Jennifer Guinness's seaside home in Howth has six acres of grounds running down to the sea, writes Property Editor Orna Mulcahy
Jennifer Guinness is selling Ceanchor House in Howth, her home for over 40 years and the house from which she was kidnapped in 1986.
Wife of the late John Guinness, chairman of the now defunct Guinness Mahon investment bank, she was held by an armed gang for five days before being released unharmed. The gang had demanded a ransom of €2.5 million.
The ordeal didn't put her off living at Ceanchor House which she describes as a "very special place". A talented yachtswoman, she has sailed around the world and has been involved in helping the disabled to enjoy the sport.
Set at the end of Ceanchor Road, on a glorious slice of land descending to the sea, Ceanchor House is one of the finest properties on the Howth peninsula and in Dublin, according to Tom Day of Lisney, who is selling the property with joint agent Wade Wise of Savills HOK. The asking price is €12 million and viewing is by appointment only.
The pink Regency villa dates from the late 1830s when it was built by one William Bellingham. It passed through a number of owners until it was bought by the Guinness family in 1914 for the princely sum of £2,500.
The six-bedroom house stands two storeys over basement and comes with an indoor swimming pool and a large two-bedroom guest or staff apartment.
The house has superb sea views from almost every angle with the main rooms overlooking level lawns and its own fields descending to the cliff path. There is a wide herbaceous walk, a sunken grass tennis court no longer in use, and a vegetable and fruit garden that is cultivated all year round. The grounds also include a paddock that's home to a horse and two donkeys, stables and workshops.
There is plenty of room for a boat in the wide driveway, and for a collection of cars in garages behind the house. Jennifer Guinness plans to build a house on an adjoining parcel of land.
