Pilgrims converted Georgian

A 30-bedroom Georgian property on 12 acres at Inch, Co Wexford is for sale by private treaty at £1 million through Jackson Stops.

Hyde Park, designed by Richard Morrison, was once the home of Sir David Kelly, British Ambassador to Moscow. The current owners, the Pilgrim House Community, have substantially added to the accommodation, building or converting five separate houses and a private chapel in the grounds. The courtyard area has been converted to a restaurant, kitchens and a bakery.

The location, just over a mile from the main Wexford road and three miles north of Gorey, would suit a country house hotel or craft centre. The buildings have been well-maintained and the property, which has good road frontage, is set well back from the traffic. A 700-metre driveway through woods and parkland provides a large degree of privacy.

In all, there are seven reception rooms, 30 bedrooms, five kitchens, a library, restaurant, meeting room and chapel - a ready-made commercial proposition for an enterprising purchaser.

The main house has a wide reception hall with cornicing, an inner stairs hall and a cantilevered central stairwell with skylight cupola. Three large reception rooms have fine original ceiling plasterwork.

There is a maple floor, panelled ceiling and marble mantlepiece in the diningroom, a fine curved marble mantlepiece in the drawingroom and a third period fireplace in the library. A kitchen and cloakroom are also on the ground floor and there are eight bedrooms, an office and two bathrooms upstairs. Three of the separate houses are coach-house conversions and three are newly-built. Some connect through passageways to the main house. The two large Scandinavian houses were built recently at a cost of £200,000. Pine has been used extensively in these houses, including pinepanelled ceilings. The larger seven-bedroom Scandinavian house has outside decking and fitted furniture. The wood-floored chapel could easily convert to a further residence if required, suggests Marcus Magnier of Jackson Stops. The restaurant is full of character, with exposed stone walls, timber ceiling and galleries and French doors at mezzanine level to the gardens. An adjoining courtyard loft has been partially converted to give a kitchen and food preparation area. The bakery comes with a three-phase stainless steel baking oven.