Glenbrook House is a large, detached home built in 1830, nestled on two acres of lush, private gardens, right on the doorstep of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. It’s been the home of former minister for transport Shane Ross and his wife, former RTÉ broadcaster Ruth Buchanan, for nearly 20 years, but now the couple have decided to downsize, and are putting this 344sq m (3,698sq ft) period house – complete with swimming pool, tennis court and an additional 76.2sq m (820sq ft) mews house – on the market through DNG, seeking €3.5 million.
Glenbrook House is built in an L shape and retains many of its period features, including its distinctive roughcast facade, its numerous sash and case windows and a fine marble fireplace with a cast-iron inset in the drawingroom. The house sits on an elevated woodland glade surrounded by mature trees, affording complete privacy and tranquillity just 100m from Enniskerry’s village square.
The house was extended in 1845, but a more recent kitchen/breakfastroom extension makes for a more prominent focal point. It’s a modern, fully glazed sunroom extension with a pitched roof and vaulted wooden rafters, cleverly positioned to maximise the light pouring in throughout the day. The wooden beams nicely blend in with the sylvan setting, and it’s no surprise to learn that this is the heart of the house, where family and friends gather, and it opens out to a lovely walled courtyard filled with raised plant beds and climbing hydrangea.
The kitchen is well equipped, with solid-wood units painted in dark grey, and solid-wood countertops. Off the kitchen is a big, bright family room with two large windows and a raised fireplace on a granite stone hearth. Off this is a den with an en-suite shower room, which would make a handy downstairs guest bedroom.
Ross and Buchanan didn’t need to extend this spacious property, but they did knock a couple of internal walls to open out the diningroom and bring in more light from the front and back of the house.
Off the diningroom is a study where Ross writes his columns for the Sunday Independent. He’s also finishing a project that had been put on hold while he underwent treatment for cancer: a book about RTÉ, focusing on the issues that have seen Montrose become the news over the years, including the recent payments controversies.
Next door to the study is what the owners call the book room, a cosy reading room with extensive shelves and an old-style writing desk.
[ Serenity and the city: Impressive Victorian on Leeson Park for €4.95mOpens in new window ]
One very attractive period feature is the ornate oak staircase leading from the entrance hall to the upstairs bedrooms featuring detailed carving. There are four large bedrooms upstairs, along with two en-suite bathrooms, a shower room and a WC. A picture window on the return looks out over the heated swimming pool.
The adjoining mews house has a small entrance lobby and a large open-plan kitchen and living area downstairs. Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom. This space could benefit from a cosmetic refresh to make the most of this fine additional accommodation for guests, a family member or to let.
The gardens are a wonder to walk around, with wide lawns, a wild meadow and a vast array of mature trees and plants. There are apple, pear and plum trees, a fig tree and raspberry and redcurrant beds, and a brook trickling into nearby Glencullen river. A path leads down to the enclosed tennis court and the swimming pool, which can be accessed from the drawingroom.
[ Classic Kenny-built five-bed in Mount Merrion for €1.55mOpens in new window ]
Over the years, Glenbrook House has provided a welcoming home from home for the owners’ children and grandchildren, and many of the bedrooms are furnished with grandkids in mind. The mews house also provides accommodation for visiting family members at Christmas and other holidays, and the swimming pool, tennis courts and extensive gardens have been little short of paradise for little ones.
Ross and Buchanan feel the time is right to make the move to a more manageable home. They’ll be looking for somewhere around Dublin 6, where they’ll be closer to family.
For a new family looking to move to a quiet rural location right next to the vibrant village of Enniskerry and just down the road from Powerscourt Estate, and within easy reach of the M11 and M50 and with bus routes directly in to Dublin city centre, Glenbrook House will tick those boxes.
