Princess to sell Clonmannon and 185 acres

Co Wicklow/€5.6million:Princess Colonna has reigned over Clonmannon in Co Wicklow since she bought it from the Chester Beatty estate in 1969. Now she's selling up . . .almost. Property Editor Orna Mulcahy reports

One of the oldest inhabited houses in Ireland, Clonmannon, near Rathnew in Co Wicklow, is to be auctioned next month with 185 acres that includes a lake and right of way to the seashore.

The late 17th century redbrick house which the Knight of Glin described as "having a touch of doll's house Palladian", is the property of Princess Frances Colonna di Stigliano, a dashing sixtysomething blonde who, with a previous husband, bought Clonmannon from the Chester Beatty estate in 1968 for £150,000.

It was considered a fortune at the time but Clonmannon had 580 acres running down to the sea, and a beautiful Georgian house which early owners, the Truell family, had built in the 1790s when the original redbrick house became too small for them.

The estate has dwindled since then, the princess having sold off so many parcels of land that she jokes that she could have opened an estate agency. Clonmannon House itself was sold off in 1983, its grounds converted to a retirement village which failed acrimoniously, and has since been sold on twice.

By the early 1980s, Frances Willoughby had married a Florentine prince, Prospero Colonna, and restored the original house from near ruin and it is that house that is now for sale. The couple, who plan to retire to Monte Carlo, are selling most of the land, but still some is being held back: the princess intends to keep a stable block, about 20 acres of woodland, and the avenue which runs through the demesne.

The property is to be sold in lots through Ashford estate agent McDonnell Properties with the total expected to fetch over €5.6 million. The auction date is May 31st.

The mellow redbrick house is reached via a long winding avenue that is shared by the other properties that have been carved out of the estate, including the nursing home which is currently owned by businessman Pat Doherty.

More of a curiosity than a grand country house, Clonmannon's fanciful façade was added at a later date to what was originally a fairly modest two-storey over basement house.

Inside, the layout is curious too, with a dungeon-like diningroom in the basement which is reached via steep stairs off the drawingroom, and a vast "garden room" with a dramatic tented ceiling and minstrel's gallery.

Very little is as it seems in this 440sq m (4,736sq ft) house, thanks to Frances Colonna's quirky and romantic decorative style. Much of the interior was built up from salvage materials from other country houses and from the Hibernian Hotel in Dublin, which provided the handsome timber panelling as well as doorcases and a plinth on which rests an old claw-footed bath in the main en suite bathroom.

The overall effect is charming, comfortable and intriguing. On the one hand it's a creaky old country house with sofas and armchairs surrounding deep fireplaces that are either fitted with mock electric fires or wood-burning stoves that throw out impressive levels of heat.

But there are plenty of exotic touches with Italian aristocrats gazing out from portraits, and exuberant displays of flowers both real and fake.

The ground floor has an elegant drawingroom and the garden room, which can easily seat 60 for lunch or supper parties. The kitchen, pantry, utility room and office are at a slightly lower level.

From the hall, a wide staircase leads to the first landing where there is a delightful sittingroom with twin wing back armchairs framing the fireplace. Off this level is the first of the bedrooms - a large guest room - and a pretty panelled bathroom. The small dressing area is home to the Norman Hartnell wedding dress the princess wore for her first marriage.

The next flight of stairs leads to another landing occupied by a gorgeous Italian bed, which, with the mattress removed, serves as a huge plant holder. Off this landing is the suite of rooms that includes another sittingroom and two tiny bedrooms, both opulently decorated with fabric walls and ceilings.

There are yet more stairs to the top of the house where the main bedroom has a high beamed ceiling, its own fireplace, and a large en suite with its step-up bath.

The 160 acres include tracts of marshy ground teeming with wildlife, a large lake, and acres of farmland currently producing an income and containing a ruined house.

The avenue ends at the Dublin- Wexford railway line, though there is a right of way across the railway and the stretch of ground which Frances Colonna once rented to trainer Paddy Prendergast to use as a gallops for his racehorses. Beyond is the beach.