Large historic house in Meath on 72 acres

Close to Dunsany and Killeen Castles, with enough history to fill a small museum and 72 acres of Meath’s green pastures and woods round about, Warrenstown House is more than just another large country house for sale.

The house, and a large demesne, was the seat of the Warren family for nearly 300 years until, in the early 1920s, it was acquired by the Salesian Fathers.

Newly arrived in Ireland, they set up the pioneering Warrenstown Agricultural College which educated to acclaim until it closed in 2001.

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The farm’s 450 acres sold for €13.8 million in 2008 – a price that staggered even at the time.

The Salesian Fathers (three of them still in residence) are now selling the house, grounds, coach yard, outbuildings and remaining 72 acres. Of the last, some 25 acres are under forest (oak, beech and pine) and 40 acres is grazing land.

The trees line a long (recently tarred) avenue to the house with its imposing entrance hall and – in two floors over a basement – 10 en suite bedrooms, five reception rooms, vaulted wine cellars and 929sq m (10,000sq ft) of floor space.

Agent REA (Real Estate Alliance) has set a value of €650,000-700,000 in advance of a June 30th auction.

In good repair and with a new roof, Warrenstown House needs refurbishing and redecorating.

The main, ground floor reception rooms are impressively large with richly ornate plasterwork and ceiling roses.

Behind these there is an equally large dining room; all three rooms are brightly lit by long windows.

On this floor too there is a bedroom suite and pleasant morningroom with period fireplace. The kitchen has a range of oak units but the new owner will likely revamp and enlarge this.

An inner, double-return staircase leads to a number of bedrooms on a half landing. The remainder are off the main landing. Basement spaces include a laundry room and wine cellars.

Some outbuildings are of brick and those around the coach yard are of cut-stone.

As you’d expect around a one time agricultural college, there are vegetable and fruit gardens, lawns, specimen trees and shrubs.

The agent sees Warrenstown House being of interest to UK buyers, given that €700,000 amounts to some £500,000. There is local interest and it could make a country-house hotel.

Situated just five minutes from the M3, it could, equally, make a family home for business people.

The college building was bought by Coláiste na bhFiann, the Irish language college, in 2010.

A carefully planned distance from the house, privacy is not a problem.