Country house in Wicklow for €800,000

It’s all about location at The Old Rectory. A seven-bed, 465sq m (5,000sq ft) country house on over two acres within 35 minutes of Dublin. This property, which comes to the market with an asking price of €800,000, sounds too good be true, and it probably is.

Whoever buys this property dating from 1711, at the northern tip of the Glen of Imaal, will need resolve, but with a lot of work – and investment – the return could be great. The setting is magical in the western part of the Wicklow Mountains, and the highest mountain in Wicklow, Lugnaquilla, can be accessed near here. Much of the surrounding Glen of Imaal (5,948acres) has been used as an army artillery range since 1900. When not shared with hillwalkers and army this is mainly God's own country.

The 18th century rectory is the centre point of the property, and it was used as a church rectory until 1988. It has operated as a retreat centre until recently. The main house comprises three main reception rooms, a large sunroom and old kitchen, and seven bedrooms. Behind the house is a large coach house with a staff apartment, bedrooms, laundry, treatment rooms with sauna and a freezer store.

Included in the sale through Sherry FitzGerald are four additional guest houses, including a four-bed log cabin.

The main building hasn't been altered in years, which offers the advantage of a blank canvas to brave new owners, while the grounds, which include a Zen garden and a fountain garden, have been carefully laid out with mature shrubs and trees, including a magnificent redwood and a specimen holly tree which is amongst the largest in Ireland.

Not for the faint hearted, this is definitely at the extreme end of fixer-upper offerings, but the potential in such a picturesque and tranquil setting is great.