Glenair, a Georgian house on 9.5 acres at Priory Road, Delgany, Co Wicklow, is sure to attract interest from developers as well as private buyers in the run up to its auction by Lisney next month. The villa-style five-bedroom house, together with a large, cut-stone gate lodge and original stable block goes under the hammer on April 18th. The guide price is £2.75 million.
Set on an elevated site overlooking the picturesque village of Delgany, this is one of the finest private homes in the area. A curving gravel driveway leads up to the house, which is surrounded by two acres of superb gardens including a hard tennis court. The remaining land is in railed paddocks sloping down to the Tree Trout River.
House-builders will almost certainly view the property as a potential site. It has good road frontage and the land is zoned to take one house to the acre. The house could keep its gardens on all sides, while the lower paddocks could accommodate a development of large detached houses. However, the property as a whole is so attractive that it may be bought by a private buyer.
Selling agent Charles Broadhead expects interest from some of Ireland's new technology millionaires, several of whom are thought to be in the market for a house at present.
The 3,800 sq. ft house is in immaculate condition and is decorated in a light, minimalist style that suits its Georgian proportions. Most of the rooms are painted pure white with a band of colour above the picture rail, which emphasises the ceiling heights.
Viewers will be interested to see how well the owners' superb collection of contemporary furniture looks in its period setting. The powder blue front door opens in to a bright, square hallway, with a staircase leading down to the ground floor and a magnificent chandelier overhead that is being included in the sale. There are five rooms at this level and three of these are used as bedrooms. To the left is a drawing-room, with tall sash windows on two sides - both with original shutters and concealed radiators underneath - and an Adam-style fireplace.
On the other side of the hall is the main bedroom, which connects through a dressing-room or second bedroom to a large en suite shower room. Also off the hall is a bright study and a third large bedroom with access through French doors to a big terrace.
Downstairs, the rooms lead off a big central hallway. There are two further bedrooms, a music room with French doors to the garden and a huge kitchen-cum-dining-room-cum-sitting-room with a beamed ceiling, tiled floor, and Aga cooker. Also downstairs, there is a utility room, large bathroom, boot room and cellar. The gate lodge is an attractive brick and granite building that extends over the stables below with a useful series of rooms where the owner once held art classes. It could be converted as a separate house or attractive offices with some updating.
The gardens have been beautifully kept and are just coming to life with splashes of colour provided by rhododendrons.
