One of the oldest houses in north county Dublin has been restored

OFFERS of €1,650,000 are being sought for a beautifully restored French-style period house on four acres close to Balbriggan in north county Dublin. Knocknagin House is being offered for sale by private treaty through Savills. Its owner, engineer Richard Birney, plans to relocate to France.

Pat O’Hagan of Savills believes the “quality of the house, the size and the outstanding gardens must make it a very saleable home even in the present difficult market”.

Anyone viewing Knocknagin will be surprised to discover that it is one of the oldest houses in north county Dublin, dating back to around 1680. It was abandoned and almost in ruins until the present owners acquired it about 16 years ago and set about restoring both the buildings and grounds.

The result is an enchanting, rambling 782sq m (8,400sq ft) house with four reception rooms, two larger than usual sunrooms, four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a range of offices and stores.

The house has a mixture of formality and elegance particularly evident in the reception rooms which have French doors leading directly onto an enclosed central garden full of colour.

Knocknagin is primarily focused on the central garden as well as on two other mature gardens wrapped around the house. All the reception rooms have high ceilings and doors that provide a full-length view of the house from one end to the other. The overall impression is of a gracious sense of height and space. They also have open fireplaces, handsome joinery and full-length windows.

Knocknagin will appeal primarily to families interested in entertaining on a grand scale or business people who, like the present owner, want to run a business from their home.

Knocknagin has obviously been restored, furnished and decorated to a particularly high specification.

The house is reached through electronically-controlled gates at the end of a tree-lined avenue.

The owners have spent almost as much time and money on the gardens as on the house and the result is a mixture of formal and informal gardens among ancient woodlands and a lovely old stream which runs into the adjoining Delvin river.

The house is located right on the boundary of counties Dublin and Meath and is within easy walking distance of Gormanstown Beach.