Heart, head and pocket in balance over heritage home

Reassuring confirmation of welcome new attitudes towards restoration and conservation are dictating the conditions of sale for an elegant, if near derelict, middle-scale Georgian house outside Birr, Co Offaly.

Syngefield House, once the home of the Reverend Edward Synge, ancestor of the playwright, and rector and vicar of Birr for 25 years, has finally come on the market after years of speculation.

Two local estate agents, Purcell Auctioneers and Ryan Auctioneers, have been entrusted with the private treaty sale, determined not by price - although the guide is put at about £150,000 - but by the intentions of aspiring purchasers. A commitment to restoration and a proven track record in such projects will be an advantage.

The estimated costs of returning Syngefield to its former dignity have been placed between £200,000 and £500,000. Builders have already looked at it with a view to selling it on, while potential private buyers have also emerged.

Whoever buys it will have to comply with the strict conditions of conservation. Birr Urban District Council sought the advice of the Heritage Council and the property has been assessed by an independent conservation service.

Although surprisingly little is known about the origins of the house, the oldest parts of it are believed to have been built on the Syngefield estate in the mid-18th century, about the time of the first Edward Synge's appointment.

An impressive range of surviving architectural features, mainly windows, windowcases, lugged architraves, some doors, flooring and plasterwork help date the building. There are several later additions from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Having stood empty for more than a quarter of a century, the house has withstood various instances of random vandalism, yet the historic fabric remains. The two-storey over basement house is deceptively large: it has 26 rooms, some of architectural interest. The former estate land, long in the possession of Offaly County Council, had been zoned for industrial development. A small industrial park now stands on part of that land at the front of the property.

The entrance from the main road is marked by limestone piers. The avenue is narrow and not helped by the presence of the factory buildings. This lane branches into two. On the left is the entrance to the former coach-houses and stables which are now used as private residences. To the right is the modest gateway entrance leading to the house.

Once consisting of seven bays, one of the bays was removed after a fire, leaving a somewhat lopsided appearance. There would have been Gothic-glazed Venetian windows in both storeys of the two end bays. One such window remains, while there is another in the middle, just over the Venetian doorway. This is quite beautiful, although the door itself has been vandalised. The fanlight is missing, as are the fireplaces.

Among the attractions are the grand entrance hall, the large reception room to the east of the hall and the Diocletian windows in the end bays of the impressive basement.

Assessing Syngefield House is a case of balancing the heart, the head and the pocket. On the one hand it is a huge project with a permanently compromised view to the right of the house. Yet to the left is a pastoral scene of trees and the remains of Clonoghil Castle.

Even with many of its windows blocked up, Syngefield would be a light-filled, spacious house, with some fine rooms and a superb upstairs landing. The large basement has a kitchen and other rooms. Such a house needs more land. However its proximity to Birr, one of Ireland's finest heritage towns, could influence a buyer who wants an atmospheric, period country house near an urban setting. Above all, Syngefield needs a buyer with access to a visionary, sympathetic and trusted builder.