A beech-lined avenue winds its way through some of the 40 acres of Fanningstown House, opening up on to the gravelled drive of this striking three-storey-over-basement Georgian home in the southernmost part of Co Kilkenny.
Close to the border with Tipperary, and just outside the village of Piltown, this home measuring 446sq m (4,800 sq ft), overlooks the extensive grounds and provides views of Tipperary’s verdant hills. It is well set back from the road, so security and privacy are guaranteed.
The house and lands are ideally suited to a buyer with an interest in horses. While too small for training, it has everything necessary for a small-scale breeding operation. Much of the acreage is given over to paddocks and many of the fields are rented for pasture. It also has stables, a barn, outbuildings and immaculately kept yards.
Built in 1765, this property formed part of the Bessborough estate, and tenants would have paid their rents in the property’s basement. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage describes it as a “well-composed, substantial house representing an important element of the mid- to late-18th century domestic architectural heritage of Co Kilkenny”.
It was in near-dereliction when the current owners bought it in 1997; they undertook a thorough and sensitive restoration, maintaining all heritage features where possible. All the windows were replaced, along with re-roofing, replumbing and rewiring, and the outbuildings around the yards were restored.
Cut limestone steps lead to the front door flanked by ionic pillars and topped by a fanlight. A light-filled formal drawingroom lies to the right side of the hall, with a marble fireplace and captivating views over the land.
An expansive kitchen is on the left, and south-facing windows bathe this room in light. There is a Stanley stove with a brick surround, an island and plenty of cupboards. Polished wooden floors and spot lighting add to the warmth of this room, and a short flight of steps leads to an informal living area where the family congregate around the wood-burning stove. French doors lead out on to a terrace.
There is a second hall at the back of the house, from which ancillary rooms open, including a WC, a boot room, a sauna, a laundry room and an office. Below this floor is a basement, which houses a more formal office, a large TV room that would make the perfect retreat for teenagers or returning students, and a laundry room.
Between them, the first and second floors have seven bedrooms, two of which are ensuite, and a family bathroom on the second floor. The principal bedroom is on the first floor, has an ensuite and, like all the bedrooms, has wonderful views over the rolling countryside.
The meticulous order of the internal restoration extends outside, where the land and outbuildings are immaculately kept. There are five stables, outbuildings, a barn, a coach house with loft, a mare and foal box, stores and garages.
A tranquil, west-facing courtyard at the rear of the house opens on to the main yard, bordered by the stone wall of the old walled garden, within which lies a disused tennis court which could be brought into use again with the laying of a new surface.
The owners are downsizing, their children reared, and they have placed the Ber-exempt house on the market through joint agents Colliers International and Halley Grace Auctioneers, seeking €1.75 million.
