Beech Park House, a distinguished Regency residence, emerged from its origins as a 19th-century farmhouse, which was originally part of the historic Luttrellstown Estate in north Dublin.
First home to Henry Booth, it was later acquired by the Shackleton family who were noted flour millers in the Liffey Valley, and relatives of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton.
It was here that respected plantsman David Shackleton transformed part of the gardens into what is now a State-owned horticultural gem, called the Shackleton Gardens.
These original walled gardens, established in the 1980s, evolved from a traditional vegetable garden into a celebrated collection of rare plant species, so much so that they were awarded two stars (the highest rating) in the Good Gardens Guide, an accolade given to the most impressive gardens in Britain and Ireland. They were further restored after their acquisition by Fingal County Council and were later awarded the Irish Landscape Institute’s Heritage Landscape Award in 2020.
According to media reports at the time, the house and 64 acres were purchased by businessman Neil McDermot in 1995 - for a sum believed to be in the region of £700,000 - who honoured the heritage and cultural legacy of David Shackleton by developing the gardens further.
The Ber-exempt house, which sits adjacent to the Shackleton Gardens, is now on the market again, almost two centuries after its main reception rooms were added.
Described as a “seven-bay single-storey-over-basement country house”, don’t be fooled by its front facade, as it extends to a significant 870sq m (9,365sq ft) so is anything but a modest residence.
It has 11 bedrooms and nine bathrooms giving expansive accommodation. Its main reception rooms and a kitchen (added during the Regency period) have that wonderful enfilade giving a sequence of rooms arranged linearly, allowing for lovely vistas in all three rooms.
With floor-to-ceiling sash windows framing bucolic views of surrounding parklands, ceilings in the hall and reception rooms soar to 5m (16.4ft). The enfilade incorporates a kitchen (one of two in the property), a diningroom and drawingroom, both of which have impressive marble fireplaces, with access to the garden from the diningroom.
Downstairs, parts of which have barrelled ceilings and old flagstones is where a second kitchen lies along with a utility room, library and bedrooms. A stone-cut two-storey building (referred to as a summerhouse), which has a separate apartment to the rear, houses further accommodation as does a 66sq m (710sq ft) gate lodge.
Lying at the end of a private, sweeping tree-lined driveway, there is also a rear entrance which is shared with Fingal County Council for Shackleton Gardens, adjacent to Clonsilla train station.
The property lies on 22.7 acres (9.2 hectares) of grounds, which feature a greenhouse, landscaped pathways, an orchard with vegetables and apple trees, a pond, a tennis court and lawns which have Wellingtonia (giant redwood) trees that are more than 150 years old, along with dawn redwoods and ironwood in the 250 planted specimen trees on the estate.
What may be of interest to developers is the fact that the majority of lands are zoned “high amenity” under the Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2039.
Close to Luttrellstown Castle, multiple golf courses and the Farmleigh Estate, the M50 allows easy access to the city in the space of about 30 minutes, while Dublin Airport is about a 20 minute spin.
Selling by online auction on Tuesday, September 9th, the property is being offered sin three lots: the main house on 3.7 acres with an AMV of €2.25 million, the gate lodge and summerhouse on approximately 19 acres also listed with an AMV of €2.25 million, or the entire property on 22.7 acres, seeking €4.5 million through Coonan Property.
