JUST HALF AN hour from Dublin surrounded by 80 acres of land is Seafield House, an impressive refurbished mansion. Built over 300 years ago and Palladian in style, it was originally designed for the High Sheriff of Dublin, Benedict Arthur, before it was bought by the Hely-Hutchinson family.
As an Anglo-Irish family in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Hely-Hutchinsons have a long and interesting family and political history, which is now stored in 110 boxes in the archives of Fingal County Council.
Seafield House’s current owners, Liam and Kaye Cronin, bought the magnificent estate in 1996 and should be commended for their tireless work. They rewired, replumbed and reroofed as well as restored the facades, bathrooms and bedrooms. All the while, Seafield’s original features were retained. Without a doubt, it’s now one of the finest refurbished houses of its kind in the country.
Granite steps lead you to the front door. From there, you’re introduced to a double-height entrance hall that runs the full width of the property. This impressive room features artwork from the school of William van der Hagen, a Dutch painter who settled in Ireland in the mid 18th century.
The panelling and plasterwork throughout the original house highlight this building’s original Georgian features. In the drawing room, a fireplace rescued from a castle at Lough Lomand in Scotland and a centred chandelier create perfect focal points.
The dining room juxtaposes a slightly more contemporary colour palette with the restored original features making it a liveable and much more modern space.
With eight bedrooms, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to size and views of this property’s surrounding grounds. Thanks to large windows and considered colour choices, the bedrooms are light, bright and airy as well as generous in size. The master suite includes a large fireplace and its own dressing room, too.
A bright country-style kitchen is the hub of the Victorian west wing. This wing was later added to the original Georgian house and is also home to a scullery, wine cellar, laundry room and a large den.
Within the wing, stairs leads you up to the impressive clock tower, which offers idyllic views of the surrounding forestry and garden with an elegant water feature.
And, as if 9,634 square feet of floor space wasn’t enough, the estate also has its own gate lodge, coach yard and stable yard offering plenty of opportunity for additional refurbishing and restoring. In fact, the coach yard already includes a fully fitted apartment that’s perfect for guests.
With sweeping views over the estuary to Malahide and mountains further afield, yet just 15km from Dublin city centre and 8km to Dublin Airport, Seafield House is a rare find with a location that’s hard to beat.
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