The Old Church, White's Castle, R95D952

The Old Church is a unique opportunity to purchase a landmark building, which was converted to a private residence in the early 1990 s. The current owners purchased the property in 1999. The property is a historical listed building, benefiting from grants of up to 50% for maintenance and restoration works. In the Belfry, there is a large bronze bell (200 years old) engraved with the names of the donors and the founder, a piece of history/heritage, still in use. The living room is decorated with a large Fresco which is a signed work. All plumbing, electricity and heating have been recently upgraded to a modern standard, with 11 radiators throughout the property. Almost all windows are lined on the outside with protective glass to ensure security and thermal insulation. The light filled and spacious accommodation extends to 166 Sq. M. / 1,787 Sq. Ft. approx. (not including the basement level which extends to 12 Sq. M. / 129 Sq. Ft. approx.) The layout at ground floor level comprises: entrance porch, entrance hall, two guest WC S, inner hall, living/dining room, sitting room, kitchen and a rear hall. The layout at lower ground floor level comprises: entrance hall and a home office/work room which was originally a kitchen and still in perfect working order with water, sinks and cupboards. he layout at first floor level comprises: bedroom one, bathroom and mezzanine/bedroom two. The basement level comprises: boiler/store room. Sir Robert Langrishe granted the site for the Church of Ireland Church on the 25th October 1828. It was part of the lands of White s Castle. Its measurements at the time was one rood and 26 perches. The Church was built by a loan from the Board of First Fruits, at a cost of 1,107 and 13 shillings and 10 and a quarter pence. It was consecrated on the 7th November 1829. It was accidentally burned and rebuilt in 1912. The Architect was J F Fuller. Prior to the building of Knocktopher Church in 1828 the Old Abbey Church of Knocktopher which is opposite the Carmelite Church now in ruin, was used by the Church of Ireland for Protestant worship from the Reformation until 1828. The Church was dedicated to St David. The Parish of Knocktopher was added to St Peters Ennisnag in 1942. GARDEN AND GROUNDS: The Old Church is accessed through an impressive, curved cut stone entrance with decorative wrought-iron gates. A high wall runs along the boundary line with the road. The fully enclosed and private site extends to circa 0.27 Acre / 0.11 hectares. There is plenty of secure off-street parking. LOCATION: Knocktopher is a picturesque village in County Kilkenny. It is situated on the R713 road between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south. It was formerly situated on the N10 national route until being bypassed by the M9 motorway in June 2008. The Old Church is conveniently located just a 3-minute drive to the M9 Motorway (exit 10) allowing easy access to Waterford (27-minutes), Kilkenny (18-minutes), Carlow (31-minutes), Kildare (1-hour) and Dublin (1-hour & 29-minutes) approx. There are many amenities in close proximity including the recently extended and refurbished state of the art Carroll s Centra Supermarket and Emo Oil Service Station (located directly across the road from The Old Church), Irish s Bar and Knocktopher Abbey. A 5-minute drive will take you to the neighbouring village of Ballyhale which has many important amenities including Scoil Aireagail mixed-gender secondary school, Scoil Ph draig primary school, Ballyhale Creche and Montessori School, Billy s Tearooms & Shop, Kissane s Pharmacy, Ballyhale Health Centre, Prendergast Tyres, Tirl n Country life Ballyhale and Mountain View Restaurant and wedding venue. A 6-minute drive will take you to the village of Stoneyford which has many amenities including Knockdrinna Caf , Malzards Bar and Scoil Naisiunta Chiarain Naofa primary School. Castlemorris Wood with its tree looped peaceful walks is located less than a 5-minute drive from the property. The luxury five-star Mount Juliet Estate Hotel and Golf Club in Thomastown is in close proximity and is just an 8-minute drive from The Old Church. Thomastown has many amenities including Supervalu and Lidl supermarkets, three pharmacies, post office, a farmer s market, restaurants, coffee shops, library, and Thomastown Train Station. The historic village of Kells is a 11-minute drive away and has some amenities including Bobs Shop, Scoil Bhridhe primary school and The Kings Mill Restaurant. Viewing of this unique property is highly recommended. GROUND FLOOR Entrance Porch 2.70m x 2.16m. Accessed through painted red solid double doors with exposed gothic wrought-iron hinges flanked by decorative Limestone surround. Original tiled floor with three Limstone steps leading up to double doors to the entrance hall. Panelled timber ceiling. Entrance Hall 3.04m x 2.81m. Original gothic style double doors with leaded glass insets, side panels and overhead fanlight open into a striking and spacious entrance hall. All original features are intact, including decorative wood panelled ceiling and double leaded glass panel doors with side panels and overhead