A beautifully renovated 2 bed, 2 bath cottage located on Walworth Demesne.
The Cottage @ Walworth Demesne is part of the impressive period property, located in a private and secluded situation, set on about 8.6 acres which includes 3 listed flankers from the original fortified castle and an immaculate walled garden. The property comprises an abundance of accommodation with Walworth House, an adjacent cottage, a converted barn, and a number of outbuildings. The property provides a fantastic sense of arrival with a sweeping driveway through a flat lawn, bordered by mature trees leading to a central courtyard where ample parking is provided.
Walworth Cottage is a beautifully renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom property in the Demesne and comprises of a kitchen, living/dining area and double doors out to the patio area and gardens, two double bedroom and two bathrooms. Externally, the property comprises an impressive and immaculate walled garden with water feature and koi fishpond, along with 3 flankers from the original fortified castle from circa 1617-1631, the site of the former garden centre and numerous outbuildings.
Walworth House is steeped in history and tradition. In 1613, the land now known as Ballykelly was granted to the fishmongers’ company by James I. Between 1617 and 1631, the company set about establishing the original castle at Walworth. The original Walworth House comprised of 4 flankers with the original bawn and wall enclosing an area of 1,500 sq. m with the 3 storeys dwelling in the centre. Occupied by Mr James Higgins, George Downing and later, in 1654 by Captain Lane. The only surviving element of the original property are the three flankers of the bawn which have remarkably survived to present day. The remaining flankers are situated NW, NE and SE and have retained their original form. The estate was leased from the Fishmongers’ company to the Hamilton's and Beresford's, with the company regaining possession in 1820. During this time, a new Walworth House was constructed by the Beresford in 1730, however little work seemed to be performed to undertake the upkeep of the property during this time. Barr Beresford flooded the London Committee of the Fishmongers’ company with letters of the complaint due to the decaying nature of the property and eventually sent the company a part of the rotten roof. Eventually in 1820, the Fishmongers’ company started to make improvements to the village of Ballykelly by demolishing cabins of the cottier population to make way for public buildings and houses of better descriptions. The property was altered in 1800 and was further extended in 1900. The property has passed through many generations with the original house being occupied by James Sterling in 1823, Arthur Sampson in 1858, The Ingram family until 1931 and the the Brown family occupying the house until recently. The gardens on the property surround the remains of the fortified manor with the present walled garden designed in 1989.
Walworth Demesne is located in the historic village of Ballykelly which features many prominent historic buildings including the Tamlaghtfinlagan Parish Church, which was built by Earl Frederick Hervey, 18th Century Bishop of Derry. During the 17th century and 18th century, Ballykelly went through an expansion with the Fishmongers’ company building the Presbyterian church, Northwest Idependent Hospital, now known as Kingsbridge Northwest Hospital. Surrounding the village is the Ballykelly forest, which was bought in 1910 becoming the first state forest in Northern Ireland. Walworth House is located approximately less than 1 mile Northeast of Ballykelly on the Walworth Road and occupies a peaceful, semi-rural position, yet is well situated for commuting on the A2 to towards Derry / Londonderry and A6 towards Belfast.
