For sale - freehold. First floor (split level) Master bedroom suite with dressing room and en suite bathroom * bedroom / sitting room*

Transcription

1 Castle Upton Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland

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3 Castle Upton Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland For sale - freehold A historic Grade A listed home in private grounds and excellently located close to Belfast City and Belfast International Airports. Ground floor (split level) Entrance porch * grand hall * cloakroom * sitting room * drawing room * ballroom * dining room * kitchen * First floor (split level) Master bedroom suite with dressing room and en suite bathroom * bedroom / sitting room* Second floor (split level) 6 bedrooms (1 en suite) * 2 bathrooms * Basement Laundry room * cellar * wood store * workshops * self-contained apartment * store room * Courtyard with office/gallery * tennis court * mature gardens * In all about approx. 21 acres/8.5 hectares Savills Belfast 32/36 May Street Belfast BT1 4N2 belfast@savills.ie +44 (0) Savills Country 20 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 country@savills.ie +353 (0)

4 Location Belfast Belfast Int. Airport Belfast City Airport Antrim Dublin 12 miles 5.6 miles 15.5 miles 6.5 miles 115 miles History There is a vast and fascinating history tied to Castle Upton which encapsulates the changing times of Northern Ireland, Ireland and Britain through the ages. The area itself has been inhabited as far back as 450 A.D. when St. Patrick reportedly visited during his Irish mission, establishing a Church and the Holy Well of St. Patrick. The first Castle or Priory as it was also known was built in 1200 A.D. by the Knights of St. John. Part of this building still remains incorporated into the basement of the modern Castle Upton and the small tower, St. John s Tower, is said to have been built during his reign. The Knights remained there until 1568 when they were driven out by the Protestant Reformation. The Priorate or Castle of the Knights of St. John was granted to Captain Humfred de Norton whom by 1611 had already built a large portion of the present Castle. (This date is above the front door). In 1625 Captain Henry Upton purchased the house and lands of Castle Norton as it was then called and gave the name of Castle Upton. Upton had come to Ireland as part of the Earl of Essex s army. He became the M.P. for Carrickfergus in During the 1641 Irish Rebellion, the rebels kept all the Protestant inhabitants of the district on the defensive inside the Castle. They finally received aid in 1642 from the Scottish Army which remained on duty at Templepatrick until 1646.

5 The property remained in Upton hands for many generations. They suffered many premature deaths in the family and the Castle frequently passed down a line of brothers, not all of whom were interested in living there. The Upton who inherited in 1768 was the youngest of three brothers and had made his home in London. He was the Comptroller of the Household of the Princess Dowager of Wales and became the 1st Baron Templeton. It was he who commissioned his friend Robert Adam to make improvements to the Castle in Robert Adam made considerable changes some of which were the addition of the great banqueting hall and the drawing room. He remodelled the main hall with a heightened ceiling and designed the wood work and the ceiling decorations. Adam also built the beautiful double stable yard. By the late 1920s the Castle was in disrepair and sold in 1923 to a timber merchant and subsequently to a business entrepreneur. He made his own changes to the Castle removing some of the crenellations and pepper pot turrets; he also reduced the south front by one storey. When the Kinahan family purchased the Castle in 1963 both the Castle and the Adam yard were in various stages of neglect. They immediately started a restoration project which began with the Castle and the gardens. Slowly they were both returned to their former glory.

