Price slashed by a €1.3m to make house bargain

If you looked at Willowfield House in Ballynacargy and went "wow!" - but were put off by the €2.1m price tag, it might be worth considering again, the price has been slashed by just over a million, and it's now on sale for €795,000."This has to be the bargain of the year in Westmeath," says auctioneer Andrew Duncan of DNG Duncan Auctioneers in Mullingar, of the €1.3m price cut that the owners of the house are prepared to take, in order to offload what is a truly spectacular period property, in top order - with the added bonus of a factory premises on the grounds."It's a huge building, and it's on a 4.5 acre site. It's got everything: a coachhouse, it's got a second yard, and it's even got a walled garden, which is immaculate," says Mr. Duncan."All the period features are in place: the sash windows, marble fireplaces and flagstone flooring, and, of course, as is common with period properties, it is two-storey over basement."Built in the 1830s, the house is steeped in history and is full of character.Conveniently, it's just fifteen minutes' drive from Mullingar town, and two minutes from the village of Ballynacargy.The basement has its own hallway, with the original flagstone floor. The kitchen, a dual aspect room, is located at basement level, and has a solid fuel Victorian stove with brick surround in place.The adjoining utility room has its original flagstone floor and contains a pantry, and also in the basement are an office, a store room, a boiler room, a games room, a wine cellar and a w.c.At first floor level are the main reception rooms."The main entrance is a large space, with the original Victorian clay tiles still in place, a chandelier providing light, and coving detail around the ceiling," says Andrew, adding that the drawing room is "fantastic", with high ceilings and a stunning marble fireplace.The dining room, similarly, has a stunning fireplace, this time in black marble.There's also a service quarter, a living room with another marble fireplace, and one of the bedrooms.Upstairs are the four bedrooms and the main bathroom. The master bedroom is ensuite, and three of the bedrooms have marble fireplaces.To impress visitors, there's a long avenue lined with mature trees, there are stables, and 4.5 acres of grounds. The current owners ran a successful business from the factory premises, meaning that it could well be a home that would suit an entrepreneur.