Luxury homes in corn store

An old corn store with Guinness family connections in Cong, Co Mayo, has been converted into four apartments which go on sale this weekend.

Two one-bedroom apartments on the ground floor are priced at £250,000 (€317,430) each while those on the upper floor are available at £350,000 (€444,410) and £375,000 (€476,150).

Originally built in 1846 by the Guinness family, then owners of nearby Ashford Castle, the stone-faced building at Lisloughrey Quay served for around a century as a store for corn delivered by steamers from Galway city.

The building has been tastefully converted into the four apartments, which are being marketed by Cong estate agent Tom Ryan. There are views across Lough Corrib in several directions, with a marina situated right outside the front window of each apartment.

The two-bedroom upstairs apartments, at 800 sq ft, are larger than those downstairs. They are accessed via a stone staircase at the rear of the building. A hallway leads into a 22 ft by 14 ft livingroom. Off the hallway is an en suite double bedroom on one side, with a separate toilet, wash-hand basin and shower on the other. There is also a storage area here.

The spacious livingroom has a cast-iron fireplace. There is an adjoining tiled kitchen, which comes with top of the range dishwasher, fridge, cooker and extractor fan. A washer/dryer is also included in the selling price.

A pitch pine staircase leads to a carpeted mezzanine loft, which is suitable as a bedroom or office area. The original beam rafters of the corn store have been attractively preserved here. There is a conservatory with woodland views which would make a breakfastroom.

The grounds are landscaped and offer seclusion and privacy behind electronic wrought-iron gates and a stone wall. Each apartment comes with two carparking spaces.