OFTENTIMES, THE WORD ‘mansion’ is used to describe a large home. However, when it comes to Abbey Leix Estate in Co Laois, ‘mansion’ isn’t really a strong enough word.
Sitting on 1,120 acres – and on the market for €20 million – Abbey Leix is a home fit for royalty. Not enough? There are also 10 cottages and lodges on the estate. Residents won’t need to keep a blow-up bed in the wardrobe, so.
Plus, in the property itself, there are nine bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
Positioned centrally within the estate, the wooded drive to the mansion itself is one mile long. Designed in 1773 by architect James Wyatt, the property has undergone multiple restorations. In 1859, a large library and conservatory were added.
Moving on to the next century, a larger restoration took place in 1995, with a new family room, kitchen and butler’s pantry in the northwest corner of the property.
Today, the three-storey mansion features seven bays, while each room boasts a design that oozes grandeur. Large windows throughout the property fill the home with natural light, with high ceilings adding to the feeling of spaciousness.
Marble pillars, tiled floors, ornate plasterwork and solid wood furnishings are just a few of the high quality features throughout Abbey Leix.
Outside, you’ll stroll under birch, alder and willow trees, as well as the oldest oak tree in Ireland. An ancient stone bridge on the estate, known as Monk Bridge, marks where French Cistercian monks located their abbey on arrival to Ireland in the mid 12th-century.
With French monks, Ormond Earls and viscounts among its previous inhabitants, Abbey Leix Estate truly is a property unlike any other.
If you manage to drag yourself away from its tranquility, the town of Portlaoise is a 20-minute drive away, while the trip to Dublin city will take about an hour and a half.
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