Former golfer looks to leave Divot behind

Former international golfer Peter Townsend is to sell his Howth home, a luxurious four-bedroom home on Dungriffan Road, which he built three years ago following the death of his wife, Lorna Townsend.

The Divot, a Victorian-style, two-storey house set on one-third of an acre of grounds is expected to fetch around £600,000 at auction through Sutton agents JB Kelly on February 17th. Mr Townsend, who is now involved in golf course design in Spain, plans to return to the UK with his new wife and family following the birth this week of his son, Hugo. Reached at the end of a long, tree-lined driveway, the house was originally a mews to the Townsends' former home next door. Rebuilt in a period style and bounded by granite walls, the new house blends in well with the surrounding homes and has the benefit of a nicely maturing landscaped garden. Designed by architects Angela Jupe and John Masterson, the 2,000 sq ft house is in superb decorative order, with all the charm and none of the inconvenience of an old house. The floors are reclaimed pine, the roof is old blue Bangor slate, and the windows are timber sashes.

The front porch and a large patio and planters at the back of the house are made up of old flagstones and quarry tiles. There is parking in front of the house for three cars.

A wide outer hall has double panelled doors leading to an inner hall, and a second door that leads to the original mews house. This two-storey "wing" provides useful accommodation that would be ideal as a home office or nanny's quarters - it has a small study, utility room and a wine cellar downstairs and steps leading up to a double bedroom and a shower room.

The main house has a wide, airy hall with a timber staircase leading to the upper floor. Straight ahead is a large, split-level drawing-room that runs almost the full width of the house and has patio doors opening on to the sheltered back garden. Off the hall to the front of the house is a second reception room, with a wide bay window, that would make an ideal family room or formal dining room.

The kitchen is a stunning split-level room with country-style cream-painted timber units arranged around an island. Steps lead down to the dining area, where light floods in through a high, arched window over the double patio doors. A bay window provides space for a large table.

Upstairs, the main bedroom at the back of the house looks down over the village to the sea. It has a large, fully tiled en suite bathroom with both a bath and a shower. There are two more double bedrooms and these share a spacious family bathroom.