Enchanting Irish Estate

Situated in West Cork, overlooking the beautiful Argideen River, Lisselan Estate stands in some of Ireland's finest countryside.

At the core of the 315 acre estate, is Lisselan House, a fairytale French château-style house built between 1851 and 1853 by William Bence-Jones to a design by Lewis Vulliamy. Substantial later additions were made in 1900 by Sir Thomas Neweham Deane. In 1902 the large glass conservatory was made for the Cork exhibition and was added onto the house by Reginald Bence-Jones who also added the large library hall in 1907. The Bence-Jones family were also responsible for creating the outstanding formal gardens that surround the property.

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Perfect for entertaining on a grand scale, Lisselan House boasts elegant, well-proportioned reception rooms. One the ground floor, the accommodation comprises a large reception hall, dining room, drawing room, a magnificent library with a floor-to-ceiling bay window, card room, games room and bar, a Bavarian room, a gun room, laundry room, conservatory and kitchen. Upstairs the master bedroom with ajoining dressing room can be found alongside a guest bedroom suite, a further 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. On the lower ground floor is a self contained flat, ideal for staff. The property has retained many of its period features over the years including its wonderful high ceilings, ornate cornicing and ceiling roses, open fireplaces, original wood flooring and sash windows.

The house overlooks absolutely magnificent gardens that were laid out in a Robinsonian style from the early 1850s. The then owner, William Bence-Jones chose a site that took advantage of the natural contours provided by the valley. The beautiful gardens retain their appeal irrelevant of season. From early spring the camellias are in bloom, with daffodils scattered throughout. The avenue is a carpet of bluebells in early May and from August through to the first frost of winter, the fuchsias are in bloom. A notable feature of the gardens is the pretty rockery, which has been described by Shirley Lanigan, author of 100 Best Gardens in Ireland as "one of the most beautiful features in the county, breathtaking and definitely worth travelling to see."

The variety of sport available at Lisselan is one of its outstanding features. Running through the estate is the River Argideen which offers some of the best private stretches for salmon and sea trout fishing. There is 1170m of double bank fishing with ten named pools and 455m of single bank fishing. The estate also boasts a nine hole golf course set on 80 acres surrounded my mature woodlands and the river flowing through. Just 5 miles from Kinsale and Courtmacsherry, were sailing and watersports are available on some of Ireland's finest beaches and hunting is also available with Carbury Hunt.

Clonakilty is a 5 minute drive away and provides for every day needs and services, while the larger market towns of Bandon (11 miles) and Skibbereen (24 miles) provide more extensive amenities. Cork City is 30 miles to the north east.

The guide price is For further information please contact Knight Frank 020 7861 1098.

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