No need for a second opinion at GP's former home in Buttevant

IF you were to hazard a guess at its origins, you’d tend to think that Richmond House on Buttevant’s main street was built for a gentleman (or lady) of consequence.

Occupying a central spot in the North Cork town, on a street that shares its name (Richmond Street), it has many of the props of refinement that we associate with genteel living: sweeping staircase/high ceilings/sash windows/original fireplaces.

What we can say with certainty is that it was built around 1880, because our architectural heritage database, Buildings of Ireland, says so. It also remarks on the scale and height of the property which give it “a dominating presence on the streetscape”.

It can be stated with certainty too that Richmond House was, at some time in its more recent past, the home of a doctor, who ran his practice from it.

“It was known as Dr Kennedy’s House and it’s still known as that locally,” says the current owner Jason Downey, who bought it with his girlfriend Shirlie in December 2022.

As well as living there, the doctor ran his surgery from the ground floor, in a sort of medicalised version of living above the shop. A separate side entrance (no longer in use) was the entrance to the doctor’s waiting room. That waiting room and surgery were subsequently converted into an en suite bedroom, used, to good effect, by later owners, as AirBnB accommodation. The way the house is configured is helpful in this respect: the ground floor en suite bedroom can be accessed through a door in the entrance porch, eliminating any need to pass through the main house.

During Jason and Shirlie’s tenure, the AirBnB accommodation reverted to personal use, as the en suite bedroom of Jason’s son.

 It has however shown its potential for additional income. As a matter of fact, there are a couple of options at Richmond House to generate extra cash: by renting out the entire ground floor as an independent unit (en suite bedroom, kitchen, sitting room) or the top floor, which has a kitchenette.

“The previous owners occasionally rented out the top floor,” Jason says, adding that he and Shirlie were “intending to take out the kitchenette, but it’s next to my office and really handy, as it’s a long way to the main kitchen on the ground floor!”.

Jason was chuffed to be able to buy property two years ago.

“It’s a grander property than I ever thought I’d get to live in,” he says, adding that they are now selling up to move closer to Shirlie's family in the east of the country.

The price he paid, just over €400,000, wasn’t bad for a 263 sq m three-storey, four-bay period home, with a long back garden, dotted with outbuildings (former stables), and including a garage, an enclosed courtyard, a raised deck, some greenery and ancient fruit trees, some lovely old stone walls and a fully-formed ancient stone arch. 

The property adjoins the Convent of Mercy, which had been idle for a number of years, until a massive community effort saw it converted into accommodation for Ukranian refugees – who have since moved on – in 2022.

Richmond House is littered with original period features, starting with the terrazzo floor inside the entrance porch, from where double doors open into a tall, impressive hallway.

 A country-style kitchen with Victorian tiling overlooks the back of the house.

A door opens from the kitchen to a rear deck.

The more showy floor of Richmond House is at the second level, which follows the tradition of the “piano nobile”, a fancy Italian term for the principal floor in a home, containing the main reception room.

 It’s quite the room, with three sash windows overlooking main street, an ornate fireplace with solid fuel stove, a built-in wooden bookcase along one wall, ceiling coving and central roses, and original shutters on the windows.

 It’s reached off a large, brightly-lit landing which is like a room in itself. 

The main bedroom is on this floor too.

 A small dressing room off it is currently in use as a study, but could just as easily be a nursery.

The bulk of the bedrooms (four) are on the top floor, of which two are interconnected, with one in use as a home office. Also on this floor is the kitchenette and a shower room.

In short, the next owner of Richmond House won’t be stuck for space. Selling agent Mary O’Callaghan of SOC Properties says it’s “a beautiful house” that’s attracting both overseas and local interest.

“People looking to relocate from outside towns and villages into the town or village, without compromising on space, are among those currently enquiring.

“Often these people find themselves downsizing, but that is not the case here. Not only is Richmond House a fine property, it has a lovely big garden, with rear vehicular access. And the house itself is turnkey,” Ms O’Callaghan says. She adds that the outbuildings offer additional possibilities.

The agent expects it to attract families: there’s a new state-of-the-art secondary school, Scoil Mhuire, in Buttevant, and there’s also a primary school, playground, and creche facilities. There’s a regular bus service and both Charleville and Mallow — 10 minutes by car in either direction — are served by rail.

“Buttevant is a busy town and very popular with purchasers given its proximity to Cork (40-minute drive) and Limerick (50-minute drive),” Ms O’Callaghan says.

She does not rule out investor interest, given the property’s proven AirBnB potential and the capacity to rent out floors independently.

“The ground floor in particular could be a self-contained flat,” she says.

The AMV is €398,000 and Ms O’Callaghan does not expect first-time buyers.

“It’s not your typical first time buyer property,” she says.

New owners may look at improving the property’s energy efficiency, which is currently rated E1.

VERDICT: A similar property in a city like Cork would cost twice as much. Good value, if you’re looking for rural living, without being isolated. A great option for families in the Buttevant area looking to trade up