‘The most beautiful house in Ireland’ is up for sale
A genuinely magnificent country house, Castletown Cox in County Kilkenny is as grand a residence as anyone could ever wish for.

36,000 square feet. 513 acres. 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, plus a list of other spaces which sound as if they've been lifted from a Cluedo board: the billiard room, the music room, the wine cellar. There's even a 'model room'.
The main house on the Castletown Estate – often known as Castletown Cox – near Carrick-on-Suir in County Kilkenny (which is on the market via Knight Frank) is a place that is extraordinary in every sense. And we haven't even begun talking about the gardens yet. (We'll get to those later.)
The house was the creation of a renowned Sardinian architect, Davis Ducart, who was commissioned in 1767 by Michael Cox. Cox was the Archbishop of Cashel, and the son of Ireland's then-Lord Chancellor, Sir Richard Cox.
The younger Cox had actually leased the land from the Duke of Ormonde; since then it has passed through families including the Villiers-Stuarts, the Wyndham-Quins, the Blacques and the de Breffnys, before the present owners took it on in 1991.
The house they bought was in need of a huge amount of work. In the quarter of a century since they took it on, both house and gardens have undergone a huge amount of work to ensure that the house's next 250 years will be as grand and beautiful as its first 250.
As the pictures on this page show, the quality of the work done is of the absolute highest order. This is a true stately home, built on a scale and to a specification which is breathtaking.
If you've spotted a somewhat familiar and regal look to the house, there's a good reason. Ducart's plans were inspired by William Wynde’s Buckingham House in London – the residence which was transformed in 1830 into Buckingham Palace.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The centre of the house is a three-storey central block with wings on either side – one of which houses all the bedrooms, the other the recreation rooms. The whole thing is built from stone blocks, highlighted with sandstone, limestone and unpolished local marble.
Those wings have some fine flourishes: at each end they finish up with pavilions topped by octagonal domes.
The overall effect is breathtaking: this is every inch the archetypal Palladian house, set off beautifully by a setting flanked by the Suir Valley and the Comeragh Mountains.
The royal link extends to the gardens: the 12 acres of formal gardens are the work of the designer who created Highgrove with HRH the Prince of Wales.
That woman was the late Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury, aka Mollie Cecil (née Wyndham-Quin) whose father once owned Castletown Cox in Mollie's youth.
Sometimes dubbed the 'high priestess' of garden design, she also helped HRH the Prince of Wales with the creation of the wonderful gardens at Highgrove.
There is also a lake, a 400m-long ha ha, approximately 160 acres of parkland, 25 acres of woodland and a further 100 acres of broadleaf woods.
Inside and out, then, Castletown Cox is a place of truly rare quality, a rare find on the market. It's for sale via Knight Frank, who proudly declare it the 'most beautiful house in Ireland'. That is up for debate, but if you were making a list of contenders it'd be hard to leave this one off. You can see more details and pictures (including the mouthwatering floorplan) here.
Shropshire’s Baroque masterpiece, with ‘one of the finest interiors in England’, for sale for the first time in half a century
Mawley Hall is nothing less than one of Britain's finest privately-owned stately homes – a truly unique opportunity for whoever takes
A 22-bedroom country mansion for sale complete with golf course, at the price of a Chiswick semi-detached
In the Scottish Borders a few miles away from Kelso lies the beautiful estate at The Roxburghe, which is on
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
How many puppies in the average litter? Country Life Quiz of the Day
Plus a 1960s house, Hollywood's most famous cavewoman and more in Friday's quiz.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Love, sex and death: Our near-universal obsession with the rose
No flower is more entwined with myth, religion, politics and the human form than the humble rose — and now there's a new coffee table book celebrating them in all of their glory.
By Amy de la Haye Last updated
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of Pembrokeshire
A lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed folly
Hagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich history
Three floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
By James Fisher Published
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of Somerset
Ashton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in years
Right beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the Acropolis
Athenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
By Rosie Paterson Published