Waterford Property News, September 2006

Stunning Leoville House offers country living in city setting

One of the finest surviving examples of 19th Century architecture in the southeast of Ireland, Leoville House on the Dunmore Road in Waterford is to be offered for sale by private treaty with an asking price of €2.8m by John Rohan Auctioneers & Valuers.

Built in c1870, Leoville House is surrounded by award-winning gardens on a two-acre site and offers exceptional privacy married to all the convenience of city life.

Leoville House has been beautifully maintained by its current owners who have been careful to retain the original features – including sash windows, coving, cornicing and period fireplaces of considerable value - throughout without compromising on comfort and warmth which comes courtesy of gas-fired central heating. A particular feature of the house design is the effective use of projecting bays and porches on each elevation.

Set well back from the Dunmore Road and accessed through an imposing entrance gateway and gravel drive, Leoville House would lend itself to a variety of uses with up to eight bedrooms accessed by two staircases to the upper floors where there are also a number of substantial bathrooms with original tiling, freestanding baths and sink units.

Indeed, the bedrooms generally offer fine views and either overlook the colourful gardens or provide a vista across the River Suir to south Kilkenny. Particularly spacious, the master bedroom has a fine fireplace and two large picture windows as well as an en-suite and walk-in dressing room.

The ground floor features a delightful single-storey square-headed entrance porch and hallway with a timber floor, curved windows and original fireplace. Also on this entrance level are a study; office/games room; kitchen with fitted units overlooking the visually striking gardens; a family room with gas fire; formal dining room with original marble fireplace and three large sash windows

Offering access to one of the patios, the drawing room is one of the property’s finest living spaces and, with five windows on an arched wall, provides a steady stream of natural light throughout the day. Indeed, light is a feature of much of the property with large well-placed windows ensuring that Leoville House avoids the dull feeling of other properties of a similar scale and vintage.

A seven-bay L-shaped cast-iron open veranda to the rear of the house is a particularly striking feature and sets off the fine mature gardens with their eye-catching fountain. The grounds enjoy an independent water supply with a well sunk manually to a depth of 120-feet at the time of its construction. The fitness-minded will enjoy the hard-surface tennis court in the garden.

Besides numerous large Camellia and rhododendron trees, other attractions in the garden are a number of wonderful large bay leaf, copper beech trees and a majestic old chestnut tree. There is also well-trimmed hedging that adds to the property’s security and seclusion which is further boosted by perimeter lighting and a comprehensive monitored alarm system.

Sole selling agent John Rohan described Leoville House as “without question one of the finest houses in the Waterford area”, adding that its sale offered a rare opportunity to acquire so substantial and historic a residence within the city.

“Houses simply aren’t built to these proportions nowadays and the same high quality materials are also seldom used in modern construction. Visually striking and a landmark on the Dunmore Road, Leoville House has been very carefully maintained by the current owners for almost two decades and they offer it for sale in excellent condition throughout.

“Indeed, this has been a real labour of love for the current owners and their pride in the property is evident from the way they have kept it and the beautiful grounds around it. Their decision to offer the property for sale presents a rare opportunity to acquire a stand-out home offering all the convenience of city living matched with the finest aspects of country life. We expect strong interest in this exceptional home from those currently residing in Waterford and others intending to relocate here.”

Leoville House is for sale by private treaty. Viewing is strictly by appointment with the selling agents who can be contacted on 051-843880. Further information and virtual tours of the property are available at www.johnrohan.ie; and www.leovillehouse.com.

Kings Wood, Ballinakill – modern, elite, exceptional!

An exclusive residential gated development of just six 5 bedroom detached houses has just come on the market, on a spacious, fully landscaped site at the corner of Island Land and Ballinakill Avenue, Waterford.

With a thoroughly modern design, this elite estate also includes 14 spacious apartments laid out in two 3-storey blocks and is accessed by electronic gates, linked to each property via video. Selling agent John Rohan expects significant interest in this select development, which boasts a unique site layout comprising abundant, mature trees and scenery second to none.

With generously proportioned rooms, high ceilings and sequenced and interconnecting living spaces, each property at Kings Wood is finished to the highest standard and equipped with a central vacuum system, satellite TV, broadband internet access and thermostatically controlled underfloor heating.

Prices start at €875,000 and each house c. 330 sq. mtrs. features a custom-designed kitchen and utility room, while heated towel rails and luxurious sanitary and tap ware enhance the bathrooms throughout the development. Each bedroom boasts designer wardrobes and hardwood doors figure in all properties, as do timber double glazed windows and gas fired central heating; a high level of insulation ensures home comforts are a top priority at Kings Wood.

Each fully painted house boasts two ensuites, a main bathroom with feature curved bath and separate curved shower tray and a walk-in wardrobe off the master bedroom. Accommodation also includes a dining room, living room, breakfast area/ kitchen with adjoining utility room, family room and a disabled access wc on the ground floor, with each house’s five bedrooms on the first floor.

The property’s first floor, main bathroom boasts a separate bath and shower while an office/ study room ideally suited to a variety of uses is situated on the second floor. With seeded lawns to front and rear and tarmacadam driveway, each property is equipped with an outside tap, external light to front and rear and an electronically-operated garage door.

Amidst wooded surroundings, the prestigious Kings Wood features large open areas, with each property enclosed by private landscaped gardens. Its proximity to Waterford Regional Hospital, the 18-hole Waterford Castle Golf Club and all the services and amenities which the Dunmore Road area of the city has to offer makes it a superb residential location.

Further information from John Rohan Auctioneers, 36 Parnell Street, Waterford, tel. 051 – 843 880.