’

Mount John HouseEntrance Hall • Drawing Rom • Dining Room • Sitting

Room • Conservatory • Kitchen • Breakfast Room • Seven Bedrooms (Master Ensuite) • Four Bathrooms

Gate LodgeEntrance Hall • Open Plan Kitchen/Family Room

• Sitting Room • 2 Bedrooms • Bathroom •

Yards5 Loose Boxes • Coach House • Studio/Playroom

• Various Stores of Different Sizes

For Sale by Private Treaty in The Entire

Viewing Strictly by Appointment

- JOINT SELLING AGENTS -

set out on over 31 acres of well-timbered parkland the estate includes the principal house, surrounding pleasure grounds and court yard with attendant outbuildings including stabling and a coach house, a gate lodge, timber chalet and good pasturage.

The entire comprises a marvellous rural idyll with an attractive and manageable principal house gloriously positioned overlooking mature parkland and forms the centre piece of the estate and is complimented by a range of original stone outbuildings positioned to the rear of the house and a pleasant gate lodge, itself protecting the wrought iron entrance gates set within a stone entrance splay and leading up a sweeping drive to a gravelled forecourt in front of the house. A delightful garden terrace linking to a large kitchen garden, which retains many mature fruiting shrubs and trees and includes a hard tennis court. A secondary approach provides access directly into the courtyard to the rear of the house and passes a disused chalet, previously inhabited by estate staff.

enjoying a tranquil position within verdant countryside Mount John also benefits from superb access to Dublin city and its International airport, the nearby M11 motorway linking directly to the city and the M50 orbital motorway, giving easy access to the national motorway network and an approximate travel time to the airport of 40 minutes driving. The DARt light rail commuter service can be accessed at Greystones, some 7.8 miles / 12.5 kms away.

The immediate area is noted for its natural beauty and has much to offer country enthusiasts. The scenic Wicklow Way walking route is easily accessed in the nearby village of Laragh. equestrian enthusiasts are well catered for in the local area with a strong pony club, a number of riding clubs and hunting offered with two local packs, while the shillelagh, Island, Kildare and Ward hunt country is within easy boxing distance. There are a number of gun clubs in the area and some private shoots within easy driving distance. salmon and trout fishing are available by arrangement on the River slaney, while harbours at nearby Wicklow and Greystones provide opportunity for sea fishing and sailing. Golfing is extremely well catered for with nearby championship courses including Powerscourt and Druids Glen. Further golfing is offered in Glen Mill and Roundwood Golf Clubs.

Dublin city centre 23 miles / 37 km approx, Dublin International Airport 31 miles / 50 km approx, newcastle village (sea) 3 miles / 5 km, Greystones (harbour) 9 miles / 14 km, Wicklow town (harbour) 9 miles / 14 km, M11 motorway 3.7 miles / 6 km, newtownmountkennedy village 2.3 miles / 3.8 km, Rosslare Ferry Port 71 miles / 115 km, (distances approximate).

IDYLLIC PARKLAnD sett InG

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Mount John is an elegant and well portioned Georgian house in the neo-classical style, the front façade comprising 5 bays and featuring large timber sash windows and a marvellous solid timber front door set within an elliptical-headed fanlight and, superbly supported by balanced ionic columns and a moulded architrave. each end of the house is adorned by semi-circular bows, one two storey and the other single storey. The front and south façade feature vertically hung slate, although this is most probably a later addition as the rest of the house and the outbuildings within the rear courtyard are finished in white render.

Whilst in need of a comprehensive restoration the arrangement of the accommodation combined with gracious room proportions and generous natural light easily allows comfortable family living to the envisaged. The large bow ended reception rooms being particularly impressive and extremely suitable for fine entertaining, the dining room linking through a set of timber French doors to a marvellous and sheltered garden terrace. A study and kitchen with attendant utilities complete the ground floor accommodation whilst the first floor provides four principal bedrooms, the attic level giving two further bedrooms. Archive photographs demonstrate how pleasing the accommodation can be and how easily the house manages to illustrate comfortable family living but with the potential for lavish entertaining.

The courtyard comprises a coach house with attic floor studio or playroom and anadjoining store and stabling (2 loose boxes). Additional stabling (3 loose boxes) is providedin a separate free standing timber stable block. A fine two-storey stone outbuilding completes the courtyard range and includes a number of stores and a sauna and shower within the loft, accessible from the adjacent kitchen garden. The lands comprise mature parkland and offer good grazing in a number of watered and sheltered fields. The estate benefits from some magnificent specimen oaks, beech and chestnut trees and the lands slope down to the Chapel stream at the northern boundary, which is thought to contain small brown trout. There is considerable scope to create a myriad of pleasant pleasure walks and bridle ways within the confines of the estate.

In all, about 420 square metres / 4,520 square feet within the main house.

