massbrook house
Lough Conn, County Mayo, Ireland
MASSBROOK HOUSE, Lough Conn, County Mayo, Ireland
A remarkable estate in the west of Ireland – a haven of peace and tranquillity.
This idyllic west of Ireland Victorian house stands on approximately 113 acres on the shores of Lough Conn, with Nephin as a
majestic backdrop. It is situated amidst wonderful grounds: many fine specimen trees and shrubs populate the extensive grounds
which are a walker’s paradise.
630 sq m / 6,800 sq ft (approx.)
For Sale by Private Treaty
ARCHITECTURE & LAYOUT
Massbrook House dates from 1890 and was designed by the
eminent Victorian architect, Sir Thomas Drew. Drew, who was
born in Belfast, was consulting architect for both St. Patrick’s
Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. He was
responsible for the design of the Ulster Bank on Dame Street,
Rathmines Town Hall and the Graduates Memorial Building at
Trinity College. His most significant work in Belfast was St Anne’s
Cathedral, completed in 1899.
The main house, which is approached by a long, tree lined avenue,
extends to some 630 sq. m. (6,800 sq. ft) and comprises 4 reception
rooms and 5 bedrooms (3 en suite). The house is beautifully
positioned with a west facing aspect to the rear and overlooks
Lough Conn to the east. The property enjoys almost a mile of lake
frontage and is surrounded by some 113 acres approx. of pasture
and amenity lands.
An elegant and welcoming hall is enhanced by original wood
panelling and solid wood floors. On either side of the hall are
two magnificent reception rooms: the drawing room and dining
room, each with a feature fireplace with marble surround, and
hardwood flooring. Also entered from the hall is the billiard room
boasting a full sized table. An excellent study off the drawing room
enjoys a magnificent aspect over the garden. The kitchen quarters
incorporate a cold room and a scullery while the kitchen itself
comprises a range of high and low level units complete with a gas
range cooker.
The first floor, with its 5 principal bedrooms (3 en suite), offers
impressive and extensive accommodation. The Master Bedroom
Suite is spacious and comfortable with a superb adjoining bathroom.
The main bedrooms enjoy stunning views of the lake. The first floor
incorporates a library with wall to wall book shelving. Adjoining
the rear of the house is a charming guest/staff apartment, known as
‘the Den’, comprising sitting room, bedroom and bathroom which
has been recently refurbished. The main house links seamlessly with
the gardens and grounds with an abundance of windows offering
plentiful sunlight and amazing views of the surrounding lake,
gardens and countryside.
THE GATE LODGE
Positioned at the main entrance of the estate, the large gate lodge
has been superbly renovated and, while very much part of the estate,
is a house of merit in its own right.
THE GARDENS AND GROUNDS
The gardens and grounds surrounding Massbrook House are
wonderful and are home to a rich array of fine trees and shrubs,
many dating back to the original design of the gardens and
grounds in the 1890s. These gardens and grounds have been
carefully improved and maintained to a very high standard. There
are a number of specimen trees throughout the estate that one
can appreciate at one’s leisure while strolling down one of the
many private walkways that meander through the estate. What a
joy to wander along one of these pathways and enjoy nature, the
seasons and the west of Ireland at its majestic best. The lands have
a number of fields suitable for grazing horses or cattle, and a variety
of outbuildings, including the original, exceptional boat house on
the lake.
LOCATION
Situated just a 3 hour drive from Dublin and 40 minutes from
Irish West Airport at Knock, Massbrook House is extraordinarily
well placed for a variety of cultural and sporting activities. Just 30
minutes away is the Great Western Greenway, Ireland’s longest
off-road cycling and walking route, which traverses the Atlantic
coast between Westport and Achill Island and visits the picturesque
villages of Newport and Mulranny. Foxford Woollen Mills and
the wonderful Museum of Country Life at Turlough Park near
Castlebar are both a short drive away. The Céide Fields in North
Mayo, which are less than an hour’s drive away, contain the most
extensive Stone Age settlement in the world and are almost 6,000
years old.
An excellent variety of golf courses are close at hand including those
at Ballina, Castlebar, Enniscrone and Mulranny. For children, there
are several local Gaelic football and hurling clubs. There are also
magnificent equestrian centres close by such as Ard Chuan and
Barnfield House.
The house and grounds nestle on the western shores of Lough
Conn, which has a splendid reputation for brown trout and salmon
fishing dating back to the very beginning of angling in the west of
Ireland. Historically, Lough Conn has also had a sizeable Arctic
char population. The Lough comprises 14,000 acres and measures
14.5km (9 miles) from north to south. Conn is the natural choice
in the country for many international fly fishing competitions – a
measure of its reputation for producing fish. The lake is particularly
popular during the ‘May fly’ and salmon are also taken, mainly by
trolling, from the end of March to July.
Foxford Railway Station, on the Dublin – Ballina line, is just 9.8km
(6 miles)/12 minutes from Massbrook House, while Castlebar
Railway Station, on the Dublin – Westport line, is 21 km (13
miles)/25 minutes away.
