Newhall estate, Ennis, Co Clare, is currently on the market at an asking price of €5 million. This is a property that combines parkland, woodland and lake with a c.14,700 square feet mansion which is situated right in the centre of its own 362 acres.

Offering scale, privacy and seclusion, Newhall is still only a mere 3.5 miles from Ennis town and just 16 miles from Shannon airport. Although retaining many of its original and historical features, a certain level of investment is required, as the mansion itself is in need of complete restoration.

Dating back to 1765, the house is a mid-18th century residence that adjoins an earlier 1650’s house (which is now known as the service wing). Set out over three storeys, the house was constructed by Charles MacDonnell of Kilkee who purchased the property in 1764 from his maternal uncle, Edward O’Brien, of Ennistymon.

Thought to be the design of Francis Bindon, the house has a distinctive brick exterior with two bays found at either side of a central three-sided bow. Features include a cut-stone limestone front door case, curved glass sash windows, an octagonal reception hall, marble chimney pieces, carved timber staircase, a balustrade terrace and fine plasterwork.

Accommodation on the ground floor comprises two reception rooms, breakfast room, bathroom, cellar, old kitchen, scullery with original Belfast sink, pantry, a pump room with authentic hand water pump and two staff bedrooms.

The first floor contains five principle bedrooms, a bathroom and a further three bedrooms, while the top floor has two large function rooms and a further five bedrooms.

This gives a total of 15 bedrooms, but selling agent Sherry FitzGerald, Dublin, suggests that, if it was permissible, some of the bedrooms could be converted into a large master bedroom with adjoining living area, while the top floor could be upgraded to a self-contained apartment.

Extending to 178 acres, the parkland around the house features numerous mature specimen trees that stretch towards Killone Lough, with views of the Galtee mountains and Shannon Estuary to be seen on a fine day.

Laid out in big sprawling fields, the land is accessed from hard-core roadways and is mostly stock fenced.

A further 157 acres is under a deciduous forest which is set out in four principal blocks. This gives the estate its private aspect while also offering scope to be developed into a pheasant shoot or into various forest walks.

Newhall also has its own 28-acre lake area that encompasses two linked lakes. The larger Killone Lake features the extraordinary Killone Abbey which stands on the northern shore of an incline and now forms a remarkable folly.

Outbuildings include a stable yard – which stands adjacent to the house – and this features two twin coach houses, four carriage bays, two loose boxes, six standing stalls and a harness room. A large section of the original flagged or cobble lock flooring remains intact in the stable yard, along with some of the timber panelling and two fireplaces.

An arched access leads to an outer farmstead that has a range of original stone outbuildings, while a more modern farmyard comprises two hay barns and a silage clamp.

The property is for sale by private treaty through Sherry FitzGerald, Dublin. The guide price is €5 million. CL