Co TipperaryKilcooley Abbey, a house with a long history, is on the market for the first time ever, writes Anne Dempsey
Kilcooley Abbey, Kilcooley, Thurles, Co Tipperary, a large and gracious Georgian residence on 200 acres which has been passed down through successive generations since its completion in 1770 comes on the market this week. Ganly Walters in association with Sothebys affiliate William Montgomery is guiding in excess of €2.6 million.
The property includes a traditional stable yard with stables and staff apartments, a lake with an original stone boathouse, family lawns and a walled garden.
Kilcooley Abbey is situated on the Kilkenny-Tipperary border, four miles from the village of Urlingford. The house and lands have a long and well-chronicled history. In 1636, 2,000 acres at Kilcooley were bought by Sir Jerome Alexander from the Duke of Ormond for £4,000. Sir Jerome's daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir William Barker and they lived in part of the Cistercian Abbey, also named Kilcooley, which is the sister house to Holycross, Co Tipperary and daughter house to Jerpoint, Co Kilkenny.
Today the ruins of the abbey are seen through trees from the rear of Kilcooley and there is a pilgrimage path between the two.
The main house was built in 1770 and lived in by Barker descendants. Three generations later in 1830 Mary Barker married into the Ponsonby family who altruistically sold jewellery and silver to provide local work during the Famine by having a wall built around the estate. Five miles long, this is reputedly the longest famine wall in the country. In 1935, 1,200 acres were leased to the government for forestry land. This lease expires in 2085.
Kilcooley Abbey has long been associated with equestry. George Ponsonby trained race horses up to his death in 1984, most famously Rondetto and Flying Bolt. It is still a leading horse trial venue and last week the fences were up after a successful eventing and dressage competition the previous weekend.
The house stands with views over lawns, parkland, lake and abbey. Accommodation in the main house and apartment includes seven reception rooms, 10 bedrooms and nine bathrooms, plus kitchen/utility area and basement. So while this is a large house, it is still of family proportions, and the first wish of the current owners would be that it could continue as a family home.
There are, however, other options. Kilcooley Abbey could become an upmarket venue for corporate functions. It would also lend itself well to conversion to a country house hotel, offering walking and riding. If this idea were pursued, the kitchens could be moved to the basement, thus releasing more rooms into the public domain. Outside the stable block could be renovated - or more imaginatively converted into self-catering apartments and a new stable area built nearby.
The house has its main reception rooms to the front with ancillary rooms at the rear. First impressions are stunning, as the hall door opens into the great hall with a soaring ornate plaster ceiling, glazed dome and carved oak gallery on four sides.
The hall is floored in oak parquet tiles, its walls are panelled in carved oak and there is a large oak mantelpiece.
The diningroom and library on either side of the hall are equally impressive. The diningroom has a large bay window overlooking front lawn and lake, oak chimney piece and wall panelling. Above portraits of early Barkers and Ponsonby's look down benevolently.
The library's panelled walls are particularly ornate, and the oak theme is continued in the Victorian bookshelves and chimney piece.
The sittingroom, like many in the house, has its ornate cornices in pristine condition, and French doors to porch and stone staircase to garden. There is also a familyroom, boudoir, office, and ground floor bedroom with wonderful black marble fireplace and views of the ruined abbey. The kitchen and utility room complete the ground floor accommodation in the main house.
The ground floor west wing apartment has a particularly pretty sittingroom with coved ceiling and moulded plaster cornice. There is a bedroom, kitchen/diningroom and bathroom. A cantilevered stone staircase rises to the first floor where four bedrooms have en suite facilities and fitted wardrobes. The nursery wing has four smaller bedrooms and four bathrooms.
The basement has staff accommodation, store rooms, cold room cellar, strong room and scullery. The original kitchen still has its splendid range and pulley clothes lines.
Outside the courtyard with arched stone gateway has a number of garages and outhouses. The picturesque stable yard with cobbled courtyard is surrounded by two-storey stone buildings - 15 loose boxes, tack rooms, groom quarters and feed stores with an outdoor arena nearby.
Kilcooley Abbey is set in extensive parkland. The house is reached by a long drive which passes briefly through shady woodland before its approach to the front of the house. The entrance garden lawns blend into parklands leading down to the lake and beautifully arched entrance boathouse. The rear garden has a terrace, lawned walks and croquet lawn. A walled garden accessible from the house has shrubberies, fruit trees and vegetable area.
Looking through the gate before entering the walled garden last week, there was the sound of birdsong, the sight of massed greenery and a feeling of timelessness.
