Duninga House

Gorsebridge, Co. Kilkenny

Price: €1,250,000

Share This

Deactivated

48 acres / 19.42 hectares

On approximately 19.3 hectares / 48 acres

A most attractive 18th Century mansion house superbly set overlooking the Barrow valley and enjoying frontage onto the River Barrow.

Partially restored the house was due to form the focal point of a country house hotel development but this concept is now in abeyance with the property being offered for sale. Suitable uses include reinstatement as a private residence, completion of the hotel concept along with many other options, obviously subject to any necessary permissions.

Included in the sale is the period mansion house comprising some 997 square metres / 10,732 square feet, an original stone courtyard, a walled kitchen garden with 14 completed holiday lodges, a derelict gate lodge, a range of stone outbuildings, good pasturage and attractive woodland, along with river walks.

Kikenny City (airport) 19.3 km / 12 miles , Carlow 19.2 km / 16.5 miless

Waterford City (airport) 58 km / 36 miles, Paulstown (N9 South) 3 km / 1.8 miles

Bagenalstown 6.2 km / 3.8 miles, Royal Oak (N9 North) 4.2 km / 2.6 miles

DUNINGA HOUSE

Duninga House is a most attractive 18th Century mansion house superbly set overlooking the Barrow valley and enjoying frontage onto the River Barrow. Built circa 1710 in a H-shaped formation, typical of the time, later embellishments included the addition of the oval stairhall, circa 1790, and granite Doric Colannades to adore both the front and rear elevations, circa 1830, to present a large two and three storey mansion house with a five bay front, and two projecting wings each with two bay fronts.

Partially restored in recent years the house was due to form the focal point of a country house hotel development and link with the conversion of the stone courtyard buildings into further accommodation in tandem with 14 holiday lodges, newly completed in the walled kitchen garden, but this concept is now in abeyance and open to review with the property being offered for sale.

The planned remodelling of the house was envisaged to provide four suites comprising a bedroom, kitchen and living area on the first and second floors, while the ground floor was to comprise a library, lobby, drawing room and anteroom and link to a new block with additional hotel bedrooms, a commercial kitchen and dining hall in a glazed atrium.

The renovation works within the mansion house are quite advanced with completion extremely manageable and being unfinished there is the distinct advantage of being able to determine or personalise the finish specification and tweak the layout to suit the desired end use. Fortunately, the renovation works remained largely sympathetic to the original allowing the original floor plan layout to be reinstated if desired.

Suitable alternative uses may include reinstatement as a private residence, partial adoption of the current concept to facilitate a boutique hotel, wedding venue, business / language school, private hospital, nursing home, retirement village or, perhaps, reinstatement as a commercial stud. It should be noted, however, that any alterations to the current concept might require planning consent and interested parties should satisfy themselves in this regard.

The interior features generously proportioned rooms with high ceilings and fine tall windows giving good natural light in the principal rooms, the primary reception rooms and bedroom suites enjoying a southern aspect are particularly bright.

LOCATION

Duninga House is superbly set overlooking the Barrow valley and enjoy frontage onto the River Barrow, which is navigable along this stretch out to the Irish Sea, allowing Duninga access by either boat or from pleasant river bank walks if desired.

Enjoying an idyllic position nearly equidistant of Bagenalstown and Goresbridge access by road is excellent and the N9 Dublin / Waterford trunk road is some 3 km away linking to primary road networks and to the N10, giving easy access into Kilkenny City. Stations in nearby Kilkenny and Bagenalstown gives easy access to the railway network along the Dublin (Heuston) to Waterford line, with regular and improving commuter services to the capital.

The ease of access to Duninga is best assentuated by recalling Thackeray’s account in his ‘Irish Sketchbook’ following a visit in 1842.

“Soon after quitting the Royal Oak, our road branches off to the hospitable house where our party of a dozen persons was to be fed and housed for the night. A young son of the house, on a white pony, was on the lookout and great cheering and shouting took place among the young people as we came in sight. Trotting away by the carriage side, he bought us through the gates with a pretty avenue of trees leading to the pleasure grounds of the house~ a handsome building commanding noble views of river, mountains and plantations”

Local services are available at Royal Oak and Bagenalstown, with a more extensive range available in Carlow town, 14 kilometres to the north and Kilkenny city 18 kilometres to the south. Kilkenny is a vibrant medieval city and offers a variety of shops, schools, churches, pubs, restaurants and theatres with entertainment including an arts, comedy (Cats Laughs) and music (Celtic) festivals. Surrounding occupiers are generally agricultural in nature and include Duninga Gallops.

Accommodation

Ground Floor

Reception Hall (E) with decorative ceiling cornice and polished timber floor. Leads to the principal reception rooms and large stair hall.

Stair Hall (W) with carved timber staircase to first and second floors. Door to rear house courtyard.

Oval Stair Hall (W) a separate secondary stair hall with ornately carved balusters featuring a twisted finish.

Bathroom (W) set on the first floor return of the Oval Stair Hall and with spa bath.

Breakfast Room (E) with recessed spot lighting and interconnecting arch / doorway into Study.

Dining Room (E) with marble chimneypiece, ceiling cornice, polished timer floor and interconnecting doors to secondary stair hall and drawing room.

Drawing Room (S) with marble chimneypiece, decorative ceiling plasterwork with fine central rose and cornice detail. Interconnecting door to back hall, giving access in turn to the Sunroom and Kitchen.

Sun Room (E, S, W) with tiled floor and door to South garden.

