The Loughcrew Estate, Oldcastle, Co. Meath,

Location

Loughcrew is situated amidst the beautiful rolling drumlins of north County Meath next to the prehistoric passage graves of international renown, Loughcrew Cairns. The area around Loughcrew is one of the unknown delights on the doorstep of Dublin. The Loughcrew Hills have thirty two passage graves of the Newgrange type, with strangely decorated stones and dark tunnels in which the ashes of chieftains, 5,000 years old, await the rising sun. The Loughcrew Cairns crown the adjacent hills overlooking the estate and contain 5,000 year old wall carvings and form a solar calendar older than Stonehenge, older than the Pyramids. The surrounding landscape is atmospheric and serene, with rolling parklands, forests and ring forts.

The property is 3 miles from the thriving market town of Oldcastle and is within easy reach of Kells, Navan and Cavan towns. Dublin City and International Airport is approximately 50 miles and the new M3 motorway, when completed, will offer even swifter journey times to the city.

The Loughcrew Estate

The entire estate is comprised of Loughcrew House, Loughcrew Gardens, and ancillary accommodation all on approximately 200 acres. 'Loughcrew Garden Opera' have been holding operas and concerts on the grounds of the estate since 2000 during the summer months and have proved immensely popular. Weddings, exhibitions and craft workshops have also been held in the large rooms within the courtyard buildings. The entire estate offers superb potential for further commercial development, subject to the necessary consents.

Loughcrew House

Remaining within the Naper family from the 17^th Century to the present day, Loughcrew has had a turbulent and fascinating history. Originally the seat of the Plunkett family, its most famous member being St Oliver Plunkett whose church still remains today on the estate, the first Loughcrew House was built in the 1600's by the Naper family, where the current formal gardens exist, amidst an awesome 180,000 acre estate. Subsequently destroyed by fire, the next Loughcrew House was designed by Charles Cockerel in 1821 for the Naper family. In 1959 this house too was destroyed by fire and all that remains today is the giant portico, rebuilt and free-standing as a modern day folly, and a hard tennis court within the old footprint. Mark Bence Jones, in his guide to Irish Country Houses, describes the vast stones and fallen capitals of the 1820s neo classical house, designed by Cockerell, once strewn about the ground like the remains of some lost city of antiquity.

The current house grew out of The Garden House, a large and interesting stone building attached to the original courtyards, unusual in its design, and which used to house an array of flora and exotic plantlife. The rooms that make up the house were in fact originally the palm houses, the azalea houses and the furnace rooms. It currently comprises two principal reception rooms, including a particularly fine drawing room, two sunrooms, kitchen, 5 bedrooms, basement and a guest wing with three further bedrooms.

Loughcrew Historic Gardens

Generations of the Naper family have been creating Loughcrew Gardens since 1660, and they are now open to the public for a number of months during the year. The result is a stunning garden comprising water, trees, vistas and archaeology rather than mere flowerbeds. A host of enchanting features are displayed in a setting steeped in atmosphere and history and within the gardens stand a medieval motte and St. Oliver Plunkett's family church and Tower House. The surviving 17th century features include a magnificent yew walk, foundations of a longhouse and a walled garden from which a canal and a parterre have been relocated in replica. In the 19th century these earlier elements were enveloped in a comprehensive development of parkland, watergardens, specimen trees, follies, rockeries, woodwalks and magnificent vistas. The central area of approximately six acres now includes a lime avenue, extensive lawns and terraces, magnificent herbaceous border, 'Grotesque Rockery and Grotto', the Rootery, Hellfire garden, watermill, fountain, and symbolic statues and sculptures.

A large, log-cabin style visitor centre with car park is located at the entrance to the gardens. This contains a spacious coffee shop on the ground floor with small kitchen and ladies and gents toilets, all wheelchair accessible. A covered decked area provides outdoor seating. On the first floor is a large room for a crèche or craft centre with toilets.

 

Main House Ground Floor

Kitchen/Breakfast Room: Tiled floor with Aga cooker, kitchen cupboards and sink unit

Drawing Room: Fine formal room with decorative pillars, raised fireplace and double doors to the gardens.

Library/Living Room: Fitted shelving and solid fuel stove.

Sun Room: Fine room with flagged floor and glazed roof. Large double doors to garden

Bedroom 3: Tiled floor

Shower room: with shower, WC and wash basin

Main House Lower Ground Floor

Hall: tiled floor

Pantry

Guest WC

Study: double doors to yard

Living Room: door to yard

Utility/Boot Room: in basement area, leads into old cellars now used for timber storage, boiler room, and general stores

Main House First Floor

Bedroom 1: with built in wardrobes

Bedroom 2: with built in wardrobes

Bathroom: with bath, WC and wash basin

Guest Wing Ground Floor

Palm Room: Fine high room with flagged floor and glazed roof. Large double doors to garden

Guest Bedroom 6

Reception Hall

Guest Shower Room: with shower, WC and wash hand basin

Guest Wing First Floor

Landing: with airing cupboard

Bedroom 4

Bedroom 5

Bathroom: with bath, WC and wash hand basin

Airing Cupboard

The 'Groom's House'

Beside the Courtyard is a most attractive groom or manager's house of cut stone. It stands two stories and is adjacent to the former brewery (which is now used as stores but with excellent potential). Accommodation includes the following: Entrance hall with fireplace, kitchen/dining Room with Stanley oil fired cooker/central heating, office, large living room with solid fuel stove. On the first floor are three bedrooms, two double and one single, and a full bathroom.

The Main Courtyard

A very useful cut stone enclosed courtyard with a cobble stone surface and surrounded with several converted buildings and former stables, demonstrated to be ideally laid out for accommodation and commercial purposes, subject to permission. These include three offices, a large kitchen/studio (approx 8.4m x 5.48m), two large interconnecting showrooms (approx 11.7m x 5.48m each) used for parties, exhibitions and weddings. An arch leads to the Groom's House and another to the former stables. These are now used as a studio (approx 7.9m x 5.48m) with new raised timber floor and another similar room measures approx 15.5m x 5.48m.

The Farmyard

The farmyard lies to the rear of the main courtyard and contains a former forge with original bellows now utilised as a workshop, two large coach houses one with inspection pit, a five bay hay barn enclosed on three sides, and a livestock handling area with pens.

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