Cuskinny, Cobh, Co Cork 

Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. 98. “(French/LF1937 supp) A two storey house of C19 appearance, with an entrance door in the side of a gabled projection at one end; and a long, plain side elevation. Eaved roof. The seat of the French family, from whom the present owner, Mrs J.G. Ronan, is maternally descended.” 

€4,000,000 P24 HW20 6 beds, 3 baths, 996 m²

Knight Frank and Michael H. Daniels and delighted to bring to the market this wonderful coastal estate with the handsome late Georgian Cuskinny House commanding a magnificent position at the water`s edge overlooking Cork Harbour. The Cuskinny Estate comprises a character coastal property set in a wonderful maritime setting on Cuskinny Bay, a small horseshoe bay off Cork Harbour.

Surrounded by delightful gardens and pleasure grounds Cuskinny House enjoys a commanding position overlooking Cork Harbour, with exceptional uninterrupted views south to the harbour entrance at Roche`s Point.

Cuskinny House incorporates a medieval castle keep which once stood guard on this strategic site over the approaches to the inner harbour and to Cork itself. The original house, the seat of the French family, is believed to date from the 18th Century and was subsequently enlarged and given a new front circa 1837 by Cork architect Henry Hill. This included a three-bay front with two- storey canted bay windows, a gabled entrance porch together with bipartite sash windows and bracketed eaves. Descendants of the family have continued as custodians of the property to this day. The house benefits from a bright sunny position and is laid out over two floors plus attic. The generous and well-proportioned accommodation is lit by bay and large bipartite sash windows to the principle rooms.

Extending to circa 996 sq m (10,720 sq ft), the accommodation includes reception hall, four reception rooms, six bedrooms and three bathrooms. There is further former staff quarters together with two self-contained apartments to the Eastern Wing. The house has a wonderful approach with a sweeping tree-lined gravel drive running along the waters` edge to a large gravel forecourt with lawns, framed by mature trees, running over one hundred metres to the foreshore.

LOT 1 – CUSKINNY HOUSE Asking Price: 2,000,000 ACCOMMODATION The house is approached via a gravel forecourt, with stone flagging adjacent the house. The main reception rooms are light, well-proportioned and well laid out most have fireplaces. An entrance vestibule opens to an entrance hall with a polished pine floor and doors to staircase hall. There is a library with a bay window overlooking the gardens and harbour. The drawing room has views to the south and west overlooking the gardens and harbour with conservatory off. The dining room has three full sash windows overlooking the gardens and grass tennis court. A music room looks over the sunken garden. The kitchen/breakfast room has a range of fitted units, together with an Aga and two stainless steel sink units. Adjacent to this are the domestic offices, comprising a butler`s pantry, utility room and a rear hall that opens onto the house yard.

The first floor, served by two staircases, has a main landing with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, all are light and with lovely views of the gardens. The second floor comprises mainly attic with four rooms, offering the potential to either extend the bedroom accommodation or to be used as storage.

Features  

• Beautiful Coastal Estate to be sold in its entire or in three lots  

• Lot 1: Cuskinny House with 14.97 hectares (37 acres)  

• Lot 2: Agricultural Lands comprising 10.11 hectares (25 acres)  

• Lot 3: Agricultural Lands comprising 32.38 hectares (80 acres)  

• Stunning sea views across Cork Harbour 

BER Details  

BER: D2 BER No: 116453119 Energy Performance Indicator: 274.52 kWh/m2/yr 

Negotiator  

Guy Craigie 

The gardens and pleasure grounds are an exquisite and particular feature of the property and extend to circa 9 ha (22.40 acres). They include beech wood, rhododendron walk, walled garden and beaches along Cuskinny Bay with swimming possible year round, for the hardy. The entire property extends to c. 57.5 hectares (142 acres) and includes three lodges, with one guarding the main entrance and two flanking the farm drive. Outside the demesne, the agricultural lands are in two blocks of 10.11 ha (25 acres) and 32.37 ha (80 acres) respectively. Within the demesne wall there are c. 5.25 ha (13 acres) in pasture and farmyard.

