Woodview House, Ballingale, Ferns, Co Wexford
Description: Five-bed detached Georgian house, overlooking the Slaney, with courtyard and guest accommodation.
Agent: Ganly walters
Price: €575,000
Co Wexford is thick with history, and Woodview House has played its part. Built in 1755, it has only changed hands twice, so whoever buys it will be just the fourth in a line of owners that span the de Rinzy family, who built it; through the Turners; to the present owners, who have lived here since 1998, and who are selling to downsize.
As is the way with history, it wasn't all plain sailing: clergyman and magistrate Frances Turner was killed for his anti-rebellion stance in 1798, and the house was burned. It was rebuilt in 1820, adding a Regency twist to the classic Georgian features of symmetrical layout, generous hallway, and staircase that curves through a return.
The current owners have modernised, keeping the cornicing, ceiling roses, carved architraves and elegant plasterwork, but adding PVC windows, and a PVC porch, which are eminently practical, but which would appeal more to fans of low-maintenance insulation than architectural exactitude. The latter can revel in the formal reception rooms, and fans of drama will enjoy the fabulous blue bathroom, with cast iron bath, working fireplace, and view across the walled garden.
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The five bedrooms (two en suite), are generous and elegant, with windows that reach the floor, flooding the spaces with light; while downstairs there's a dining room, and comfortable drawing room opposite, that would become rather grand in candlelight.
Guesthouse in courtyard
The current owners have created a layout that means the bright basement can be used as a separate one-bedroom apartment, but which is easily re-integrated into the house, and which has one of the most atmospheric utility rooms I've seen. There is also a two-bedroomed guesthouse in the courtyard. Also in the courtyard are sheds, and a huge barn that, at 2,000 sq ft, makes Woodview a tantalising prospect for anyone planning a home business.
“What do I love about it?” the owner considers my question, as we sit in the breakfast room, having explored the walled garden, barns, paddock, and met the ponies. “It’s the peace and quiet. There’s a harmony to the place. In the morning there’ll be pheasants and rabbits. Oh, and seeing the Slaney from the bedroom window, it’s very therapeutic . . . ”
It’s near golf courses, equestrian centres, walking on Mount Leinster, and there are schools at Ferns, Gorey and Enniscorthy. Even though Woodview house is just five minutes from Ferns, and 15 from Enniscorthy, it still feels as if it’s in a world of its own. It’s the kind of house to put down roots in, and add yet another layer to the story.
