Ballincurra House, Kinsale, County Cork for sale courtesy Johanna Murphy & Sons and Colliers Sept 2023

not in Bence-Jones

5.5 million, p17 yf76 14 bedrooms, 1 bath, dating to 1770, with cottages.

The Mansion House is a detached Georgian two storey property constructed c.1770 which has been remodelled and refurbished. The 18,000-square-foot home is well-proportioned and is currently laid out as 14 ensuite bedrooms and a multitude of living and entertainment spaces.

But the layout of the Mansion House is unique in that the Centre and West wings combine for a very manageable family living space and consist of:

THE CENTRE & WEST WINGS

Entrance Hall with Waterford Crystal chandelier and marble flooring

8 Ensuite Bedrooms (2 on the Ground Floor and 6 upstairs)
• All bedrooms are individually themed and no two rooms are the same. Three of them could be

combined to provide an expansive Master Suite with ‘his’ and ‘hers’ dressing rooms and bathrooms.
• All ensuites feature freestanding Royal Doulton antique baths and handbasins. And the majority have

separate luxury shower units.

Country Style Family Kitchen The country-style kitchen features handcrafted hand-painted pitch pine cabinets, range-style cooker, black granite counter tops and a large dining island. And doors open onto the vegetable plot within the walled garden.

Family Living Room with double sided solid fuel fireplace and Minstrel’s Gallery Family Dining Room with original stone steps
Formal Sitting Room with antique fireplace
Library with original stone walls that could be used as a cinema room

Massage Room with independent shower and toilet for massages, beauty treatments etc. The building is a combination of stone walls and plaster finish. And the roof is a pitched natural slated roof with some flat felted sections. The majority of the windows were replaced in 2003 and are timber casement or sliding sash, single and double glazed. Heating is by way of antique oil fired cast iron radiators which are divided into 6 zones. In addition there are a number of open fire places and wood burners throughout the House as well.

The floors are all solid wood varnished timber throughout, with some bedrooms being carpeted.

To the front of the Mansion House is the original crocquet lawn, stone flagstone terrace, stone arches and garden beds with numerous shrubbery and trees. The original well for the House is also there with a 16th century well head. The views from the House are unobstructed views of the countryside with no direct neighbours in sight.

The East Wing has the added benefit of becoming a separate ‘Entertainment’ Wing – perfect for extended family use, hosting guests, lavish house parties or corporate retreats. This wing has separate access to the main living quarters and consists of:

The Ballroom (details following)
The Garden Room (details following)
6 Additional ensuite guest bedrooms (all upstairs) Guest sitting room (Mezzanine Lounge)

Two Private Bars

• The small and intimate Champagne Bar
• The Orient Express Bar with bar seating for 12

people which leads to the grand Ballroom.

Covered Outdoor Area with Italian wood-fired pizza oven, barbecue and sink.

Commercial Chef ’s Kitchen and Stores Laundry/boiler house
Staff Office

There is also an old stone shed which is currently used as a cocktail bar but could easily be converted to a wine and cigar room.

The Ballroom

The 12 metre long ‘Ballroom’ is the crowning glory of the property with its original fireplace, French door to the terrace and 14 foot high ceiling. Adjoining both your own bar and the multi-purpose Garden Room, this would make an ideal family or corporate entertainment space.

The Garden Room is a reconstruction of the original greenhouse – with glass skylight, Georgian doors to the front terrace and Georgian windows throughout. It is light and airy.

History:

The Beginning of Ballinacurra

1770 John Swete, the High Sheriff of Cork, inherits £30,000 from his cousin
the paymaster for the Duke of Marlborough in England. Swete uses the money to build the Ballinacurra House for his son, John. The home consists of the Mansion House only, and is described as a “small hunting lodge” sited on 300 acres.

