Ecumenical blend of classic and contemporary at Cork's €1.45m Church Hill Georgian gem

Irish Examiner

12-06-2025

WONDERFUL Woodview House does exactly what its name suggests — the pristine period Georgian gem, on lushly landscaped and immaculate gardens, has views of woodland, with much of the visible greenery as old as this almost 200 year old period home, in a recognisable yet secret setting.
We're talking a location at the foot of Church Hill, just under the 1780s Church of Ireland St Mary's and All Saint parish church in Cork's Glanmire:
Inspired setting
these two elegant structures, one sacred, the other secular, are at the very heart of a community that started with 19th century gentrification, and today is a fast-growing city suburb of over 10,000 souls, in a folded green and wooded valley setting on the tail end of the Glashaboy River.
Garden glory and Georgian grace
Woodview House dates to c 1830, sort of the glory years when wealthy Cork families continued the move to villas and mansions east of the city, along the Lee, past Montenotte and Tivoli, wrapping around the hill toward the Glashaboy valley and then the fledgling Glanmire settlement, as it added more wealth through a variety of substantial milling enterprises: Woodview followed in the 18th century steps of the even grander Ballinglanna House (1730s) and Dunkathel House (dating to the 1790s) soon to have 21st century houses snuggle up even closer to its protected curtilage.
Entrancing entrance
Around the same time as Woodview was built on its sloping site, 100 metres under the landmark spire of St Mary's, it was being joined by other substantial homes for Cork's gentry and merchant classes, such as Lota Lodge — now the Vienna Woods Hotel — Lauristan, Glanmire House (now Colaiste an Phiarsaigh) and Janeville, now Glenmervyn House with its trio of nearby old, latticed windowed almshouses.
So, we are talking deep roots and good company for Woodview House, still a private residence unlike some of the aforementioned other period compatriots which have had to go work for their living.
Woodview House has been a very private family home for the past 30 years, coming for sale now as the professional couple who'd worked in the Cork city and who reared a family here prepare to right-size.
They are selling with a move in mind and in charge of the sale is Michael Downey of ERA Downey McCarthy, who guides from €1.45m.
In terms of quality, accommodation, finish, features and feel, as well as its stand-out gardens, privacy and security, it's possibly the best Cork family house offer of the year. It's going to top the wish-list of local and wider Cork hinterland families of means looking to trade up to a prize property, as well as to relocators who'd be picking up a substantial yet manageable period home of stand-out quality.
The vendors Edel and Gerard O'Connor bought at auction 30 year ago, when it had been the home of the O'Gorman family of famed hat makers since 1901 in Cork and Shandon, a niche business now in third generation of O'Gorman family hands.
Woodview House's own 'crowning' glory is a magnificent copper beech tree on the gravel apron in front of the house's asymmetrical façade: Gerard O'Connor reckon it's about as old as the house itself, certainly dating to the 19th century, with its girth supporting the belief, while he says it's in such good health because it has had the occasional, judicious care of a tree surgeon to prolong its longevity.
Copper beech beauty roots home to previous centuries
The O'Connors are now passing on Woodview House too in possibly the best shape it has ever been, with commensurate gardens of 0.6 of an acre, after a series of upgrades, and period-appropriate extensions by O'Shea Builders, overseen by Edel, with an architect's input at the time and personal, knowing care and décor upgrades and enhancements ever since to the gleaming c 3,300 sq ft home.
Most notable addition was the current gable sunroom, some 20' by 11' with hand-painted floral detailing on the ceiling, overlooking the grounds, along with a rear enlarged kitchen/dining/living room, some 32' by 17'.
Sunroom
This 'heart of the house' multi-use area, great for entertaining, has a raised glazed roof lantern in a part-vaulted ceiling with repousse metal leaf chandelier, large island/breakfast bar with underset microwave, there's a broad, black Aga range, and a wide ceramic Belfast sink, with square bay window plus glazed door access to very sheltered courtyard garden, with sunken pond and water feature.
