Aghern, Conna, Co Cork courtesy Michael O’Brien Auctioneers – stud farm
Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.
p. 3. “(Bowles/LGI1912/ Kinahan/IFR; Hare, sub Listowel, E/PB) A simple two storey late Georgian house built alongside an old Desmond castle on the northern bank of the River Bride. The principal north front has a central semi-circular bow with a single bay on either side of it; the long adjoining front facing the river has irregular fenestration and a shallow bow window which is a later addition. The house was inherited 1923 by Grace (nee Hudson-Kinahan), widow of Spotswood Bowles, who left it to her sister, Ellen, widow of Captain H.V. Hare; by whose son, Commander R.G.W. Hare, it has been sold.”
The Buildings of Ireland. Cork City and County. Frank Keohane. Yale University Press: New Haven and London. 2020.
p. 221. Probably built by George Bowles who acquired the property in 1805. Three bays, with a shallow hipped roof and a deep curved bow to the entrance front. Side elevation with a central canted bay window of later C19 appearance. Simple interiors. Central top-lit staircase.
Behind the house, the remains of Aghern Castle, built in the late C14 by Gerald FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond, to control a ford. Two separate towers, both now reduced to two storeys, connected by a later curtain wall. The rectangular west tower has an inserted wall supporting two vaults. L-shaped east tower with a pointed doorway cut into the base batter, a spiral stair in its SW corner and a wicker-centred vault over the first floor. The East tower is probably late C15 or C16.”
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20904503/aghern-house-aghern-west-co-cork
Aghern House, AGHERN WEST, County Cork
Detached three-bay two-storey former country house with basement, built c. 1740, with full-height bow to middle bay of front elevation, five-bay two-storey south-west elevation with full-height canted middle bay. Three-storey rear elevation, with single-bay two-storey addition to west. Now in use as house. Skirt slate roof with rendered chimneystacks. Hipped slate roof to addition. Rubble sandstone walls with roughly dressed sandstone quoins. Slate hanging between storeys of canted bay. Square-headed window openings, having brick voussoirs to front elevation, end bays of south-west elevation and to addition. Roughly dressed sandstone voussoirs elsewhere. Some blocked windows to second floor of rear elevation. Three-pane timber casement windows to second floor of rear elevation. Timber sliding sash windows elsewhere, six-over-six pane to first floor and nine-over-six pane to ground floor, with render sills. Canted bay has timber mullioned and transomed openings, having one-over-two pane triple lights flanked by double lights, with moulded timber cornice to first floor, flanked by similar single-light windows. Eight-over-eight pane window to ground floor of rear elevation and two-over-two pane and nine-over-six pane to addition. Square-headed entrance doorway comprising brick voussoirs, moulded timber cornice, fluted Doric-style timber engaged columns with cut limestone plinths, and having eight-pane overlight, timber panelled door and approached by cut limestone steps. Courtyard to rear, entrance comprising rubble sandstone walls with open-work round-headed bellcote with bell, over elliptical-headed carriage arch with dressed sandstone voussoirs and limestone keystone. Multiple-bay two-storey north range with single-pitched corrugated-iron roof, rubble sandstone walls with flight of sandstone steps to east gable, square-headed window openings with stone sills, square-headed replacement timber doors, and segmental-arched vehicular entrances with dressed sandstone voussoirs. Multiple-bay two-storey south range having pitched artificial slate roof with rubble sandstone walls, and square-headed replacement timber windows and doors. Elliptical-arched vehicular entrance with dressed sandstone voussoirs. Multiple-bay two-storey west range having pitched artificial slate roof with rubble sandstone walls, square-headed replacement timber windows and doors, and elliptical-arched vehicular entrance with dressed sandstone voussoirs. Medieval tower house to south-west, attached to buildings by boundary wall.
Appraisal
Aghern House is a notable example of Georgian architecture. The classically inspired façade retains a sombre elegance through the restrained use of ornamentation. The use of bows is a common feature of domestic architecture in Cork; the bow with its ornate entrance forming the decorative focus of the house. The canted bay, which is a later addition, adds interest to the south elevation. The use of slate hanging adds interesting chromatic and textural contrast against the stone walls, which originally would have been rendered. The entrance is particularly well designed, its carved timber columns and limestone plinths being indicative of the quality of eighteenth-century craftsmanship. The site retains its courtyard to the rear with well-maintained outbuildings, and a gate lodge. The remains of Aghern Castle add context to the site.
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=A
Brabazon Esq was resident in the 1770s and 1780s. The home of Spotswood Bowles in the first half of the 19th century. The buildings were valued at £47+ in the early 1850s and held from the representatives of William Beamish. Spotswood died in 1864 and was succeeded by his son George who was in turn succeeded by his nephew Spotswood in 1886. Relatives of the Bowles owned this property until the 1970s. In 1942 the Irish Tourist Association Survey mentions the ruins of Aghern Castle in the grounds of Mrs. Spotswood Bowles property. Aghern was uninhabited for a time but has recently been restored.
https://www.geni.com/projects/Historic-Buildings-of-County-Cork/29338
Aghern, Conna. Associated families – Bowles; Kinahan; Hare; sub Listowel. Georgian house built alongside an old Desmond castle on the northern bank of the River Bride. It was inherited by Grace (neé Hudson-Kinahan), widow of Spotswood Bowles, who left it to her sister, Ellen, widow of Captain H V Hare. It was sold by their son, Commander R G W Hare.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/property/features/east-cork-georgian-mansion-on-market-for-18m-392067.html
Sat April 9, 2016
For sale, €1.8 million.
Trish Dromey reports on an 18th Century Georgian mansion which comes with extensive equestrian facilities.
