Race on for Regency-style country lodge

Co Kilkenny: An exceptionally stylish and manageable four-bedroom home on four acres in rural Kilkenny is guiding €730,000. Orna Mulcahy reports

HOK Country is seeking offers over €730,000 for Racecourse Lodge, a Regency-style four-bedroom house on four acres of land about five miles from Kilkenny city.

Set at the end of a long gravelled driveway, the house was built about six years ago on lands formerly belonging to Danesfort Racecourse.

High arched windows give the exterior of the house an unusual slightly Italianate look, while inside the same windows allow light to flood in to the main reception rooms.

It's an exceptionally stylish and manageable home, with around 232 sq m (2,500 sq ft) of living space on two levels. The large entrance hall is floored in big marble slabs that tone with the antique-style fireplace. Double doors open to the drawingroom which has stone coloured walls, a polished timber floor and two French windows opening onto the terrace.

There are fine marble fireplaces here and, in the formal diningroom, a dramatic floor-to-ceiling window overlooks the grounds and the surrounding countryside. This room links conveniently with the kitchen, where a bow window catches the morning sun. Here, the hand-painted units are topped in polished hardwood, including the central island unit that's inset with a Belfast sink. An oil-fired Aga range makes this a warm and welcoming room.

A study at the back of the house has access to a gallery landing and the upstairs bedroom wing.

The main bedroom has a south-facing balcony, a timber floor and a luxurious en suite shower room and a walk-in wardrobe. Another double bedroom has an en suite shower room, while the two remaining bedrooms share a family bathroom with a handsome claw-foot bath.

Neutral colours from the Farrow & Ball range of traditional paints create a sense of luxurious calm while the high spec finish gives the house an exceptionally solid feel that's unusual in new homes.

Outside, lawns and rosebed are divided by a winding gravel driveway. There are two paddocks, a couple of loose boxes, a harness room and a large garage with double timber doors.