Dungannon home is their chateau

A lavish French château-style house on four acres built only five years ago in Co Tyrone is on the market for £1.25m (€1.8m). Kate McMorrow reports

A lavish Co Tyrone house modelled on a French château is probably the most sumptuous property to come on the market in the Dungannon area for some time.

Joint agents Jackson-Stops and Tom Henry & Company are quoting £1.25 million (€1.8 million) by private treaty for Grange Hall, an 836 sq m (9,000 sq ft) five-bedroom house on four acres, with murals, frescoes, a swimming-pool and loads of attitude.

Per square foot, the price works out at £138 (€198.28), excellent value compared to similar properties south of the Border. Something of a surprise on this semi-rural road three miles from Dungannon, Grange Hall is unusual, fun and quite magnificent in its own way.

Built just five years ago, the owners Fiona and Brian Shiells and architect Des Ewing planned the house to the last detail, with little expense spared in the internal fit-out.

They wanted towers, curved walls, antique chimneypieces and all the exotic embellishments of a medieval French château, including the gigantic proportions. Sensibly, the kitchen and working areas are ultra-modern, with sleek units, power showers, underfloor heating and a central vacuum system.

A gravelled drive sweeps around to the front entrance, where an ornate iron balcony overhangs the arched doorway. The tower, which houses the main staircase, is to the right and two decorative bell towers can be glimpsed over the rooftop.

Inside, a dramatic circular domed entrance hall has a patterned marble floor, marble-effect pillars and walls and an antique French marble mantelpiece. A staircase with wrought-iron bannisters winds to the upper levels.

The tangerine and pink drawingroom has a carved oak fireplace and a turret area housing a baby grand piano. A dramatic carved oak chimneypiece in the red diningroom is in Jacobean style. A guest bedroom with dressing area and an en suite shower room is also on the ground floor.

A very smart open-plan kitchen/dining/living space is designed on contemporary lines, with Poggenpohl units, a royal blue Aga and a work island at the kitchen end. Double doors open to a terrace.    Off a side hallway is a recreational suite with a heated swimming-pool, steam/shower room and a gymnasium. Upstairs, the three double bedrooms all have en suites - one with a domed frescoed ceiling and oval Jacuzzi bath. Also off the landing are two box rooms and a weekend room, with brick fireplace and decorative ceiling. The grounds are landscaped with lawns, shrubberies and cobbled paths.