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‘An IRIsh ChILDhooD’

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Mount John enjoys a rich and marvellous connection with the renowned author Elizabeth Hamilton, who chronicles her early years living on the estate in her, more or less autobiographical, book ‘An Irish Childhood’. The result is an unforgettable picture of idyllic Edwardian living with vivid accounts of the house, its gardens, stable-yard and cattle grazing on the ‘lawn’. Much of the core estate from this time remains intact and the following extracts give a real sense of all that living at Mount John could entail, obviously following restoration.

‘Mount John was built in the early seventeen hundreds. In common with other houses designed not in isolation, but in a manner that has regard for the landscape – house and landscape making a single picture – it is seen at its best from a distance. There is a pleasing view from the road, through a gap between beeches and limes – the house standing above a sweep of lawn, set about by trees and shrubs, and, beyond it, a glimpse of mountains. Inside, one is taken unawares by the spaciousness, whether it be the airy hall, the curving staircase, or the rooms with their high ceilings, pleasant proportions and the light coming in the tall windows. It seems to hold within itself something of the largeness and the quiet of the countryside.’

‘Presently at a curve of the avenue Mount John comes into view: solid, cream-coloured house, its low-pitched blue lead roof visible above the parapet. From this angle it is partly hidden by trees – among them a copper beech, a tall bluish green Wellingtonia tapering to a point, monkey puzzle and a walnut tree. only when the trap has passed between the white gate-posts on the half-circle of gravel, to the left the pleasure ground, to the right a weeping ash, can one see to advantage the sash windows – two either side the hall-door, matched by similar pairs above and an additional window over the fanlight; the slim Ionic pillars; the oak door and the shining brass knocker that on closer inspection reveals itself as a Greek urn narrowing to the base where the hand takes hold.’

‘A path ran north of the house through the shrubbery to the faded greenish blue garden door set in a wall and opening on to a box-edged path arched with ramblers. to the right was a deep border brilliant with flowers: maroon and lemon and sapphire columbines – these backed by a hedge of beech on the further side of which was a paddock where my mother kept her poultry. There were more flowers to the left of the path: deep blue cornflowers, love-in-a-mist, sweet Williams, bachelors’ buttons, flame-bright montbretia and a double row of sweet-peas. And, beyond these, raspberries and currants and strawberry beds. There was an apple tree with a twisted trunk and crumpled lichen-coated branches.’

‘An Irish Childhood’, by elizabeth hamilton.

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not to scale. For illustration purposes only.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS All machinery and furniture together with the chattels within the house are excluded from the freehold sale but may be available by separate negotiation.

SERVICES Mains electricity, mains water, septic tank foul drainage, oil fired central heating

TENURE & POSSESSION The property is offered for sale freehold with vacant possession being given at the closing of the sale.

SOLICITORS Ailbhe Rice, Rice Jones solicitors, Castleview house, 22 sandymount Green, Dublin 4.

VIEWING strictly by Appointment

DIRECTIONS Coming from Dublin, south on M50/M11/n11 bypassing shankill and Bray through Kilmacanogue and onwards through the Glen of the Downs bypassing newtownmountkennedy exit. take next exit signed newcastle, continue left off exit ramp and roundabout to join ”old” n11 at Gregory’s garage,where you proceed south for a short distance before finding the gates to Mount John on your right opposite the Abwood display area, and immediately before the minor county roads leading to Prospect/ Dunran. Alternatively, travelling northwards on n11, exit J13 signposted newcastle, and Mount John is the first entrance gate after the second minor road on the left.

PRICE UPON REQUEST

BER exempt

Conditions to be noted: 1 These particulars do not constitute an offer or contract or any part thereof and none of the statements contained in the particulars as to the property is to be relied on as a statement or representation of fact. 2. The vendor does not make or give, the Agent(s) or its staff authority to make or give any representation or warranty in respect of this property. 3 All descriptions, dimensions, references to condition and necessary permission for use and occupation, and other details are given in good faith and are believed to be correct but any intending purchaser or tenant should not rely on them as statements or representations of fact but must satisfy himself/herself by inspection or otherwise as to the correctness of each of them. 4 In the event of any inconsistency between these particulars and the contract of sale, the latter shall prevail. 5 The terms, Vendor and Purchaser, where the context requires shall be deemed to refer to Lessor and Lessee and Landlord and Tenant respectively. Sherry FitzGerald PSRA Registration No: 001628

DAVID AshMoResherry FitzGerald

164 shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland+353 (0)1 237 6300 | david.ashmore@sherryfitz.ie

www.sherryfitz.ie

GoRDon LennoXsherry FitzGerald

town hall Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland+353 (0)1 2866630 | gordon.lennox@sherryfitz.ie

www.sherryfitz.ie

RoBeRt GAnLYGanly Walters

8-34 Percy Place, Dublin 4, Ireland+ 353 (0) 1 6623255 | rganly@ganlywalters.ie

www.ganlywalters.ie

- JOINT SELLING AGENTS -