700 sq metres
7 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
AN IMPRESSIVE Georgian mansion near Conna in east Cork with 100 acres of agricultural limestone land and extensive stables, Aghern House is certain to attract a horse owning buyer.
Since buying the stud farm in 2002 the current owners, John and Eva Peet have been providing foaling services for thoroughbred horses to owners in Ireland and the UK, while also carrying out extensive renovations on the 18th Century property.
The Bowles family had owned estates in Munster since receiving a land grant in 1666.
With seven bedrooms, three reception rooms and a more recently added attic apartment, accommodation in the main residence stretches to 7,500 sq ft.
In the grounds there’s a small gate lodge, a bungalow, as well as 70 stables, and a mix of courtyards and barns.
The property has been used as a stud by a succession of owners and the land is divided into large fields and post and rail-fenced paddocks.
Selling agents Michael O’Brien Auctioneers, who are guiding the property at €1.8 million, say this is top quality agricultural land suitable for horses, tillage, or cattle.
When the Peets bought Aghern House in 2002 the stables were ready for immediate use but the house had not been lived in for 20 years.
“It was in very poor condition, had a hole in the roof and the décor was brown and orange and horrible,’’ reveals Eva Peet.
They moved their horses and their business to the stables, but delayed taking up residence in the house until a few years later when they had partly renovated it.
Renovating a property of this size was a huge undertaking, but the Peets — who had previously restored two smaller period properties — took a gradual approach.
“We started by reroofing the building and putting in an attic apartment — after that, we worked on one room at a time.”
They repaired the coving, installed oil fired heating, rewired and bought specialised period-style wallpaper which they hung themselves.
They also sourced period fireplaces, antique radiators and old pine flooring in salvage yards and put in three en suites and a new kitchen, replacing an old one with a garden room.
Ms Peet says she was particularly pleased with the dining room — restored to former glory with a chandelier, a period fireplace and red and gold wallpaper.
Having spent many years working on the house, the Peets haven’t quite finished the task — and are leaving some rooms for renovation by new owners including the morning room, a bathroom, and a bedroom.
Accommodation in the house is almost too vast to list.
As befits a stately residence, it has an inner and outer hallway and three reception rooms — a morning room, a dining room, and a sitting room.
There’s also kitchen and pantry, a back sitting room and a large garden/sun room.
The first floor has seven bedrooms as well as one en suite and a bathroom in need of refurbishment.
In the attic there’s an apartment with a bedroom, sitting room, kitchen and a bathroom.
Outside there are two courtyards with 70 stables — including two American barns with 41 stables.
Auctioneer Kieran O’Brien says Aghern House could be used for a variety of equestrian enterprises including racing and breeding — and is already attracting interest from local horse owners.
https://www.independent.ie/life/home-garden/homes/tally-ho-georgian-home-with-horse-spa-on-the-market-for-18m/34533762.html
Katy McGuinness and Tony Gavin
Sun 13 Mar 2016
Aghern House in Conna, Co Cork is a fine Georgian house built some time around 1740 by the Gifford family. The history of the site dates back to 1389, when Gerald Fitzgerald, the Earl of Desmond, chose it as the location for Aghern Castle. The stone fortress of this castle forms the boundary of the current house and its courtyards. Two of the original castle’s towers remain – these were positioned to be vantage points from which the occupants could keep an eye on the comings and goings along the River Bride.
The house is described in Buildings of Ireland as “a notable example of Georgian architecture. The classically inspired facade retains a sombre elegance through the restrained use of ornamentation.
The entrance is particularly well-designed. Its carved timber columns and limestone plinths being indicative of the quality of 18th Century craftsmanship.”
Inside, Aghern has elegant, well-proportioned rooms with handsome bay windows and wide halls, and retains original period features. The principal accommodation is arranged over two floors and there is a half-basement. Altogether there is approximately 697 sqm of living space, with the original gate lodge and a separate bungalow of more modern construction included in the sale.
The current owners, John and Eva Peet, have a record of all the families who have ever lived at Aghern. The Giffords were followed by Brabazons and Bowles, Hares and Smiths, and finally the Fennesseys, from whom the Peets purchased in 2002.
“We love the house,” says John Peet. “Even though it’s large, it’s easy to manage and it’s been a great family home.”
The Peets have run Aghern, which stands at the end of a mature beech-lined driveway and comes with 100 acres of land, as a stud farm with an equine spa for the rehabilitation of racehorses and more than 70 stables in a mix of courtyards and barns. One Aghern stallion, Baron Blakeney, a grey, won the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in 1981 at 66/1.
“When we bought the house,” says Eva Peet, “it hadn’t been lived in for about 20 years, and we attended to the roof, re-wired, installed new central heating and moved the kitchen.”
The kitchen is now at the back of the house and opens out onto a sunny courtyard, while the original kitchen, still with its ceiling hooks for the hanging of smoked salmon and game, is used as a family room.
The Peets also installed en suites to most of the seven bedrooms upstairs.
The land is a mixture of large fields and tree-lined post and rail paddocks, which are all serviced with water. Agent Michael O’Brien describes it as a “kind” farm: south-facing, free-draining and sheltered. “The land is top quality limestone land and the location is beautiful,” he says. “We hope it will make more than the guide price as it is excellent value.”
As for fishing, the Peets say that they have not had much luck, although Eva says that they can see the bridge from the house – their neighbours spotted big trout there last summer.
For more ambitious anglers, the nearby Blackwater is regarded as one of the best salmon fishing rivers in the country. Aghern is a 15-minute drive from Fermoy and 35 minutes away from Cork city.
Era: 1740
Size: 697 sqm
Agent: Michael A O’Brien Auctioneers
Irish Historic Houses 