Humewood Castle with 480-acre sporting estate selling for £10m

Humewood Castle, one of the last great country houses built in Ireland, is to be put up for sale on the international market. The stunningly refurbished castle, along with its 480-acre sporting estate at Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, is expected to make in the region of £10 million when it is sold by joint agents Sotheby's International Realty and Ganly Walters. It is likely to be bought either as a private home by a wealthy family or for an exclusive hotel and leisure complex, according to the agents.

Humewood is located 45 miles south of Dublin in a magnificent rural setting beneath the Wicklow mountains. It was bought in 1992 for less than £1 million by socialite Renata Coleman, who has since spent a fortune on renovating and restoring the main building and furnishing it in the Victorian Gothic style. The results are impressive and, according to Bill Montgomery of Sothebys, the castle is probably in better condition now than at any time since it was built in 1867 for W.W.F. Hume Dick, MP. And it is more comfortable than ever before - central heating has been installed in the main parts of the castle and all of the 13 bedrooms have elegant en suite bathrooms.

Ms Coleman is an astute businesswoman who saw the potential to turn Humewood into an exclusive retreat for the very wealthy. In selling, she stands to capitalise on the sharp increase in property prices, having bought Humewood when the market was at its lowest point for several years. Ms Coleman has developed Humewood as a sporting estate with first-class facilities for hunting, shooting, fishing, polo and eventing. A roadway system around the estate has been enlarged, two extra man-made lakes have been created and acres of trees have been planted to provide additional cover for duck and pheasant.

The castle is used for small conferences, gala dinners and wedding receptions, in addition to the constant business generated from shootings and equestrian sports. All the bedrooms in the castle are decorated and furnished in different styles ranging from the blue and gold of the Marie Antoinette suite, the period splendour of the Napoleonic bedroom to the Vivaldi room with its colourful murals.

Ms Coleman's decision to sell the partially walled estate has been taken because she is now spending less time in Ireland. She is frequently in Hong Kong looking after her late husband's business interests and also devotes considerable time to racing in Australia. Her two children live in New York. When she sells the estate, she plans to move to a home she already owns in Dalkey.

Humewood is acknowledged as one of the finest Victorian country homes in Ireland. It is a beautifully sited castle with a glorious outline of soaring spires, turrets, buttresses and a central block silhouetted against the mountains. Robert Ganly of Ganly Walters says he expects considerable international interest in the estate - one of best to come on the Irish market in recent years.

Humewood's architect, William White, described the 60,000 sq ft house as "a family mansion not above the average size". It is, in fact, a stately home and while few families need 13 large bedrooms, a private buyer would undoubtedly find the four main reception rooms perfectly manageable. The fifth reception room, a double height panelled ballroom, was designed for entertaining on a grand scale.

Ms Coleman has restored and redecorated each of the four main reception rooms with great taste and style and kept the best of the Hume furnishings and paintings. Most notably she has restored the magnificent painted ceilings and introduced warm, vibrant colours to highlight the superb architectural features of the house. Visitors to the castle are first struck by a dramatic Gothic entrance hall lit by a huge stained glass window, something you expect to find in a great cathedral. At the top of the stone stairs, there are the four stunning reception rooms, all interlinking and all with clear views over the spectacular grounds wrapped around the castle.

The lower ground floor has also been tastefully restored and includes a billiards room, a second dining room used by shooting parties, a professional kitchen and a bar.

If Humewood is bought for hotel use, the new owners will obviously restore the remainder of the castle and the stable yard to provide up to 25 additional en suite bedrooms.

There is also planning permission for 32 one, two and three bedroom residential units in the Lower Stable Yard, about a quarter of a mile from the castle.