Archbishop's home sold for more than £1m

A DUBLIN businessman paid more than £1 million yesterday for the home of the former Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Charles McQuaid. "Ashurst", a Victorian mansion on four acres at Military Road, Killiney, was sold by tender after more than a decade of legal dispute over its ownership. The 13 bedroom house is in poor condition and many of its rooms have been vandalised.

The selling agent, Mr Simon Ensor of Sherry FitzGerald, had suggested that the property would make in excess of £650,000, but said that the same amount again would be needed to refurbish it.

There were six tenders for the house which overlooks Killiney Bay. The tenders were opened in court and the new owner was named as a Mr William Smith.

It is thought that the house will be restored as a family home. Up to 50 parties viewed the property, including several potential buyers from overseas.

"Ashurst" was built in the 1860s for William Dobbs, an MR Its grand proportions and stately reception rooms must have appealed to Archbishop McQuaid, who preferred it to his official residence, "Archbishop's House" in Drumcondra, Dublin.

He moved into "Ashurst" in the 1950s and renamed it "Notre Dame Des Bois". From his panelled drawingroom he could look down a sweep of lawn to the pillared shrine he dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The most striking feature of the house is the 60 foot belfry tower. The room at the top has windows on all four sides, giving a panoramic view of the coast and the mountains. A keen astronomer, Archbishop McQuaid kept a powerful telescope in this room.

After the death of the archbishop in 1973, the property was bought by a developer who built an enclave of modern houses in part of the grounds. From that time until recently the ownership of the house was the subject of a complex legal dispute.