6 Location and Amenities Castle Upton is located in the peaceful and appealing village of Templepatrick, 12 miles northwest of Belfast city centre, 5.6 miles from Belfast International Airport and conveniently on the Airport to Belfast bus route. There is plenty on offer in the village itself with a number of hotels including the neighbouring Hilton Templepatrick Golf and Country Club. The Hilton boasts excellent amenities such as the 18-hole championship parkland course (formally part of the Castle Upton Estate) together with a state of the art Health Club (comprising a gym, swimming pool and hair and beauty salons) and a restaurant. Templepatrick is excellently positioned to enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer. The thriving Belfast city centre, with all its culture and leisure facilities, is a mere 15 minutes drive away. Under an hour away, situated on the North Antrim Coast is the World Heritage Site of the Giants Causeway, one of the most visited attractions in Ireland. This is combined with the spectacular coastline and heritage walks along the cliffs. Other close by amenities including sailing at a choice of the Antrim Boat Club, Carrickfergus Sailing Club or the award winning marina in Bangor (the largest in Northern Ireland). There is an excellent choice of golf courses in the vicinity, in addition to the adjoining Hilton Golf Course, there is the Holywood Golf Club, the Masserene Golf Club and Ireland s oldest established course, the Royal Belfast Golf Club. Description Set deep behind the original estate walls, Castle Upton sits proudly amongst its glorious gardens and mature parkland. Castle Upton is essentially a Castle with a rural setting and yet central to the village, a few minutes off the M2 motorway and 12 miles from the city centre. An impressive fortified gateway at the centre of the village leads to the Castle. The front avenue leads through mature woods over a stone bridge and opens out to parkland giving the first glimpse of Castle Upton. The house is impressive in character with a charming appeal. On entering the hall there is an immediate sense of welcome and admiration of the unusual architectural and decorative features. Throughout the house are numerous features which are of historical and architectural importance. The hall boasts a double height ceiling with intricate plasterwork displaying the Upton family crest. There are three principal reception rooms and a cosy family room. The reception rooms all have their own unique characteristics. The drawing room is spacious and bright with a beautiful circular shaped inset in the chimney piece. The ballroom is an elegant room with a sprung floor and an Italian marble chimney piece, formally at Downhill Castle near Castlerock. The dining room has a quatrefoil ceiling with Maltese cross designs and Wedgwood inspired plaster reliefs depicting classical

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10 scenes. The recessed windows of the dining rooms clearly demonstrate the great thickness of the exterior walls. The light and spacious bedrooms are found on the first and second floors. In the courtyard behind the Castle is a large selfcontained office which was formally used as an art gallery and easily suits many purposes. The office wing connects to the main house at basement level which has a series of useful rooms and a one bedroom staff apartment. In the past 20 years the Castle has benefited from further renovations including re-roofing, re-wiring and re-plumbing. Castle Upton Accommodation Total approx. area 966 sq mts / 10,415 sq ft Attic: 153 sq mts / 1,650 sq ft (Please refer to floor plans) Ground Floor The Main Hall features a tiled floor, part wood panelled walls and a decorative panelled ceiling featuring the Upton family crest. Part of the hall has a double height ceiling. A short flight of stairs leads to the upper hall level giving access to the main staircase and there is also access to the basement from the main hall. The cloakroom has a timber floor, wood panelled walls, corniced ceiling, 2 x wc s, 2 x whb s and built in storage. The sitting room has a carpeted floor, wood panelled walls and decorative panelled ceiling with the Upton family crest. There is an Adam fireplace and door to the drawing room. The drawing room has a timber floor, corniced ceiling and decorative timber fireplace with a beautiful circular shaped inset framed by marble. Double doors lead into the ballroom which has a sprung maple dance floor, a corniced ceiling with decorative frieze and 2 centre roses. It has a part wood panelled wall and a magnificent large engraved white marble fireplace with gilded friezes. The ballroom has access to two separate towers. The dining room has a timber floor, quatrefoil ceiling with Maltese cross designs and Wedgwood inspired plaster reliefs on the walls, black marble fireplace and door leading to the kitchen. The kitchen has built in kitchen units both at floor and eye level. A four door oil fired Aga, a Bosch electric oven with 4 rings, stainless steel sink, Amtico flooring and a door leading to steps into the garden. First Floor Bedroom 1 has a marble fireplace and is currently used as a sitting / ironing room. The master bedroom has a carpeted floor, corniced ceiling and large timber fireplace with marble inset. The en suite bathroom has a carpeted floor, part wood panelled walls, a roll top bath, separate shower, storage cupboards, wc, whb. The adjoining dressing room has a carpeted floor and built-in wardrobe. Second Floor There are 6 bedrooms at this level and two bathrooms. Bedroom 3 is a large bedroom over the drawing room and has a marble fireplace. Directly beside bedroom 3 is found the shower room and separate wc. Bedroom 4 has a carpeted floor and a timber fireplace. Up a short flight of stairs brings us to bedroom 5 which has a carpeted floor, corniced ceiling and a marble fireplace. Another short flight of stairs brings us to the upper landing with access to the attic. Bedroom 6 has a carpeted floor and built in wardrobe. Bedroom 7 has a carpeted floor, timber decorative fireplace. The bathroom has a tiled floor, bath, wc, whb. Bedroom 8 has a carpeted floor, corniced ceiling and a large en suite bathroom with a carpeted floor, an enormous roll top bath, separate shower, wc, whb. The attic spans the length of the house and is an enormous storage space with easy access. Basement There are a series of useful rooms at basement level including the laundry room, wine cellar, wood store and two workshops, many of the rooms have access directly into the courtyard. Also at basement level is found the self-contained staff apartment with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. The office / gallery is a bright spacious room, very possibly the oldest part of the Castle, its vaulted ceilings and white painted stone walls, add to its immense character. It has direct access to both the courtyard and the gardens and is an excellent room with enormous potential. Gate lodges Two gate lodges sit either side of the main Castle gates and are currently held in a lease by the architectural charity, HEARTH. The term is 50 years with approximately 35 years remaining. Gardens and Grounds The Castle is surrounded by wonderful gardens which have been a labour of love for the Kinahan family since To the front and side of the Castle there are expansive lawns interspersed with herbaceous borders, flower beds and shrubbery, all of which are framed by ancient specimen trees. An old stone fountain is the central point on the west lawn and today it is planted with an array of flowers. At the front of the house they built a ha-ha out into the field and also established an ornamental lake. To the rear of the Castle is found the tennis court which is surrounded by high beech hedges, shrubberies and fruit trees. It leads directly into the rear garden with an ornamental pond and lawns. In all the Castle is set on 21 acres / 8.5 ha of which there are 4 acres in gardens and the remainder is parkland interspersed with woodland.

