Annamult House, Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny, R95H2K5

A most attractive 19th Century country house superbly set within pleasant gardens overlooking the Nore river valley and enjoying fishing and frontage onto the King’s River. Enjoying a highly desirable location between the charming villages of Stoneyford and Bennettsbridge and less than a 15-minute drive to medieval Kilkenny City. Extending to 24.5-acres (9.9-hectares) the mature grounds are quite delightful and include glorious river and woodland walks, walled grazing paddocks, a stone courtyard and formal gardens. Built in the Classical style and enjoying a rich provenance, Annamult House dates to circa 1825 and incorporates the fabric of an older house, thought to date to circa 1690. A comprehensive restoration in 2011 sympathetically preserved the strong architectural merit and classical architectural detailing alongside ensuring a pleasant and comfortable home for 21st Century living. The accommodation is well proportioned and extends to 7,917 square feet (735.5 square metres) and includes a large reception hall, 4 reception rooms and 7 principal bedrooms. A magical gravelled drive rolls past mature woodland onto an arched sweep capturing views to both the King’s River and River Nore on arrival to the front door set attractively within a stone veranda porch. The interior features generously proportioned rooms with high ceilings and fine tall windows giving good natural light. The drawing room and an ante room combing through folding timber doors to extend the entire depth of the south-side of the house and marvellously linking to the gardens from twin sets of glazed French doors. Indeed, all the main reception rooms interconnect well to allow fine entertaining. Intact features from the Classical design include marble chimneypieces, ceiling cornices and central roses, window shuttering and panelled doors. Restoration improvements include comprehensive upgrades or entire replacement of plumbing, wiring, roofing and windows, a new kitchen, new bathrooms and fibre broadband. A principal bedroom suite has a shower room and dressing room. There are 4 further bedrooms suites and 2 further bedrooms, which share a large bathroom or could all combine to present a substantial bedroom suite. Annamult House is situated amidst beautifully mature grounds where the informal gardens immediately adjacent to the house include a variety of mature shrubs and trees and link seamlessly to a grassy knoll along the banks of the King’s River and to the surrounding woodland. An attractive courtyard with a range of stone outbuildings and old stables adjoins the house and leads to the walled grazing paddocks. A combination of garden paths, river walks and woodland trails allow the glorious grounds and a variety of wildlife to be easily enjoyed. Grazing paddocks allow horses or ponies to be kept. Private fishing rights along the owned banks of the King’s River. Situated within the Nore river valley the Annamult townland has recorded early Christian settlements. Today the area is a favoured destination to enjoy peaceful and picturesque living within easy reach of fashionable Kilkenny City, quaint bustling village life and the nearby renowned Mount Juliet Resort (hotel, golfing, spa, restaurant, equestrian facilities). A bridge once linked Annamult to the Mount Juliet Estate across the river. The nearby village of Bennetsbridge is synonymous with pottery and crafts while covering daily shopping needs. Both Stoneyford (2.5 miles or 4 km) and Bennettsbridge (3.1 miles or 5 km) have primary schools. Kilkenny city offers a variety of boutique shops, schools (primary and secondary), hospitals (public and private), pubs, theatres, cafes and quality restaurants include the Campagne and Lady Helen with Michelin stars. The nearby Nore Valley Walk extends along the river Nore (6 miles or 10 km). Annamult House is extremely accessible with the M9 Dublin-Waterford motorway access a 10-minute drive, allowing access to Dublin city centre and international airport within 90-minutes. There are frequent rail services on the Dublin-Waterford line from Kilkenny station. Link buses connect the villages to Kilkenny city. Selling Agents: David Ashmore [dashmore@lisneysir.com, +353 87 251 2909] or Nicola Vance [nvance@lisneysir.com, +353 87 356 2903].