Georgian gem on 160 acres of Meath pasture

A country house with classical good looks on the market at €3.75 million could tempt a number of buyers given that it's only 25 miles from Dublin city centre, writes Jack Fagan

One of the great pleasures of rural Ireland is the way in which its countryside throws up the occasional house with classical quality. Sometimes these are unknown to all but a few people who come to admire them, particularly if they are country Georgian houses.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s quite a few of these were built by the landed gentry and successful business people.

The best of the Georgian houses reflect the great qualities of the period - grace, elegance and space.

Ashfield House at Beauparc, Co Meath, is one of a relatively small stock of early 19th century houses built in Meath. It dates from around the 1840s and comes on the market with the well-known Suma Stud and 160 acres of the best Co Meath land.

Colliers Jackson-Stops is quoting a guide price of €3.75 million for the estate but, once experienced viewers see the quality of the house and its undoubted potential, they will quickly realise that it's certain to make substantially more than that when it goes to auction on June 21st.

Even fairly modest family homes in some good south Dublin suburbs have been fetching more than that price level in recent weeks.

Ashfield is in need of upgrading and redecoration but, as a distinctly unspoiled Georgian gem in beautiful surroundings only 25 miles from the city centre, there are likely to be quite a few parties chasing it.

Viewers will undoubtedly be impressed by its many classical features, particularly its handsome hall and staircase and its wonderful reception rooms, but another strong selling point is that, unlike many country piles that come on the market, this one is a perfectly manageable country home.

It is located less than two miles from the main Dublin-Slane road, making it easily accessible to the city and Dublin Airport.

The site for Ashfield was carefully chosen, right in the centre of the land, where it is protected by mature woodlands and looks out on formal gardens running away to an ornamental lake that is home to a range of birds. The privacy of the place is enhanced by the fact that it has a half-mile-long avenue lined by beech hedging and ornamental trees.

The lawns wrapped around the house lead into a well kept walled garden still producing a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers for the house.

The attractive entrance to the house is marked by a pair of stone lions and equally impressive pillars.

The hall is particularly handsome with a high ceiling supported by a screen of Corinthian columns leading to a double staircase which, like the back of the hall, is kept constantly bright during the day by a large decorated glass window carrying the family coat of arms.

Both the drawingroom and the diningroom have exceptionally fine proportions, making them ideal for entertaining. They also have elaborate plasterwork, both cornices and centres roses, as well as distinctive marble fireplaces.

The drawingroom is the largest reception room and opens to the side out into a lovely old conservatory complete with flag stone floor.

Because of recent storm damage this room is in need of considerable upgrading but, once this has been done, it will once again become one of the most used areas in the house.

Behind the drawingroom there is a smaller family room which is ideal for long winter nights. On the opposite side of the hall there is a wonderful diningroom, large and elegant and caught in another time frame. Faded wallpaper and carpets give it a distinctive feel like the unusual American painted furniture, now only found in a museum.

A relatively recent addition at one side of the hall accommodates a good sized, bright kitchen which is kept cosy by the conventional Aga.

There is also a handy office and pantry at this level. Upstairs the double staircase leads on to a good sized landing and off it there are four principal bedrooms, the largest with an en suite. Ashfield has a guest wing at the rear, probably an older house, which could provide excellent accommodation if modernised. There is a range of rooms at two levels, including the original kitchen still with an unusual bread oven, well over 100 years old.

Suma Stud, acknowledged as one of the best in the country specialising in producing sporting horses, has been based at Ashfield for the past 28 years.

A top class stud unit installed in 1991 contains the highest quality fittings, including 19 large stables. The stud also has hay sheds, a silca sand outdoor arena and a small indoor arena. There are a further 15 loose boxes in the original stone yard.

Separately, there is a cattle wintering set-up some distance from the main yards. The land is laid out in 18 divisions, most fields that are post and railed, and there are also stallion and foal paddocks.