1777 Maps of the Roads of Ireland

The Ballinacurra House appears on a map by cartographers George Taylor and Andrew Skinner. Their book Maps of the Roads of Ireland lists the property as belonging to John Swete

1791 The Bleazby Family

Swete sells the estate and its surrounding 300 acres to the Bleazbys–an affluent and popular family from Cork City who were actively involved in the tanner business. The Bleazbys purchase the home for £5,500.

1831 Ballinacurra’s Stately Ballroom

William Bleazby builds the East
and West wings of the property.
The construction of the wings is commemorated on the property’s bell tower. Ballinacurra’s stately ballroom is also built during this period. Since five of the Bleazby’s seven children were daughters, the family would frequently hold dinner dances in their ballroom in an effort to present their daughters to young Cork bachelors.

1957 John Danford

Over 150 years later, the Bleazbys sell Ballinacurra to John Danford. A brilliant
artist and explorer, Danford studied at the Royal Academy of Art. He was later recruited as a U.K. ambassador to Nigeria by the British Council, which often required him to spend extended periods abroad in Trinidad, Manchester, and Sierra Leone. During his time at Ballinacurra, Danford created five themed rooms–African, Elizabethan, Georgian, Japanese, and Victorian–to showcase the many items he had collected during his international travels.

1970 Upon Danford’s death, the estate passes to the Ardfoyle Sisters of Cork, who had cared for John in Africa when he had fallen ill. The nuns lived in the centre of the main house and used the rest of the home as a summer retreat.

1972 The Ardfoyle Nuns sell the 9-acre walled garden to a local farmer. They use the money from the sale for restoration of their convent in Cork City.

1981 The Ballinacurra House
Maggie Glicksten, a South African woman who was married to an Irishman. Maggie and her husband live in the home for eight years with their children.

1989 The property was then sold to Michael and Pauline Forsythe.
The couple was Irish, but lived as expatriates in various countries. While in Hong Kong, the Forsythes bought Ballinacurra with the intention to retire there. They lived in the house during the summers, while renting it out to various groups during the other parts of the year.

2000 Ballinacurra’s current owners, Des and Lisa McGahan, buy the property. They begin an extensive renovation of both the house and grounds. In 2003 The McGahans buy back the 9-acre walled garden that the Ardfoyle Nuns sold in 1972. The property is restored to its original borders.

The Grounds

The entire grounds were neglected and in dire need of love and attention. This has taken the full 20 years to achieve with its ornamental lawns, pond, streams, pagodas, jetty, horse-riding arena and more. And the access to the ancient forest
of Kippagh Wood was completed
in 2020 to provide a walking and jogging path to the far end of the property on the Bandon River.

AND

For sale courtesy Colliers

€2,800,000

27 Bed10 Bath12442 m²

The Property A delightful small water fronted estate which is registered with Failte Ireland since 2003 as a 4 star self-catering property. The estate comprises a truly magnificent Georgian manor house, three other houses and approx. 23 acres only 4km from the historic town of Kinsale, now recognized as Ireland’s gourmet capital and only 30 minutes from Cork city and airport. Ballinacurra House which dates from the 1770’s has been totally restored and extended and has been run as an exclusive holiday rental with 14 ensuite bedrooms and additional accommodation available through the converted coach house, stone cottage and newly built stone lodge. The property extends to approx. 9.3 ha (23 acres) and enjoys considerable frontage to the Ballinacurra and White Castle creeks which flow to the Bandon River, and which are lined by the estates private woodland which is interspersed with woodland walks.

History John Swete, the High Sherriff of Cork built Ballinacurra in the early 1770’s and in 1791 sold the estate to the Bleazby’s a prominent family from Cork city. In 1831 William Bleazby enlarged the original house with the addition of the matching east and west wings, one of which includes the stately ballroom. Over 150 years later the Bleazby’s sold Ballinacurra to John Danford, a recognised artist and inveterate explorer and traveller. Upon John’s death in 1970 the estate passed to an order of nuns who had cared for him in Africa when he was ill. The property went through two further ownerships before being bought in 2000 by the current owners who spent the next three years restoring, extending, and improving the property including the grounds to what it is today. The house is approached through electric gates via winding avenue which sweeps through the lawns to the gravelled entrance front courtyard with central oval lawn and flanked by the east and west wings. There two service access avenues, one to the right of the main entrance with separate gate and the second to the west of the walled garden.