While there's some formal grandeur (yet, not too imposing or overly grand) to the front, where main reception rooms plus the hall have very fine fireplaces (including in the reception hall) there's a very considered rear run of rooms off a long corridor with glass roof: this yields access to a superb pantry with shelving and wraparound chunky timber counter tops; a cloakroom; a guest bathroom with power shower, and a ground floor bedroom (ideal for guests, done originally for an older family member.)
'Good' rooms are to the front, meanwhile, including a drawing room with coved ceilings and access to the sun room, fine white marble fireplace and bay window, left of the hall. Across is a lounge with a deep bay window, unfussy coved ceiling and white marble chimneypiece, with inset wood-burning stove.
One of Woodview's most elegant features is a distinctive cantilevered staircase, up to a bifurcated split, with a double aspect master bedroom to the left, complete with fully shelved and railed dressing room/walk-in robes and large en suite private bathroom with shower.
Main suite off split landing via graceful cantilevered stairs
Views from this double aspect bedroom suite are over gardens to dense woodland across the valley on the Dunkettle facing hillside, as well as down into Glanmire's entry point by the Glashaboy estuary to 'old' Glanmire at the foot of Church Hill.
Across on this wide home's 'other' wing are three further bedrooms, all equally immaculate with filled bookshelves and varied but ever-verdant views, along with a main family bathroom with separate bath and shower, and marble sink surround.
There's an overall internal calm and serenity, plus high comfort factor (windows are all double glazed sliding sashes in painted hardwood frames) as well as the certainty that this has been well conceived and cared for over three decades (Edel gets given all the credit for this by the family.)
Externally, credit is given to the landscape designers Ned Kirby and Cork's legendary Brian Cross. Their work here, over more than a quarter of a century, plus professional visiting gardening maintenance men to keep up the exacting standards over the entire e0.6 acre of planted grounds, result in the presentation seen today, very much the complete prized property package for those with a certain wherewithal, or bank withdrawal capacity.
Specimen trees and plants abound, in full and robust health: you know someone who knows their business has overseen it all, and includes the previous mentioned copper beech, lime trees, flowering Cherry tree, Cornish controversa 'Variegata' / Wedding Cake tree (a perennial Brian Cross favourite), and mixes including Japanese maples and silver birches and ironwood or Chinese parrotia for blazes of autumn colour.
Woodview is very much a private remove and world away from day-to-day stresses: if next owners have to work for a living, and can remote work, there's an option to hand with a high-quality home office with architectural elan, behind sliding timber doors and glass curtain walling by the main entrance: alongside are two othe good-sized store rooms, for bikes, golf bags and garden gear.
Home office and store rooms behind stout cedar doors: they are set between two sets of electric access gates for privacy
That office and stores set-up (with parking) is sort of set in a lower courtyard on Woodview House's mature and well-screened grounds, bookended by not just one but two sets of electric gates, so access to visitors/clients can be controlled to work areas, whilst the family home beyond the next, higher-up gates, retains its serene privacy with secure side gate too in the high stone boundary wall to Church Hill itself for easy yet code guarded pedestrian access.
ERA Downey McCarthy's offer from €1.45m comes just after as sale terms are agreed on Glanmire Poulacurry House, a c 300 year old original (now needing updating) of 5,500 sq ft above Glanmire and on very extensive gardens of c five acres, likely to be selling in the c €1.6m+ price bracket, having gone to market back in June 2023 with a €1.75m guide.
ERA agent, Michael Downey says the 1830s Woodview House is even closer to everyday amenities and conveniences, with ongoing public cycle and walkway improvements to Glanmire and that this family home 'is very special, it has been tastefully and sensitively extended and renovated, and now provides the height of luxury and comfort one comes to expect from a modern home.'
VERDICT: Tasteful mix of curated classic and contemporary features , in a home with great bones and more than skin-deep beauty. One to watch…....