CO WICKLOW - €2.85M:Extended with great flair, a large house near Ashford offers country living not far from the capital, writes Eivlín Roden
MOUNTAIN SPRINGS - a large, contemporary house on six acres with stables and its own babbling brook - is for sale in Co Wicklow by private treaty through Colliers Jackson-Stops for €2.85 million.
Situated near Ashford, it is deep in one of the prettiest parts of Ireland, combining country living with easy access to Dublin.
The five-bedroom house, with 492sq m (5,300sq ft) of space, has been extended and the imposing new structure contains a dramatic entrance hall with double height atrium, reception rooms off it and a curving cantilevered staircase to a gallery. A door from this leads to the bedroom quarters which are all contained in the old house.
The large, well equipped kitchen has, it seems, two of everything; two ovens, two steamers, two wine coolers (one for red wine and one for white). Floor and worktops are creamy marble and floor-to-ceiling windows make the dining space in front of them bright. An informal livingroom leads off this while a large study has privacy at the other end of the hall. This attractive room has an angled fireplace, built-in bookcases and a desk in front of the window looking out towards the front. There is also a games room.
The showcase of the house may be the hall but the upstairs livingroom is a fine space with timbered floor, windows on three sides and a big fireplace.
This part of the house was surely designed with parties in mind while the bedroom wing is self-contained and on a cosier scale. The rising land allows these rooms to open into little patios of their own. There are three children's bedrooms and two good main bedrooms each with walk-in dressingrooms and en suites and two sets of French doors. Bathrooms are smart with wet room showers and up-to-the-minute sanitary ware.
A lot of care has been given to the landscaping outside making much of the shallow stony stream which runs across the front garden with planting, timber humped bridges and a sandy play area. A verandah runs around the side of the house with heaters built in.
At the back the L-shape has been paved with York stone and a raised lawn leads to a separate one-bedroom building and a wooden Jacuzzi. Away from the house the stable block contains three stables and a tack room and there is a four-car garage.
Mountain Springs, near Ashford, Co Wicklow
Five-bed house with high-spec in pretty location
Agent:Colliers Jackson-Stops
