Thomastown House, Duleek, County Meath 

https://www.businesspost.ie/property/to-the-manor-born-in-beautiful-co-meath-period-home-for-e2-8m/

by Tina-Marie O’Neill June 4, 2022

Thomastown House in Duleek offers a generous 462 square metres of well-presented accommodation and comes with a separate three-bedroom cottage of 109 square metres

The allure of the country manor can never be underestimated, particularly in the aftermath of a series of pandemic-related lockdowns, which highlighted an emphasis on generous living space and easy access to the great outdoors.

Covid-19 has also done away with the need of would-be ruralists to have proximity to large urban areas, as hybrid workplace trends and the potential to work from home have become the norm, meaning the only requirement of a period pile is high speed broadband.

Of the sprinkling of manor houses currently for sale along Ireland’s eastern seaboard, Thomastown House in Duleek, Co Meath is arguably one of the finest and is on the market with Coonan Auctioneers seeking €2.8 million.

While ticking the privacy box – Thomastown House enjoys plenty of its own outdoor space on 65 acres of good quality land – it is also within a 45-minute drive of Dublin city and airport.

The house is in good condition, has a D2 BER and has been tastefully renovated to a high standard while maintaining all of its original features and charm.

According to agent Will Coonan, the property was owned by the Kettlewell family in the 1700s. A reference to Samuel Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary of Ireland tells of one Evans Kettlewell of Thomastown being a subscriber in 1843. On his death in 1851, the control of the property passed to his cousin Echlin Molyneaux, a Queen’s Counsel and later the County Judge of Meath.

Some 18 years later, in 1869, Molyneaux leased the property to James Everitt, a Justice of the Peace, who had also leased land from the Duke of Bedford nearby.

In 1923, John Lenehan took possession and farmed extensively and successfully. The present owners purchased a somewhat tired Thomastown House and lands in 1996 and immediately undertook an extensive restoration.

Today, the accommodation with the main house includes a drawing room, a formal dining room, a study, a large kitchen/breakfast room, five generous bedrooms, a boot room and an office with access to the gardens.

There are original features such as marble fireplaces, cornicing and a centre rose and yet Thomastown House also subtly includes the modern; a zoned heating system heats the home.

The anticipation builds from the start as a set of electric wrought-iron gates open to a 450 metre long hedge and tree-lined avenue which eventually reveals the grand, creeper-clad residence, which rests centrally within the private estate.

A generous semi-circular gravel driveway gives way to a set of granite steps leading up to the south-facing period property. Its charming period front door with fanlight opens onto a hallway that is exquisitely presented with seven inch solid French pine floors, period cornicing, picture rails, dado rails and a feature archway.

On point with the architectural and design layout of its time, there are two grand reception rooms on either side of the entrance hall, both dual aspect and overlooking the front and sides of the property through shuttered sash windows.

The drawing room to the right interconnects with the adjacent dining room through double doors and both these rooms and the sitting room to the left of the hall have the same solid French pine floors, high corniced ceilings, centre roses, picture rails and handsome marble fireplaces befitting the period rooms. A modern touch in both the sitting room and drawing room fireplaces is that they house more efficient wood-burning stoves.

At the rear of the main reception hall is an inner hallway with a feature pitched glass roof which floods light into the back hallway.

This space gives access to the working area of the main house, including the kitchen, utility room, study, boot room and has access to the basement level.

The traditional country-style kitchen/breakfast room, adjacent to the front sitting room, has been fitted with a good range of solid oak cabinets with dark granite worktops, terracotta-style floor tiles, two Aga ovens, a central island with a double sink and a range of appliances including an electric oven and microwave.

The rear of the kitchen leads to a tiled boot room with side garden access, a guest WC off it with tiled floors, and a rear, generous utility room with tiled floors, plumbing for a washing machine and clothes-drying facilities.

On the other side of the rear hall is a large study, which has tiled floors, a feature fireplace with a wood-burning stove, double height ceilings and french doors opening to a patio area and the rear garden.

The handy basement level is broken down into four separate storage areas with painted floors and it houses the fuse board and electrical/alarm services.

Upstairs on the hall return are two generous double bedrooms with solid timber floors. The first boasts a cast-iron fireplace, the second has two built-in storage areas. A bathroom at this level also has solid timber floors, partial wainscoting, a white suite, including a bath with a separate shower, and a cast-iron fireplace.

There are a further three large double bedrooms at first floor level, including the principal bedroom en suite. Timber floors feature throughout and the rear bedroom has a cast-iron fireplace. The other two overlook the front gardens, the main bedroom boasting built-in wardrobes and an en suite with a full bathroom suite, including a bath and separate shower.

The main bathroom on the first floor return has timber floors, partial wainscoting and a full bath suite, including a bath, bidet and separate shower.

The 109 square metre cottage has an open-plan, fully fitted kitchen with a Rayburn cooker and dual burner, a wood-burning stove in the living area, a plumbed utility room and three first floor bedrooms, including one en suite, along with a bathroom. It has access to mains water, a septic tank and oil-fired central heating.

Outside, within the meticulously kept landscaped gardens there is a courtyard which incorporates a tool shed, six loose boxes and a tack room – perfect for buyers keen on equestrian pursuits.

There’s also a machinery shed extending to almost 80 square metres, a cattle yard made up of two three-bay hay sheds, two four-bay hay sheds, a silage pit and a cattle crush.

Viewing is by prior appointment with agent Will Coonan at 01-6286128.