The foundation stone for Griesemount House was laid, on mid-summer's day 1817, by nine-year-old Hannah White. Hannah was the niece of George Shackleton, who was having the house built for himself. Griesemount wasn't intended as a grand house, more as a liveable one with views, lands and gardens.

It is all that today, and more; the centuries have been relatively kind to Griesemount House. The Shackleton family (Antarctic explorer Ernest was a grand-nephew of the original George) owned it until the early 1900s. After a bruising 20th-century experience it had deteriorated until, in the 1970s, one Sara von Stade bought it “for a knockdown price” and set about having the house restored and updated, and the gardens enhanced.

The vendors bought it in 1983, a case of "love at first sight". Griesemount has, they say, "been a wonderful family home, compact and manageable, the perfect home". They have greatly improved the living accommodation as well as adding to the collection of beeches, oaks and Spanish chestnuts, all the time enjoying the "second-largest tulip tree in Co Kildare". The courtyard mews to the side of the house brings in "a healthy income" and is featured in Special Places to Stay in Ireland by Alastair Sawday.

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On the market through agent Savills, Griesemount House sits on 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) of developed and nurtured gardens with clear views of the Griese river and the much admired Shackleton Ballitore Mills. It has a floor area of 420sq m (4,526sq ft), entrance and staircase halls, six bedrooms (three ensuite), four reception rooms, kitchen/breakfastroom, family bathroom, laundry and storage rooms. The courtyard mews house, with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, reception room and a floor area of 117.5sq m (1,265sq ft), is for sale with the house. Agent Savills is asking €925,000 for house, mews and land.

Further delight

Although Griesemount’s location, views and gardens give cachet before ever you cross the threshold, the interior is a further delight. Original Georgian features and layout are intact, with the stairwell at the centre of things and all rooms leading from there. Refurbished sash windows have working shutters, timber-panelled doors have fanlights and Georgian cornicing, centre roses and floor tiles are a robust part of the décor.

The outer hall, with original tiled floor, corniced ceiling, centre rose and decorative panelled door, holds hard to the essence of the original house. Formal drawing and sitting rooms have timber floors, period fireplaces, corniced ceilings and, in the case of the drawingroom, recessed sash windows. The kitchen has a wide bay window with garden, river and mill views. The sunroom is a more recent addition to the house. It has a tiled floor, more great views and, via French doors, pleasant access to the terrace and gardens.

The main bedroom suite, with dressing room, has a bay window and is on the first-floor return. There are three bedrooms on the first floor, all with views from sash windows, two of them ensuite. The fifth and sixth bedrooms are on the lower ground floor, as well as a study and laundry room.