Georgian grandeur and 12 bedrooms in west Cork

Country Living: The bedroom's in a former ballroom and the style is strictly Georgian. A manageable 12-bedroom house on 10 acres near Clonakilty is for sale for €2.5m. Orna Mulcahy reports

Joint agents Jackson-Stops and Charlie McCarthy of Skibbereen are seeking offers in the region of €2.5 million for a manageable Georgian house on 10 acres in Butlerstown near Clonakilty in west Cork.

Sea Court, which is owned by an American law professor and his family, has been run as a guesthouse since the mid-1980s and appears in a number of accommodation guides.

The 12-bedroom house has also been rented out for holiday lets at between €1,800 and €2,750 per week.

The 1760s house, which has two later wings, was in poor condition when David Elder came to view it in 1983. At that stage it was owned by the Marquart family, who were keen to move to a smaller house in the area.

A deal was struck and the Elders have since then divided their time between the east coast of America and west Cork.

Sea Court is in a magical setting, close to the village of Butlerstown, a tiny place about seven miles from Clonakilty. There are several beaches within a short drive and Inchydoney Strand is a 15-minute drive way.

The upper bedrooms of Sea Court have views of seven different headlands away in the distance.

The distinctive slate-fronted house is approached via a long avenue that winds through the gardens to a wide gravel forecourt where steps lead up to the porticoed entrance and the front door.

Inside is a large entrance hall with a Portland stone-effect floor that is actually concrete. It was installed to a design that the Irish Georgian Society recommends to its members.

Elsewhere the owners have decorated the house in keeping with its era, using strong Georgian colours in the big airy rooms.

One of the largest rooms is a former ballroom that's now a twin bedroom where the antique German furniture is dwarfed by its lofty proportions.

The drawingroom has a wide bay window thought to be a later addition to the house and an ornately decorated ceiling. The diningroom has two original built-in cupboards flanking a tall sash window.

A large country-style kitchen is warmed by an Aga cooker. There is also a study, bathroom, utility room and wine store at this level, as well as the ballroom bedroom. The remaining bedrooms are upstairs and in the guest wing.

There is also a one-bedroom staff apartment and a collection of outbuildings, including a two-storey coach-house.