Restored mill house has grand Georgian proportions

Co. KIldare: A timeless house on seven acres bordering the Liffey has a guide of €2.5million. Kate McMorrow reports.

A rare property in the form of a restored 18th century mill house on the banks of the river Liffey has come on the market at Celbridge, Co Kildare.

HOK Country is guiding €2.5 million prior to auction on November 5th for Temple Mills, a timeless Georgian house on seven acres bounding the Liffey.

The grounds encompass the rushing weir and original mill workings, with a water-driven turbine to generate electricity for the house. A couple of sheltered paddocks are ideal for children's ponies.

When they first acquired the house about 10 years ago, the owners commissioned top conservation architect John O'Connell to bring the house back to its original condition.

As a result, magnificent cornicing is crisp, the roof is sound and plumbing and electrics have been brought into the 21st century. Floorboards were also lifted and joists reinforced and treated. Everything has been done and a new owner will inherit Temple Mills in pristine condition.

While spacious at 464.5 sq m (5,000 sq ft) excluding the basement, the house exudes cosiness. Rooms have the bright easy-living proportions typical of great Georgian houses, each room placed to attract natural light at the time it is being used.

The fan-lit main entrance is partly clad in wisteria and Virginia creeper. Main reception rooms are either side of the front hall, which has a sandstone floor and magnificent plasterwork.

To the left is the drawingroom, with its porterstone marble fireplace with brass surround. Two tall windows face south across the lawn, another looks out on the mill race. A grand piano fits effortlessly into one corner of the room. Original pitch pine floorboards can be glimpsed under the rugs.

Across the hall is the diningroom, which will seat 14 down to dinner. Here, there is a white marble fireplace and three tall windows facing south and east. Through a door in the far corner is a pretty morning room with marble fireplace and polished wood floor.

This room links with a smart blue and cream kitchen which was the nursery in bygone days. Custom-made cupboards have granite and timber worktops and an island unit, with a pine-panelled ceiling and a blue gas-fired Aga. Behind the kitchen is a vast timber-floored room which could be a playroom or home office. A guest toilet has old-fashioned decorative sanitary ware and space for coats.

By far the most inviting room in the house is the glowing crimson library, with its polished wood floor and black marble fireplace. Six double bedrooms are distributed amongst the two upper floors, many with original fireplaces and timber floors.One child's bedroom has an en suite bathroom.

The main bedroom is particularly bright and spacious, with a fitted dressingroom and full en suite bathroom. Old-fashioned Victorian fittings in the main bathroom include a fine clawfoot bath with painted sides and a chequered tile floor.

With so much living space, the basement area is largely unused apart from laundry use, boiler housing and storage. The grounds are a pleasing blend of formal gardens and woodland, with the sound of rushing water as a backdrop.

Close to the house is the former ballroom, awaiting attention from a new owner. A beautiful Victorian metal bridge crosses the mill race to an island between the old mill building and the Liffey. This wooded area is a magical place crowded with very old deciduous trees, including one fine champion copper beech.

A grassy path leads along the riverbank to a sheltered paddock bordering the Liffey. Steps lead down to a family bathing spot along the stone-lined millrace. The gravelled forecourt fronting the main house provides parking for several cars.