GARDEN AND STABLE APARTMENTS Incorporated to the rear of the main house, is the Garden Apartment with a hall, kitchen and utility room and on the first floor a sitting room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Adjacent is Stable Apartment with, on the ground floor, a hall, utility room and bedroom and on the first floor a sitting/dining room, bedroom and bathroom. OUTSIDE Directly to the rear of the house is the gated house yard with traditional whitewashed stone under slate, former coach house and stables with loft over, accessed by external steps. Adjacent to the rear door is the Boot Room/Boiler House with Firebird oil fired boiler. The coach house now serves as garaging (5.70 m x 4.40 m) with the stables serving as workshop, wood store and kennel with run. There is also a coal store and car port. GARDENS & GROUNDS The gardens are rightly acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in East Cork. They are a special and particular feature of the property, surrounding the house and providing much privacy and seclusion. They are framed by many specimen and unusual trees planted over 100 years ago and include a huge variety of plants and shrubs including a spectacular rhododendron walk with stone steps rising to the west. A beech wood runs west along the foreshore providing excellent protection for the house and gardens with walks and red squirrel population. Lawns wrap around three sides of the house with a grass tennis court to the east and sunken garden to the west. The gardens, grounds and beech wood extend to some 9 hectares (22 acres). Directly to the north of the house is the delightful walled garden, which has high 3 metre stone walls, in good condition with unusual, curved corners enclosing an area of approx. 0.50 hectares (1.25 acres). Mainly laid to lawn, there are paths around the perimeter and radiating from a centre circle with many fruit trees including apple, cherry and fig together with glass house, potting shed, soft fruit cages, cold frames and hen house and run. The property is bounded by the sea to two sides with some 800 metres of shore frontage. To the front of the house the lawns sweep down to the waters` edge with steps down for foreshore access. To the eastern side there are shingle and sandy beaches for swimming, together with a stone boat shed and channel leading to a stone dry dock. GATE LODGE A single storey gate lodge is located just inside the entrance gates, with a kitchen, sitting room, utility room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. FARMHOUSE This is a lovely two storey house which was recently renovated and located adjacent to the Farm drive. It comprises on the ground floor of a porch, sitting room, kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom and on the first floor, three bedrooms and a bathroom. KING`S COTTAGE This a two-storey cottage also flanking the farm drive and comprises: porch, sitting room, dining room, kitchen to the ground floor with two bedrooms and bathroom to the first floor. This is subject to a life tenancy. THE FARMYARD The farmyard is located adjacent to the walled garden and is served from the internal roadway and also by its own separate access to the public road. It comprises of the original whitewashed stone under slate traditional outbuildings, in need of repair, together with a modern steel portal storage barn (12.50 m x 8.00 m) . THE LANDS The farm lands are comprised of first class tillage and pasture. To the south of the public road and within the demesne wall are circa 5.30 ha (13 acres) of pasture in Lot 1. LOT 2 Asking Price: 500,000 Directly across the public road to the north, Lot 2 comprises of circa 10.11 ha (25 acres) of pasture in 3 divisions together with a derelict cottage ruin with development potential. LOT 3 Asking Price: 1,500,000 Lot 3 is located at a distance to the north east and comprises circa 32.38 ha (80 acres) of top class tillage in 7 main divisions. Here there is a farmyard with modern cattle shed and equipment storage together with derelict farmhouse with development potential. 

GREAT ISLAND Cuskinny House is located on Cuskinny Bay on the peaceful southern shore of Great Island, the largest island in Cork Harbour, one of the world`s finest natural harbours. The property is well placed for many amenities and facilities as well as for Cobh, the county`s second largest settlement and a thriving and historic port town, forever associated with the White Star liner, the Titanic. The town offers a comprehensive range of shopping and financial facilities together with many restaurants and character pubs. There is easy access to Cork city, via road and rail, as well as to Cork International Airport which is within a 30-minute drive. Cobh railway station and the cross-harbour ferry to Monkstown are within 10 minutes. The M8 Dublin motorway is within 15 minutes. There are many leisure facilities nearby with Rushbrooke Tennis & Croquet Club, one of the oldest in the country together with golf courses at Cobh, Monkstown and championship courses at Fota Island Resort and Cork Golf Club at Little Island all within 10 minutes` drive. Likewise, with two sailing clubs with marinas at Whitepoint and East Ferry. The Royal Cork Yacht Club which hosts the popular bi-annual Cork Week is a short rib ride across the bay at Crosshaven. Cuskinny Nature Reserve is on the doorstep. The reserve has an array of habitats within a relatively small area, from shoreline to lagoon and grassland to woodland. These support a great variety of wildlife including common wetland and woodland birds which are found throughout the year.  

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20908731/cuskinny-cuskinny-co-cork

Detached three-bay two-storey country house, built c.1820, with gabled projecting central bay and flanking full-height canted bay windows to front (south) elevation. Five-bay west elevation with gabled projecting bay to north bay and recent conservatory to south bay. Seven-bay east elevation with lower three-bay block to north. Central gabled block with single-bay two-storey hipped roof return to rear (north). Hipped and pitched slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks, overhanging bracketed eaves and cast-iron rainwater goods. Square-headed openings throughout. Replacement windows to front elevation. Tripartite four-over-four pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor of west elevation. Tripartite and bipartite one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows and replacement uPVC windows to ground floor of west elevation. Replacement uPVC windows to rear. Bipartite one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows and two-over-two timber sliding sash windows to east elevation. Square-headed openings with timber panelled half glazed doors to west elevation of front projecting bay, to rear and to west elevation. Courtyard to rear comprising five-bay two-storey block with external staircase and gablet. Pitched slate roof, painted rubble stone walls, square-headed openings with timber battened doors. Five-bay two-storey east block comprising pitched artificial slate roof, rendered walls and square-headed openings with replacement windows. Rubble stone courtyard boundary wall to north with square-profile piers and cast-iron double-leaf gates. Outbuildings to north-west comprising three-bay two-storey block and four-bay single-storey block with hipped and pitched roof, painted rubble stone walls, square-headed openings with timber fittings and elliptical-arched carriage arch with cut stone voussoirs. Gabled boathouse to east with pitched corrugated-iron roof, rubble stone walls and square-headed opening. Kitchen garden to north of house with rubble limestone walls and segmental-arched opening having cut stone voussoirs and timber battened gate. 

Appraisal 

Relatively modest façade masks large scale of structure. Unusual yet symmetrical façade with gabled central bay flanked by hipped roofed full-height bay windows. Outbuildings and walled garden add significantly to the site and add context. Outbuildings, though in poor repair, retain much of their original form.