Dublin couple Anthony and Gabby Dowling were in search of a site for a summer home when a local auctioneer sent them a document with one-inch photographs of what he had for sale. There on the page was a derelict church behind an old tree.
“It really was the chestnut tree and the front of the old building that did it for me,” says Gabby of the ruin she and Anthony purchased back in 2003.
Of back then she says, “the principal of the nearby local school had gotten the children to paint plywood windows on it to make it look better. People thought we were mad, but we saw the potential.”
As the couple were both working in Dublin, they renovated the old Methodist church over the course of eight years: “We wanted to put the best of stuff in it, so we would earn money then put it in over time as we had planned to retire here.”
One of the first big jobs was to remove 400 tonnes of rubble from the site, she says, where it reached up as far as the windows to the rear of this 128sq m (1,380sq ft) church. She says of the roof: “When I heard all the beams had to come off, I thought ‘are we mad?’ as I knew the expense involved.”
They had engaged an architect to reconfigure the protected Ber-exempt structure but decided to do it alone, as they weren’t too keen on the design: “We then consulted Duchas [the since closed heritage service] who told us we needed to keep the exterior but we could basically do what we wanted with the interior.”
So this old Wesleyan church became a labour of love for the couple, whose hard toil was rewarded in a feature in the 25 Beautiful Homes magazine in 2012.
As Anthony is a carpenter, the couple undertook most of the works themselves with the exception of electrics, plumbing and plastering, with him doing the kitchen, bathrooms, large ceiling beams and every bit of wood you can see.
In its former life, this now three-bedroom house was used as a cinema and a “great brick concrete structure built on to the front” had to be removed. It also was for a time a dance hall: “I remember when I went into the butchers in Tullow, and when the woman heard where we had bought, she called her husband out to say hello. Not only did he play the banjo there, it was where the couple first met,” says Gabby.
A lovely interior feature is the partially exposed walls which have been pointed and sit alongside plastered walls so there’s a nice balance between both. This is particularly true in one of the bedrooms, where an arch of stone was retained for interest.
On the ground floor lies a good-sized hallway which has partial double height. This in turn leads to a drawingroom which shares a space with the dining area, and on into the kitchen that Anthony both designed and built.
Off this, there is a pantry, utility and shower room. A bedroom that is sometimes used as a snug also lies at garden level. Upstairs are two more bedrooms and a bathroom.
Outside the chestnut tree is still growing away, and gardens – extending to a third of an acre – which have won medals at Bunclody Horticultural Society, are tiered and have a courtyard suntrap. Anthony’s workshop lies close to a Gothic potting shed, which he made using all the old window frames.
The village of Clonegal has lots of interest, with the likes of Huntington Castle and its courtyard cafe “where you have to watch that the peacocks don’t nibble your cake”. The village won a gold medal at the Entente Florale in 2013, and visitors often take picnics alongside the river.
The Dowlings will miss their home, but with six children and now 14 grandchildren, life back in Dublin is calling.
“We have moved seven times in our lives, and I always leave a place saying ‘my memories are all in my head’, but with here it is just so nice to come to, it’s hard to say goodbye.”
The unique home is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald McDermott, seeking €685,000.
