Ardbraccan House, Ardbraccan

Once home to the Lord Bishop of Meath, and with a history going back one thousand years, Ardbraccan House owes its design to one of the most significant architects working in Georgian Ireland. Thanks to award winning restoration works, this Palladian Mansion is presented in ideal condition, while the approx. 101ha (250 acres) of lands include pleasure grounds, gardens, pastures and farmlands and so comprise one of the county's finest country estates.

Mansion House, approximately 2,150 sq. m. (23,142 sq. ft.)

4-bedroom guest wing, 2-bedroom staff apartment, 4 guest lodges

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Approx. 101 Hectares (250 Acres) Country Estate with lands laid out in grazing paddocks and woodlands in the Boyne Valley
• Walled garden, specimen trees, pleasure grounds, formal gardens and secluded walking trails
• Historic 18th Century Georgian Mansion designed in the Palladian style by a team of architects including Richard Castle, architect of Leinster House
• Beautiful and elegant original features throughout, with ideally proportioned reception and entertainment rooms
• Full stables, stud farm and horse sport facilities Additional farmyards and coach houses and outbuildings
• Excellent lands, ideally maintained and suitable for grazing, sporting pursuits or tillage
• Eleven bedrooms in the central main house, four-bedroom guest wing, and two-bedroom staff apartment
• Historic church and four additional lodges on site, including two apartments
• Located just 5km from Navan
• Approx 56km from Dublin International Airport
• Approx 12km from Ballyboy Private Airfield
• Excellent road network throughout the lands, including tunnels linking farmyards
• Lands very well laid out with excellent secure fencing
• Heritage award winning restoration of the Main Residence

ARDBRACCAN HOUSE

Ardbraccan House joins Castletown and Carton as one of Ireland's most significant Palladian mansions, taking its design from the hey days of classical Georgian Architecture. Contributed to by many of Europe's most significant architects and designers, craftspeople and creators, it has been refurbished to award-winning standards. The principal mansion sits at the heart of lands that have been equally well designed, tended and restored over the centuries.

A significant two storey over basement centrepiece is flanked by curved linking enfilades leading to a pair of symmetrical guest wings, one of which also houses a set of palatial stables. Reached via a sweeping set of stone steps, Ardbraccan preserves the symmetry so loved by the Georgians by means of a rare and beautiful barrel-vaulted hall, leading through to the wider Great Hall beyond. This feature allows the principal Dining and Drawing rooms three windows apiece, with lavish views across the estate parklands. Both of these gracious rooms have particularly fine neo-Classical plasterwork.

The Great Hall has a William Chambers chimney piece, elegant plasterwork and French windows to the garden terrace. It leads to the Library and Study. Adjacent to this, the main Stair Hall has plasterwork to designs by James Wyatt, who also worked on Slane Castle. Also at this level are a servery / kitchen, a pair of cloakrooms and a second staircase.

At garden level there is a larger kitchen / breakfast room, gym, laundry room, playroom, pantry, stores, brickfloored beer cellar and wine cellar. The vaulted, country-style garden level kitchen is a particularly beautiful room. Light-filled it has an Aga, granite worktops, wooden-topped island unit, York flagstone floor, and solid timber cabinetry.

Upstairs are four generous bedroom suites, and two further bedrooms, and on the second floor, you will find a further five bedroom suites. All are beautifully proportioned with views across the gardens and parklands. A kitchenette on the top floor is a wise convenience for both nightcaps and morning coffees.

The two adjoining wings have been beautifully refurbished. To the left is a semi-separate wing with a kitchen, breakfast area, dining area, staff room and laundry room, with one bedroom at ground level, and three generous bedrooms above. To the right, the ground floor houses stables, a tack room and boot room, while above is a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a loft.

Guest and staff accommodation throughout the estate is also provided in four lodges altogether. At the main entrance, the Main Gate Lodge offers a one-bedroom residence, providing an elegant and welcoming setting as you enter the estate. At the rear entrance, the Kells Gate Lodge features two bedrooms, along with its own private parking area and garden, ensuring privacy. Built in the late 1990s, this lodge was designed in a traditional period style to blend with the aesthetic of the estate.

Additionally, at the entrance to St. Ultan's Church, which has been de-consecrated in recent years, stand two beautifully refurbished cottages: The School House and Sexton's Cottage. Both of these lodges feature two bedrooms and have been meticulously restored, including the refurbishment of original sash windows, and are finished to an very high standard throughout.

RESTORING ARDBRACCAN, A PROJECT OF PASSION

While the house and lands at Ardbraccan feel timeless, history marches on, and estates such as this thrive on the care of each succeeding generation. After lying vacant towards the end of the last century, previous owners lavished their attention on a painstaking restoration project. Working to conservation standards, specialist craftspeople used and revived traditional methods to bring the woodwork, plasterwork, stonework, roofs and windows back to their former glory.

Where replacements were necessary, items were sourced and salvaged from sister properties in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Chimney pots were re-cast to match the originals, and the roofs were restored using the original slates, copper and leadwork. Specialist painters, stoneworkers and stuccadores congregated, some to apply and pass on their skills, and others to perfect their craft with the masters. Glass was handblown, and work extended right through to the inlay details in mother of pearl, as well as brass, pewter, marble and papier mache. At the same time, services were brought up to twenty first century standards.

The project was renowned in Ireland, and in 2002 Ardbraccan was accoladed with An Taisce's BestRestoration of a Private Building award. More recently, Ardbraccan's owners have continued this legacy by restoring one of the wings, upgrading the behind-the-scenes services, sensitively revitalising the interiors, and refurbishing some of the lodges.

LANDS AT ARDBRACCAN

With approximately 101 Hectares (250 Acres) of excellent land, the immediate gardens at Ardbraccan are thought to have been originally designed by Ninian Nevin, who also designed the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin, and those at the home of the President of Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin.

Notable in the immediate vicinity of the main house are pleasure gardens with paths leading to informal gardens, shrubberies, small conservatories and a brick-lined walled garden. This was restored with the expertise of Daphne Shackleton, whose portfolio also includes gardens at Slane Castle, Virginia Park, the historic gardens at Loughcrew, and restorations at Ballintubbert and Baronscourt. These gardens speak of history and time: one Yew tree on the property is thought to be more than 500 years old.

Stands of mature trees shelter the house and provide privacy, while opening up to reveal unspoilt views. The pastures and woodlands are separated by a pair of ha-has, adding to the sense of expansiveness. Beyond these are

stud-railed paddocks and pastures. The parklands were extensively drained, fenced and replanted with specimen trees in the early 2000s, and the care has been on-going since then.

Extensive yard and farm buildings include Palladian style yards, with stables, coach houses, a restored clock tower, lofted hay stores, a timber-panelled tack room, and horse walker. Two of these yards are linked by an underground tunnel. Further farm buildings are south, beyond a private sunken garden. These include a walled orchard, bell tower, grain lofts and a dovecote. A more-modern farmyard is screened within a former walled garden. There is also an historic church, now deconsecrated, on site.

The estate is set within a single block, with the exclusion of a minor public road beyond the immediate core. Offering unparalleled privacy, and huge opportunity, the estate and lands at Ardbraccan give extraordinary scope for country and sporting pursuits, equestrian enterprises and farming. They also comprise an idyllic retreat in The Royal County, in a welcoming community, within easy reach of Ireland's capital, and Dublin Airport, connecting you to the world, just half an hour away.