Co Galway: €1.25mA former station house on 3.25 acres - one of four which were sold when the Galway to Clifden line closed in 1935 - is quoting €1.25 million through Corrib Real Estate of Moycullen, Co Galway.
Hidden from the road at the end of a long tree-lined drive, Ross Lodge is in Rosscahill, four miles from Moycullen, six from Oughterard and 11 from Galway city.
With 248 sq m (2,500 sq ft) of living space, five bedrooms and expansive gardens, this nostalgic home could interest city commuters. The steep price tag reflects the property's convenience to Galway city, private location and its unique lineage as part of railway folklore. Enthusiasts will be interested to know that the original platform is now a terrace outside the sittingroom, itself formerly the gents waiting room and ticket office.
The diningroom was once the ladies waiting room while, across the lawn and in great condition, a cut-stone goods shed with a mezzanine floor has potential for a number of uses. The property was designated a protected structure by Galway County Council in 2003. Of the four original station houses along the Clifden line, two at Recess and Ballinahinch are private homes while the former Oughterard station house is the Vsoske carpet factory.
Ross Lodge was built in 1895 of cut limestone with a redbrick facade. The Rosscahill station house was bought by the Gough family when the rail line closed in 1935 and they lived here for about 15 years. Mrs Gough achieved some renown as the writer of a book on wildflowers. Having raised their family and enjoyed Ross Lodge for the past 35 years, the current owners are planning to downsize to something smaller in the city.
The house has been well maintained over the years and original features preserved, including the return staircase with its ornate balustrade and turned spindles.
A cast-iron fireplace in the breakfastroom is adorned with a pheasant motif, door handles are brass and porcelain, windows are sash and doorways have period architraves.
The main reception rooms are a good size, without losing that cosy feel. There is a cream-painted sittingroom with French doors to the platform terrace.
A formal diningroom is decorated in gold. There is also a breakfastroom with fireplace, a study and a big country kitchen in sunny yellow.
Upstairs are the family bathroom and five bedrooms, with an en suite bathroom off the largest room. Lawns surrounding the house incorporate the original rail tracks. The remainder of the 3.5 acres is thickly planted with flowering shrubs and trees.