Back Hall (S) linking the Sun Room, Kitchen and Drawing Room with access either internally from the oval Stair Hall or externally from the South garden

Kitchen (S) with decorative ceiling plasterwork featuring a fine central rose and cornice detail, AGA cooking range and polished timber floor.

Study (E) with fireplace opening.

Bar (N) with exposed brick and stone walls, flag stone floor, partially fitted polished timber bar and twin arches into Old Kitchen / Lounge.

Old Kitchen / Lounge (W) with exposed brick and stone walls, flag stone floor, 2 open fireplaces and an interconnecting door into an Anti-Room / Living Room

Ante-Room / Living Room (W) linking the Old Kitchen / Lounge, main Reception Hall and central Stair Hall.

First Floor

Bedroom 1 (S) with marble fireplace, ceiling cornice, polished timber floor and interconnecting door into Ensuite Shower Room.

Shower Room Ensuite (S) with cabinet shower, polished timber floor, pedestal whb and WC. Separate hotpress.

Bedroom 2 (S) with marble fireplace, polished timber floor and interconnecting door into Shower Room Ensuite.

Shower Room Ensuite (S) with cabinet shower, walk-in wardrobe, whb and WC.

Bedroom 3 (E) with marble fireplace.

Bedroom 4 (E) small, it could readily convert to an en-suite bathroom for bedrooms 3 and / or 5.

Bedroom 5 (E) with open fireplace (unfitted)

Bedroom 6 (E) with open fireplace (unfitted)

Bedroom 7 (E) small, it could readily convert to an en-suite bathroom for bedrooms 6 and / or 8.

Bedroom 8 (NW) with interconnecting arch / doorway into Bedroom 9.

Bedroom 9 (W) with fireplace opening (unfitted) and unpolished timber floor.

Second Floor

Bedroom 10 (E) with marble fireplace, coved ceiling and interconnecting door to Anti-Room / Store Room

Ante-Room / Kitchen (E) positioned between bedrooms 10 and 11 it could readily convert to an en-suite bathroom for either or both rooms or a kitchen to make an independent apartment (wiring in place).

Bedroom 11 (E) with interconnecting door to Anti-Room / Store Room and into an Ensuite Shower Room with cabinet shower, polished timber floor, Velux roof light, pedestal whb and WC.

Bedroom 12 (N) with coved ceiling, exposed ceiling beams and open fireplace (unfitted).

Bedroom 13 (N) with coved ceiling, exposed ceiling beams and interconnecting doors to Bedroom 12 and 14, making it suitable as a possible bathroom.

Bedroom 14 (N & W) with marble fireplace and coved ceiling with exposed beams.

COURTYARD

Lying immediately to the rear of the house and linking to the outer yard and walled kitchen garden the courtyard comprises a quadrangle of stone single and two storey outbuildings. Partially converted into 6 ‘Stable Mews’ they can either be completed to provide this accommodation or with lesser works converted into a range of out-offices or stores as reversion back to stables is perhaps unfeasible, construction being at first fix. The unfinished concept was to provide 6 two-storey, two bedroom dwellings, with an average size of 113 square metres.

WALLED GARDEN

Located a short distance beyond the courtyard and southwest of the mansion house it was formerly the kitchen garden but now has 14 attractive holiday lodges set in a quadrangle formation with a covered archway giving access from outside to a central garden area and each house opening onto a timber deck area to the rear. The entire is enclosed and hidden behind a large stone wall. The 14 two storey dwelling houses are near completion and short of services being installed ready for occupation, indeed two of them are being occupied presently with temporary services installed.

Eight of the houses are three bedroom mid terrace houses with an average size of 114 square metres, while the remaining six houses have 4 bedrooms. Two of these houses are end-of-terrace and are 139 square metres, with 2 corner houses extending to 142 square metres. The remaining 2 houses are situated at the arch leading into the development and extend to 167 square metres each.

OUTER YARD

Lying immediately behind the courtyard this yard includes a range of single and two storey outbuildings. Within the now ceased hotel development it was to provide 3 single storey and 2 two-storey apartment suites, with 3 of them comprising two bedrooms and 2 with single bedrooms. No conversion works have taken place with works to date only involving their being re-roofed, meaning stables could easily be created if additional accommodation is not desired. Access to this yard is either from the courtyard or from a secondary entrance off the public road.

PLEASURE GROUNDS & LANDS

The mansion house is approached from the public road by a long sweeping tree-lined avenue set between fenced paddocks to one side and amenity woodland and the walled garden on the northern side. The lands surrounding the house are principally laid out in grassland pasture with the topography being south-easterly downward sloping, allowing elevated views over the river valley from the house. A high stone wall, recently repaired, protects the property from the public road to the western boundary, while the river Barrow acts as a natural boundary on the eastern boundary.

Largely informal the pleasure grounds immediately surrounding the house blend effortlessly with the pasture fields beyond, while a informal path leads to the riverside walks and woodland. The lands are highly fertile and extremely suitable for horses with the racing renowned Mullins family having an extremely successful training yard at the property from 1923 until selling some four years ago.

Directions

From Goresbridge take the Bagenalstown road and the entrance is on the right hand side after 3.8 km’s, marked with a stone entrance splay.

From the M9 Dublin / Waterford road take the Junction 7 exit. At the top of the slip road take the exit signed Gowran / Goresbridge / Paulstown at a small roundabout. Continue to another roundabout and carry straight on, signed Gowran / Goresbridge. At the next roundabout take the Paulstown exit and after 0.5 km turn right on the approach to the village, opposite the pub. Continue out this road until you come to a T-junction and turn left and the entrance is then immediately on the right hand side.