Accommodation Main House The centre portion of the property is the Georgian House of approx. 1156 sq.m (12,442 sq.ft) which has been extended, and remodelled. The west wing has been converted to a bedroom accommodation with two spa rooms on the ground floor. The East wing has also been converted to entertainment and bedroom accommodation. The grand ballroom with extended dining area, bar and services on the ground floor, bedrooms on the first floor. On entering the reception hall, the original reception rooms are to the left and right and access to the large family kitchen. On the first floor are two spacious en suite bedrooms. In the west wing you have the library, massage room/study and six en suite themed bedrooms. The east wing to the right is currently laid out for commercial use as a wedding venue and might require reconfiguration if the house was to be returned to a family home. The accommodation in the east wing includes the bar and ballroom which opens to the 120 sq.m conservatory on the ground floor. These reception rooms are connected to the commercial catering kitchen and general stores and offices. On the first floor is situated a music themed resident’s lounge and six en suite bedrooms. The conservatory opens on one side to a covered outdoor area with barbecue and toilets and to the other side a spacious sun terrace. The Stone Lodge A detached 1.5 storey house built in 2008 and is located at the western corner of the overall site, keeping it very private from the rest of the estate. The property benefits from a private garden and separate driveway and takes full advantage of its south facing elevation. The property is a timber framed construction with a natural stone / timber clad external finish. Accommodation downstairs includes double height living room with stone surround fireplace, open plan kitchen / dining area, laundry room, office and 3 bedrooms (2 ensuite) with separate WC. The upstairs includes a grand master suite with ensuite and separate dressing room and a further 2 bedrooms sharing a bathroom. The Stone Cottage A two storey stone fronted house was extensively restored and extended in 2004 and has an open plan living/dining/kitchen, utility room, separate wc and four en suite bedrooms. The Stone Cottage is accessed either from the main house or via a separate avenue from the main entrance. The Coach House A two-storey brick fronted Carriage house was converted in 2005 and which has a galley kitchen, three ensuite bedrooms and a living/dining room which can double as a bedroom as it has an ensuite. Additional Buildings Between the Main House and the Coach House stands a single-story building previously used as a cookery school. Adjoining the sand arena is a range of stables with tack room and fodder storage. The Grounds The grounds are a feature of Ballinacurra. To the front lawns slope gently towards the water frontage and jetty. The walkway passing under a canopy of vegetation and by ornamental ponds supplied by the small river and pumped system of irrigation on to White Castle Creek and then onto the extensive woodland walks with views over the Bandon River Estuary. To the rear and side of the house are lawns, paddocks, stables and a walled garden. A reputed famine wall forms the boundary to the county road. Location Nearby Kinsale, situated at the southern start of Irelands famous Wild Atlantic Way, recognised not just as a noted international sailing centre but as one of Irelands most sought after residential locations. Cork City, Irelands second city is a thirty-minute drive with Cork International Airport even closer. For the golfer, as well as local clubs “The Old Head Kinsale” is of international acclaim. Kinsale is the premier location to commence exploring the magnificent coastline of West Cork and Kerry, whether by boat, cycling, car or walking. Features · Spacious restored Georgian manor house, c. 1,709 sq.m · Newly built stone lodge, c. 261 sq.m · Restored stone cottage, c. 166 sq.m · Restored coach house, c. 107 sq.m · 23 acres of private gardens, woodlands and paddocks · River frontage with jetty and remains of boathouse · Enormous scope to expand Services · Mains electricity both single and three phase. · Mains water with private well available · Oil fired central heating with zoned areas. · Waste water bio cycle treatment unit · All buildings with commercial grade fire alarm BER: Main Building D2 BER: Coach House G BER: Stone Cottage G BER: Stone Lodge C1