Drumskellan · Muff · Co. Donegal

The Grove
a Victorian house, in waiting

Builtc. 1875
Site2.8 acres
Guide Price€450,000
Discover
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
2
Internal
1,900 sq ft
Site
2.8 acres
Eircode
F93 R2X9
An Introduction

A period home with real bones, and room to breathe.

The Grove is a substantial Victorian house, built around 150 years ago, sitting on a private 2.8 acre site of mature woodland and lawn at Drumskellan, on the outskirts of Muff. It looks south across Lough Foyle and the surrounding countryside, with Derry City just minutes down the road.

It's a 1,900 sq ft, two-storey property with a private driveway, generously proportioned rooms, very high ceilings and many of its original features still intact. It needs work, that's the honest part of the story, but the structure, the setting and the scale are all rare, and very hard to recreate.

For the right buyer, it's a chance to take an honest, well-built period house and bring it forward thoughtfully, as a family home, a country retreat, or something a little more ambitious.

Drawing room with original marble fireplace
The Story

Built for a long life, and well into one.

The Grove was raised in the 1870s, in the quiet hinterland between Muff and the city of Derry. It was built solidly, thick walls, deep foundations, ten-foot ceilings on the ground floor, in the way that Victorian builders built when they expected a house to outlast them by a century or more.

It has done exactly that. The pitch pine porch floor is still there. The cast-iron fireplaces are still in their rooms. The coving in the drawing room still runs unbroken around all four walls. The slate-and-tile hearth in the study, the oak handrail on the stairs, the broad pine floorboards underfoot, all original, all intact, all waiting.

What it asks for now is a sympathetic hand. Not a gut renovation that sweeps the past out, but a careful refurbishment that keeps what's good, replaces what's tired, and lets the house do what it has always done, be a comfortable, generous, properly Irish country home.

A Walk Through

Step inside The Grove.

A short film walking the house, room by room, and across the grounds as they stand today.

The Particulars

What's there, and what it offers.

i.

The House

1,900 sq ft over two storeys. Four large bedrooms, three reception rooms, kitchen with Stanley Range, scullery, study, and family bathroom. Ten-foot ceilings on the ground floor; nine-foot eight on the first.

ii.

Original Features

Cast-iron fireplaces in most reception rooms and bedrooms, with marble and tile detail. Pitch pine and stained oak flooring throughout the principal rooms. Original coving, oak staircase, and a slate fireplace in the study. The kitchen has been updated more recently and houses a Stanley Range.

iii.

The Grounds

2.8 acres of mature site, including woodland, with front and rear lawn. Private driveway with parking for several cars. A detached corrugated-iron shed (approx 19' x 45') sits to the rear.

iv.

The View

Elevated south-facing aspect over Lough Foyle and the surrounding countryside. Sheltered by mature trees. Properly rural in feel, but only a few minutes' drive from the village of Muff and the city of Derry.

v.

The Potential

The fundamentals, structure, scale, ceiling heights, light, position, are all in place. There is real scope to refurbish sympathetically, and to bring the house back to a level that does justice to its setting.

vi.

The Setting

Drumskellan sits on the Wild Atlantic Way, approximately 0.7 miles from the village of Muff. Derry City is around ten minutes by car. Belfast is roughly two hours; Dublin around three.

The Accommodation

Room by room.

Ground floor, ceilings 10' high
Entrance Porch5'10" × 3'10"
Central Hallway16'10" × 6'0"
Drawing Room15'0" × 16'0"
Sitting Room14'9" × 12'0"
Kitchen12'4" × 14'3"
Rear Scullery12'6" × 10'0"
Study14'6" × 9'8"
WC5'0" × 3'0"
First floor, ceilings 9'8" high
Central Landing6'8" × 14'6"
Bedroom 114'10" × 10'6"
Bedroom 215'3" × 14'3"
Bedroom 310'4" × 6'8"
Bedroom 414'8" × 14'8"
Bathroom12'7" × 10'5"
Outside
Detached Shed (rear)19'7" × 45'9"
Site2.8 acres

All measurements approximate. Apparatus, fixtures, fittings and services have not been tested; interested parties should undertake their own enquiries.

The property in its setting — fields, woodland, and Lough Foyle beyond
The Setting

On the Wild Atlantic Way.

Drumskellan is a quiet rural townland just outside Muff, on the Donegal side of the border, set into the rolling country above Lough Foyle. The village itself is small and friendly; the city of Derry is barely a few miles down the road.

It's the kind of location that's hard to find: properly rural, properly private, but with a city, an airport and the open Atlantic coast all within easy reach.

10
Min to Derry City
15
Min to City of Derry Airport
2 hr
To Belfast
3 hr
To Dublin
Enquire

Arrange a viewing.

The Grove is for sale by private treaty through McCauley Properties, sole agent. Viewings are by appointment only.

Send a few details below and we'll be in touch to arrange a time that suits.

Sole Agent
McCauley Properties
Contact
Mairead Doherty
Telephone
Office
Market Square, Moville,
Inishowen, Co. Donegal
PSRA
No. 002017
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