HISTORY
Massbrook House is situated in the townland of Massbrook Lower in the parish of
Addergoole, Barony of Tirawley. The name ‘Massbrook’ is derived from the Irish
‘Sruthán-an-Aifrinn’: local tradition suggests that the name derives from penal
times when the site by the stream was used to celebrate mass.
By 1830, on the avenue to what is now Massbrook House, a house named
‘Woodpark House’ described as ‘in good repair’, was occupied by a Mr. Anderson.
The ruins of this house remain to the right of the avenue as one approaches the
main house. In June 1887, Henry Hastings Jones of Ardnaree sold his interest in
the Massbrook estate for £1,500 to a Captain Johnston. Johnston commissioned
Sir Thomas Drew to design Massbrook House. Drew was based in Dublin,
and Massbrook House appears to be his only catalogued work in county Mayo.
The quantity surveyors employed were Patterson and Kempster of Dublin.
A large number of notebooks for Patterson and Kempster are held in the Irish
Architectural Archive and, fortunately, some relate to the building of Massbrook
House. Building work appears to have been first undertaken in 1887. There is a
detailed ‘Bill of Quantities’ for Massbrook House with specific instructions as
to the wood, slate and other materials for the house. The specifications for the
slate were that it should be of ‘Bangor or Killaloe Countess slates, extra thick, carefully
selected as sound...’ The contractor was a Mr. Pile and additional costs were put in for
a tennis court and engine house. There were also fees noted for men’s railway fares
amounting to £603 shillings and 6 pence indicating that Mr. Pile was not from the
area and did not use local labour. On completion of Massbrook House ca. 1890, the
Valuation Office’s valuer-in-the-field valued it for annual rates at £15 and noted
that the house had ‘cost about £1,700’ to build.
Subsequently the house passed into the ownership of Percy Mitchell who was the
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. ‘He was a Conservative and a church man but did
not take an exceptional interest in politics.’ He appears however to have been a nice
man and, upon his death in 1902, The Western People noted that ‘he was a very
popular and affable gentleman for though possessed of great wealth he bore himself with
singular modesty. He spent vast sums at Massbrook in improving the beauty of a place
which nature had already dowered with liberal hand.’
In 1903, the executor sale of Massbrook House, in an auction of sixty lots, drew
a sizeable crowd to the salesrooms of James H. North & Co. in Grafton Street.
A newspaper account noted that ‘the sale throughout was marked by briskness of
competition, that shows that money is not scarce for good investments’. Massbrook
was described as the ‘well-known sporting estate’ and the opening bid was £4,000.
The house was eventually sold at £6,575 and a Mr. Stapleton was declared the
purchaser, buying on behalf of a Mr. John M. Coyne. The newspaper concluded
‘The sale of this estate, after keen competition, is a satisfactory evidence that Irish sporting
properties are in good demand.’
In 1905, Jane Davidson Crawford Conduitt ‘of 34 Half Moon Street Mayfair
married woman’ bought Massbrook for the sum of £7,500. In 1913, she sold on
the estate to a London stockbroker, Frederick James Peregrine Birch, one of the
executors of Percy Mitchell’s will, who had visited Massbrook while his friend was
still alive. Frederick Birch was a regular visitor to Massbrook and its ownership
remained in his hands until his death in 1935.
During his ownership, in 1929, Birch lent the house to the newly married Lord
& Lady Burghley for their honeymoon; as reported in the Ballina Herald of 12
January of that year: ‘Lord Burghley, the famous athlete, who was married this week
to Lady Mary Scott, in London, will spend his honeymoon in Ireland. Mr. F. Peregrine
Birch is lending his beautiful place at Massbrook, near Ballina, and the newly married
couple are expected to arrive on Friday or Saturday.’
The previous year Lord Burghley had won a gold medal in the 1928 Olympics in
the 400 metre hurdles and was therefore quite a celebrity. Local lore has it that
during his honeymoon in Massbrook House he managed to hurdle the main gate
which, if true, was no mean feat. The character of Lord Andrew Lindsay in the film
‘Chariots of Fire’ was inspired by Lord Burghley.
Frederick Birch left Massbrook House to ‘my friend Lionel George Trower’ who in
1938 decided to sell the house and the following description was published in the
Western People of 28th April 1938:
‘MASSBROOK HOUSE AND DEMESNE’
‘Situated on the shore of Lough Conn, Massbrook is considered one of the most
beautiful Estates in Ireland, having an area of approximately 260 acres, planted
with some splendid specimens of forest trees and rare semi-tropical shrubs, and
extending about 2 miles along the water’s edge, with over-hanging timber and
sheltered walks; sailing, boating, and some of the best fishing in the West of Ireland.
Several thousand acres of good Woodcock, Duck and Snipe shooting.
There are two Residences, Offices, Gardens, Pleasure Grounds, Boat House with
Lounge and Balcony overhanging Lake.
Massbrook House is a modern, handsome Building, Elizabethan design, two
storeys. The accommodation comprises Dining Room, Drawing Room, Billiards
Room, 4 principal Bed Rooms, Bath Room, Hot and Cold Water, Lavatory, W.C.,
three Servants’ Rooms, Kitchen, Pantries, Larders, etc. Electric light every room.
