SPORTS BUFFS MAY delight in knowing that this house, sitting 5km from Ferns village in Co Wexford, was once home to Martin O’Neill, a well-known figure in the GAA world who played football for Wexford and once refereed an All-Ireland final.
GAA council meetings were held here, so well-known hurler Nicky Rackard and his brothers ‘were said to have pucked about sliotars in the gardens of this historic estate’, says the estate agent Kehoe & Associates.
The structure itself dates back to 1839 but unfortunately caught fire in the ’70s. Bought as a ruin by the current owners, they extensively restored this 448 m² house and grounds in 2004. Charlesfort House is now on sale for €1.6 million.
Sitting on 5.5 acres, Charlesfort House a spacious and far from run-of-the-mill family home, managing to retain all the grandeur of a historic estate without being disconnected from the present day.
This is hugely evident when you take a closer look inside. The rooms are spread over three floors that are connected from the bright and welcoming entrance hall. To the right is the living room, to the left is the kitchen and dining area.
The living room has retained original features like the antique marble fireplace, while a treble bay window ensures plenty of light and views of the gardens. Behind this living room there is a guest toilet that’s accessed from the hallway.
The kitchen is bespoke and was designed and fitted by a local company, Peter Murphy Kitchens who made it from local solid oak and solid elm timber. The white dual fuel Aga is a real feature of this space. This kitchen leads to a separate pantry/utility room that has a door to outside.
There are four bedrooms in the house overall – two of which reside on the floor below the kitchen along with the dining room. This more formal room also has a dual aspect, so it grabs a lot of natural light for a space that’s basement level. A bathroom, a cellar and a storeroom complete this bottom floor.
Up on the first floor sits two more bedrooms that are alike size-wise and they share a large elegant bathroom with striking red walls, standalone tub and classic chequered floor tiles. The master bedroom enjoys a big walk-in wardrobe while a study/home office is accessible from the landing on this floor too.
As far as guest accommodation is concerned, there’s no shortage of it. The courtyard to the back of the house leads to two guest lodges that are the size of a normal two-bed you’d find it Dublin city, with floor spaces of about 80 sq m each. They both have two bedrooms, a bathroom, and an open plan kitchen, living and dining room.
There’s also a workshop yard, and of course, a large workshop that’s also home to a fully functioning office and a separate entertainment room with bar counter, pool table and bathroom. Nine sash windows dot across this building for proper period courtyard effect.
More often than not, a large property – particularly a period one – isn’t short of hard work when it comes to making things comfortable. Thankfully, in Charlesfort House’s case, it’s clear that much of the work has already been done for you.
Charlesfort House on c. 5.5 Acres, Charlesfort, Ferns, Co. Wexford is on the market for €1,600,000 through Kehoe & Associates.
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