An estate agent's own house in Co Kildare has a lavish interior and plenty of room for the staff, says Orna Mulcahy.

A grand house on a small scale is how estate agent and property developer Paul Newman describes his own home, a Victorian rectory on 1.65 acres in Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare. Called Cnoc Avon, the lavishly refurbished house is on the market with an AMV of €3.5 million prior to auction through Douglas Newman Good on September 27th.

Newman, who heads up the DNG chain, isn't moving too far away, having bought a 165-acre estate at Colbinstown in Co Kildare earlier in the year for an estimated €13 million. Plans for his new demesne include acres of showpiece gardens and a museum to house his collection of vintage cars that will be open the public.

Cnoc Avon, on the edge of the village, is an idyllic country place, surrounded by romantic gardens and tended by a small army of staff. An easy commute from Dublin, past the Blessington Lakes, the house is hidden behind high gates and reached at the end of a long driveway. By the gates is a six-car garage with a loft apartment overhead and a three-bed staff cottage and a loft apartment.

The wisteria-clad house has three fine reception rooms - a cosy sittingroom, large drawingroom and atmospheric diningroom. There's a spacious kitchen and utility room and a lofty conservatory.

Upstairs, the main bedroom suite includes a sittingroom and bathroom while two other bedrooms are decorated in a country house style.