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12 North East Tower (Storage) North West Tower (Spiral Staircase) Gallery and Office Kitchen Bedroom Sitting Room Apt Entrce Hall Store Bathroom Passage WC Workshop Wood Store Laundry Room Store Boiler North East Tower (Cellar) South West Tower Workshop St. John's Tower Courtyard Passage WC Drawing Room Ballroom North West Tower North East Tower Sitting Room Landing Grand Hall Entrance Porch Cloakroom WC WC Dining Room Kitchen UP

13 North West Tower North EastTower Flat Roof 5797 WC Bathroom Bedroom Bathroom Landing Bedroom Bedroom Bathroom 4785 Bathroom Principal Guest Bedroom Gallery Overlooking Grand Hall Dressing Room Master Bedroom Bedroom 5 Landing Bedroom Landing Passage 5371 Bedroom First Floor Plan NORTH NORTH Castle Upton 03 M14-Upton for Kinahan at Castle Upton, Templepatrick bell architects Main Street Ballymoney BT53 6AN COPYRIGHT Bell Architects Ltd T F E office@bell-architects.com Attic Landing Attic

14 FIXTURES & FITTINGS All fixtures and fittings are excluded from the sale including; garden statuary, light fittings and other removable fittings, although some may be available by separate negotiation. Services Mains water, electricity, OFCH, private soakaway system, intruder and fire alarm. Directions From Belfast: Take the M2 Northbound and continue for 11 miles. Take exit 5 (signed for Templepatrick / Belfast International Airport / A57). Continue for 0.9 miles and at the roundabout take the 2nd exit. Drive a couple hundred yards and Castle Upton is the first entrance on the right hand side. The main entrance is further along and it is an imposing fortified arched entrance flanked by two gate lodges. GENERAL REMARKS AND STIPULATIONS TENURE VIEWING Strictly by appointment with Savills Harriet Grant Savills Dublin 20 Dawson Street Dublin Harriet.grant@savills.ie Savills.ie Neal Morrison Savills Belfast 32/36 May Street Belfast BT1 4N2 Tel: + 44 (0) neal.morrison@savills.com Photography: All photographs were taken in 2014 and supplied by Gary Quigg Photography, Freehold

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16 Savills Country 20 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 country@savills.ie +353 (0) Savills Belfast 32/36 May Street Belfast BT1 4N2 belfast@savills.ie +44 (0) Important Notice: Savills and their clients give notice that: They are not authorised to make or give any representations or warranties in relation to the property either here or elsewhere, either on their own behalf or on behalf of their client or otherwise. They assume no responsibility for any statement that may be made in these particulars. These particulars do not form part of any offer or contract and must not be relied upon as statements or representations of fact. Any areas, measurements or distances are approximate. The text, photographs and plans are for guidance only and are not necessarily comprehensive. It should not be assumed that the property has all necessary planning, building regulation or other consents and Savills has not tested any services, equipment or facilities. Purchasers must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise. The reference to any mechanical or electrical equipment or other facilities at the property shall not constitute a representation (unless otherwise stated) as to its state or condition or that it is capable of fulfilling its intended function; prospective purchasers/tenants should satisfy themselves as to the fitness of such equipment for their requirements.we have not made any investigation into the existence or otherwise of any issues concerning pollution of land, air or water contamination and the purchaser is responsible for making his own enquiries in this regard. Photographs were taken in September Particulars prepared in November 2015.