fanlight which lead through to the inner hall/staircase. Two matching leaded glass panel doors with overhead fanlights give access throgh to two separate guest WC toilets. Tiled floor. Open plan access through to the living/dining room. Guest W.C. One 1.18m x 2.43m. Comprising WC and a wash hand basin. Accessed from the entrance hall through a leaded glass panel wooden door with an overhead leaded glass fanlight. Tiled floor and coat hanging space. Guest W.C. Two 1.15m x 2.38m. Comprising WC and a wash hand basin. Tiled floor. Accessed from the entrance hall through leaded glass panel wooden door with an overhead leaded glass fanlight. Inner Hall (including staircase) 2.70m x 1.90m. Accessed from the entrance hall through double leaded glass panel doors with leaded glass panels and overhead fanlight. L shaped staircase up to the first-floor level. A Gothic leaded glass panel window overlooking the staircase. Access to understairs storage and coat hanging space. Living Room / Dining Room 6.87m x 4.47m. Magnificient and spacious open plan room with original double height vaulted ceiling with decorative wooden beams. Two large arched leaded glass panel windows floor the room with plenty of natural light. The original aisle area is fully tiled. Raised dining area with polished tongue and groove floorboards. There is plenty of space to accommodate a large table and chairs for family dining and formal entertaining. This area also has space for two armchairs. Raised living area with polished tongue and groove floorboards and tiled floor. A wooden divider with stained glass panels divides the living area into two sections. An L-shaped staircase leaded up to the first-floor mezzanine level. Access to a small cellar located under the staircase. Three steps lead up to the sitting room which was the original sanstuary area at the front of the church. Sitting Room 3.69m x 4.28m. The original sanctuary area at the front of the church is now the sitting room area and is open plan with the living/dining room. Magnificent original vaulted ceiling with decorative archway. The original arched leaded glass window floods the area with light and sunshine. Original Marble steps and decorative tiled floor. A multi-fuel stove sits on a raised brick hearth. Two decorative archways separate the sitting room from a galley style kitchen. Door to rear hall area. Kitchen 3.91m x 1.32m. Fitted with handmade wall and floor units with tiled backsplash, one-and-a-half-bowl kitchen and wooden countertops. Freestanding gas cooker (bottled gas) and a Powerpoint fridge/freezer. Part tiled floor and varnished tongue and groove boards. Original tall arched leaded window with stained glass in the lower panels. Wooden panel ceiling. Rear Hall 3.90m x 1.35m. Accessed from the sitting room through the original wooden church door with exposed gothic wrought-iron hinges, door handle and a hand-carved pediment. Steps lead down to the lower ground floor level. LOWER GROUND FLOOR LEVEL Entrance Hall 1.05m x 2.07m. Tiled floor and a window to the rear of the property. A wooden glass panel door gives access out to the side and rear gardens. Home Office / Work Room 3.83m x 3.78m. A generous sized room with two windows to the rear of the property. Polished tongue and groove floorboards. FIRST FLOOR LEVEL Bedroom One (including staircase) 6.89m x 2.84m. A fine sized dual aspect double bedroom with many features intact including the original vaulted ceiling with wooden beams and timber panels. The arched section of the leaded and stained-glass window at ground floor level floors the room with plenty of sunlight. The Gothic leaded glass panel window over the stairscase allows extra sunlight to flow through as this area is open plan with the room. The original balcony area is now enclosed with large handmade wooden panel fitted with leaded and stained-glass panels with window openings. A feature half door with a leaded glass panel opening on top gives access through to the Mezzanine/ Bedroom Two. The archway to the bathroom is fitted with a handmade wooden panel and door fitted with leaded and stained-glass panels. Polished tongue and groove floorboards. Bathroom 2.45m x 3.13m. Comprising an enclosed shower cubicle fitted with a Triton T80 electric shower, WC and a wash hand basin. with a tiled spalshback and a recessed mirror with tiled surround. Plumbing is in place for a washing machine which is included in included in the sale (Thor washing machine). Original wooden ceiling with beams and polished tongue and groove floorboards. Hatch with folding ladder which gives access up to the original bell tower. Mezzanine / Bedroom Two 6.62m x 2.33m. This area can accommodate a double bed and has plenty of space for extra bedroom furniture. Polished tongue and groove floorboards and handmade railing fitted with spindles. A handmade L-shaped staircase leads down to the ground floor level. BASEMENT LEVEL Boiler / Store-Room 4.94m x 1.94m + 1.12m x 2.42m. Access from the rear of the property through a steel door. Five steps lead down to the Boiler / Store-Room. Firebird oil burner and gas cylinder for the cooker in the kitchen. There is space to store a lawnmower and garden tools.