The standard of properties offered for sale this year just seems to be getting better and better. I have viewed some fabulous farms this spring all over the country and, as an added bonus, I have actually met the owners of a small number of these properties. While the farm sales market over the past six years has been dominated by executor and distressed sales, it is a pleasure to go to a farm now and occasionally meet the owners.

Last week took me to Tullyard House, just over a mile outside Trim, Co Meath. The word “impeccable” immediately sprung to mind as we drove up the entrance. Standing on 188.7 acres of parkland, tillage and grassland, Tullyard is approached by a tree-lined and post and railed-fenced driveway that meanders through its own parkland before arriving at the house and yard.

Personally, I think these types of entrances are just majestic, with their winding contours, sprawling parkland and stunning hardwood trees. However, it’s one thing to have them and it’s another to maintain them. If first impressions were anything to go by, you’d know from the manicured driveway to Tullyard that things were only going to get better. And they certainly did.

The current owners bought Tullyard almost 40 years ago and operated a tillage, cattle and sheep enterprise on it. Today, about 40 acres is in grass while the remaining circa 150 acres is currently nurturing both winter and spring cereals. The land is set out in one big 188-acre block of about eight fields, one of which is a whopping 70 acres in size. The property is extremely well sheltered by mature trees and natural hedging and the land is said to be of “excellent quality”. Both the house and yard are ideally placed right in the centre of the farm.

Residence

Built on a poised site, Tullyard House dates back to 1808 and was home to a number of generations of the Winter family before its sale to a person from Galway back in 1928. Many years later it was acquired by a German who later sold it in 1976 to the current owners.

Tullyard is an elegant Georgian three-bay two-storey house with a large three-storey wing. The primary rooms are spacious and full of light with high ceilings, yet they still retain many of the original features, such as sash windows and shutters, decorative fireplaces, polished wooden floors and a cantilever staircase. The lady of the house kindly gave me a tour of the interior and it’s clear she has put her own elegant stamp on the internal décor.

The entire house has been tastefully decorated and is in immaculate condition. Nothing appears out of place. Accommodation includes three large reception rooms, fully fitted beech kitchen with large Aga, pantry, family room, office, laundry room, six bedrooms (two ensuite) and two bathrooms. It’s a walk-in package for the person who buys it and clearly would make a comfortable family home with plenty of scope for entertaining.

The residence is surrounded by beautifully manicured lawns that contain a sun terrace, herbaceous borders, fruit trees and plenty of shrubs and flowers. To add to all this, the property has its own hard-core tennis court and an orchard. But the one feature that stands out for me is the trees – there is an array of mature oak, beech, lime, ash and fabulous horse chestnut trees in full blossom, many of which are a couple of hundred of years old.

Behind the house is a pristine cut-stone-cobbled courtyard that features a cottage, a coach house, stables, wine cellar, workshop and various store houses. Beyond the courtyard is the farmyard that contains a grain silo, cattle handling facilities, a concrete yard and a number of barns and lean-tos. Water is supplied from a private well and while the property is accessed from a long private entrance, there is no road frontage.

The owners of Tullyard are downsizing and are offering the entire package for sale in one lot by private treaty. Joint agents Ganly Walters, Dublin, and Thomas Potterton, Trim, are handling the sale between them and although a guide price was not disclosed, it’s the type of property that is set to attract a mix of national and international inquiries. Indeed, I believe that some interest has emerged from the US and China in recent weeks but, given the location and superb quality, one couldn’t rule out calls from stud owners either.