The residence is adequately furnished and ready for immediate occupation, and will
be sold either furnished or unfurnished. If not sold may be let during the summer.’
The Connacht Tribune announced another new owner of Massbrook House in its
11th February 1939 edition:
‘One of Mayo’s most beautiful mansions, Massbrook House, which is situate on the
wooded shores of Lough Conn, the “Killarney of the West” is now in the possession
of Mr. J. J. Harrison, a prominent building contractor of Leeds. The new owner is a
Mayo man to all intents and purposes. His father hailed from near Ballina and his
mother from Crossmolina. He has given all the fallen timber in the woods of this
extensive demesne to the local people for firewood owing to the wet condition of the
turf. He employs Irish labour in all his contracts in Leeds. For all this, Laherdane
Fianna Fail club at its annual meeting on Sunday passed a resolution welcoming
him amongst them and wishing him many years of happiness and prosperity in
his native county.’
It is understood Mr. Harrison paid £4,250 for the estate. Mr. Harrison and his wife
Anne lived in the house during the Second World War and their children attended
the local Massbrook School. In 1945 Mr. & Mrs. Harrison returned to live in
Leeds, though their daughter subsequently settled in Ballina. In 1946 the house
was sold for £6,500 to a Dublin stockbroker, Esmond O’Brien. The O’Briens, who
were popular owners locally, would remain in occupation until 1954 when Scottish
born James Douglas Latta and his wife Nora purchased the house. Mr. Latta was a
flying ace in World War 1 for which he received a Military Cross.
In the 1960s the ownership of the house passed to a Mr. John J. Hughes and then
on to a Mr. Sigmar Fromberg.
In 1967 the house was purchased by Mr. & Mrs. Denis Ferranti. Despite having
homes in Sri Lanka, Scotland and France, Massbrook House appears to have had
a special place in the family’s heart. Mr. Ferranti liked to commute by air using his
private helicopter which was a familiar sound and sight in North Mayo in 1970s
and 1980s.
Moreover, he also owned Castlebar Airport and was an avid collector of vintage
cars which he housed in the garages that he had specially constructed close to the
main house. Mr. Ferranti remained living in Massbrook House until his death in
1992.
In 1994 the current owners, Nick & Mary Robinson, purchased the house from
Mr Ferranti’s estate.
location
SERVICES
MAPPING AND TITLE
The property is serviced by mains electricity and water is supplied through
the Nephin Valley group water scheme. Drainage is to septic tanks within
the grounds. The main house is served by a modern, wood pellet boiler central
heating system while the gate Lodge is served by a modern, oil-fired central
heating system.
The property is offered for sale subject to and with the benefit of all
covenants and conditions contained in the Conditions of Sale. The folios
and maps contained therein reflect the lands offered for sale.
TENURE AND POSSESSION
Main House – BER C2 | 108720962
Apartment – BER F | 108720939
Gate Lodge - BER D2 | 106587355
The property is offered for sale freehold by private treaty with vacant
possession being given at the closing of the sale.
CONSERVATION
Lough Conn is designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the
EU Birds Directive. These lakes are one of only four breeding sites in the
country for the Common Scoter duck. This directive pays special attention
to the wetlands adjoining the shores of the lake and therefore some of
Massbrook House lands immediately adjoining the lake are listed as a special
conservation area.
BER RATINGS
Solicitors
Adrian P. Bourke & Company
Victoria House, Emmet Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo
Tel: +353 9622055
VIEWING
Viewing is strictly by private appointment only.
Postal address: Massbrook House, Bofeenaun, Ballina, County Mayo. There
is a post box at the entrance gate, dating back to Edwardian times, from
which the post is collected daily.
floor plans
Selling Agents
Roseanne De Vere Hunt
Director / Head of Country Homes
Sherry FitzGerald
164 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4, Ireland
T: +353 (0)1 639 9300
E: [email protected]
Philip Guckian
Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes,
Farms & Estates
164 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4, Ireland
T: +353 (0)1 237 6308
E: [email protected]
Nuala Feeney
Sherry FitzGerald Feeney West
Ridgepool Road,
Ballina,
County Mayo
T: +353 (0) 96 72828
E: [email protected]
www.sherryfitz.ie
www.sherryfitz.ie
www.sherryfitz.ie
Conditions to be noted: 1 These particulars do not constitute an offer or contract or any part thereof and none of the statements contained in the particulars as to the property is to be relied on as a statement or representation of fact. 2. The vendor does not make or give,
the Agent(s) or its staff authority to make or give any representation or warranty in respect of this property. 3 All descriptions, dimensions, references to condition and necessary permission for use and occupation, and other details are given in good faith and are believed
to be correct but any intending purchaser or tenant should not rely on them as statements or representations of fact but must satisfy himself/herself by inspection or otherwise as to the correctness of each of them. 4 In the event of any inconsistency between these
particulars and the contract of sale, the latter shall prevail. 5 The terms, Vendor and Purchaser, where the context requires shall be deemed to refer to Lessor and Lessee and Landlord and Tenant respectively. Sherry FitzGerald PSRA Registration No: 002183 & 003240.