Just beside Athgarvan village in Co Kildare, Winterberry is a modern home on 1.6 hectares (four acres) that looks like it’s been there since the Regency period. It also resembles in layout many of the Curragh lodges built in British Empire days for army officers who had a penchant for horse racing.
While Winterberry is not a stud, it does have a two-acre paddock with post-and-rail fencing, and lies opposite Eyrefield Stud, so its setting is tranquil. This is a luxurious home, beautifully decorated, and it is clear that meticulous attention to detail was employed throughout the build. The 354sq m (3810sq ft) five-bedroom house was built in 2005, designed by architect John O’Connell.
Everything about the property, from the lush gardens to the fine architectural features, gave the owners exactly what they wanted. Doubling down on the detail and selecting the best of interior finishes with the help of Tracey Elliot initially and latterly Helen Turkington, who recently revamped the bedroom wing, has created a home of restrained elegance and a subtle design flair.
Built in a C shape, the drive curves around to the rear of the house and the formal entrance, bordered by bay trees and box hedging. The hall door opens on to an elegant hallway with a sumptuous floral wallpaper. An interconnected drawingroom and diningroom lie directly ahead, with panelled walls and vaulted ceilings. There are built-in bookcases either side of the marble fireplace and the floor is oak.
The diningroom is a mirror of the drawingroom. These rooms blend seamlessly together with matching fireplaces and large, bespoke gilt-framed mirrors over the mantles. But what makes these rooms most beguiling is the French doors that open on to a terrace that leads a formal lawn; it’s a home made for entertaining.
A sittingroom lies in the corner of the house and this, the owner says, along with the kitchen, is where they spend the most of their time. It’s a gorgeous room, with windows facing south over the lawn and west to catch the evening light. The floor here is also oak, but has been sanded and lightened. There is underfloor heating throughout the house and the Ber is C3.
The rest of this wing is taken up by a book-lined hallway, a guest WC, a lovely utility room, a back hall with capacious storage (papered in a beautiful pattern) and the kitchen at the heart of the home. A large combination Aga dominates one end of the kitchen, designed by John Bosco Furniture.
At the end of the kitchen is a large dining area with a long pine table that holds memories of decades of family meals and evenings of homework. French doors open on to a terrace and a formal walled garden that should gladden the heart of any keen gardener.
Back on the other side of the house is the bedroom wing, with four bedrooms, three of which are en suite, and a bathroom. The main bedroom is lovely, with dual-aspect views over the gardens, a full-sized en suite bathroom and a dressingroom.
Outside, there’s a fine lawn to the front, bordered by tall hedging and mature sycamore trees, a pretty walled garden, a vegetable garden, two acres of paddocks and a large garage that could easily be converted to extra accommodation or a home office.
Close to a primary school, Winterberry is a short drive from motorway routes and the towns of Newbridge and Kilcullen. The Royal Curragh Golf Club is on the doorstep, as are the beautiful open spaces of the Curragh plains. Selling in order to downsize, the owners have placed the sale in the hands of Jordan Auctioneers, seeking €1.25 million.
