A beautifully restored Georgian house on the edge of Newcastle village in west Dublin will be one of the most interesting country houses to come on the market this autumn. Tom Day of Lisney is quoting a guideline price of £750,000 for Newcastle Lodge, a two-storey house on an acre of outstanding gardens, which goes to auction on October 28th.
The two-storey lodge is a listed building and was owned for 150 years by the Kennedy family of Bishops Court in Straffan, who were noted bloodstock breeders. Their most successful horse, Tetrarch, was apparently bred in the stables at Newcastle Lodge. The present owners bought the house in 1984 and have since spent a small fortune on its restoration and upgrading. They have also shown great care, style and taste in converting stables and a coachhouse into two separate mews houses.
The lodge is one of the best presented country houses to come on the market this year. It is a house of great charm with three reception rooms and five bedrooms, making it a perfectly manageable home.
Newcastle Lodge is, above all, a very private house hidden behind high walls and mature trees. Through tall, electronically controlled gates, a gravelled driveway winds up to the front door. There are trees, shrubs and flowers everywhere, which are beginning to lose their colour as autumn sets in. The main entrance is through a conservatory into a welcoming hall with an open fireplace and maple wooden floor. The drawingroom and the diningroom are both spacious with pitch pine floors and large windows overlooking the gardens. The decor and furniture have helped to capture the mood and atmosphere of the old house. There is a second conservatory wrapped around one end of the diningroom.
The kitchen is an absolute gem with pine cupboards, teak worktops, Belfast sink and the conventional oil-fired Aga to keep the place cosy. Upstairs, there are five bedrooms, including a main bedroom with en suite bathroom. A common feature is that all the rooms have full-height windows with superb views over the gardens and the adjoining farmlands.
The main bathroom has a free-standing cast-iron bath on legs, an open fireplace and a walk-in linen cupboard.
Viewers will undoubtedly be bowled over by the tasteful conversion of the stables and coach-house. The original features in the stables have all been retained including the half-door, mangers, walls and floors. An old-style kitchen has been installed and an upper floor inserted to accommodate two bedrooms. The old coach-house has even more attractive accommodation, including a large reception room with wooden floors and overhead windows.
Newcastle Lodge is greatly complemented by its grounds. There are soft, green lawns wrapped around the house, banks of ornamental trees and shrubs dotted around the grounds, a water garden, tennis court and a wild herb garden.
Newcastle is within easy commuting distance of Dublin - it is 12 miles from St Stephen's Green.
