Copyright irishexaminer
COMING up to the final run of construction are the last handful of new build homes at Midleton’s Charleston Woods, a scheme of close to 90 units in the former grounds of one of east Cork’s finest properties, Charleston House: it’s glimpsed still from now-completed internal roads on its five hectares, ringed by mature trees, and an internal walkway for residents. Set near Ballincurra, where Midleton meets the inner waters of Cork harbour in a spot with rich milling and malting past, Charleston House was associated with the wealthy Bennett family, who built the current 5,500 sq ft ‘big house’ in 1910 and whose business background was malting, and whose passions were yachting. It stayed in linked family hands until put for sale in superb condition by the West family, making over €4m, with the period house on c two acres later sold by overall purchasers 3 DNR/Mida Homes, associated with recruitment company owner and businessman Michael Byrne. Charleston House itself showed at €880,000 on the Price Register by 2018, and was bought by a Cork family with accountancy interests. While Charleston House’s polished brasses were remarked upon in these pages back in 2017, it seem there’s a patina and allure attached to the Charlestown Woods new-builds delivered in the grounds too, given the strong price appreciation even since first sales were notched up since 2022, with the larger of the remaining detacheds at up to €690,000. Prices on first launch were in the low to mid €300ks for three bed semis and four-beds tipped €500k: now, the remaining six three-bed 117 sq m/1,275 sq ft semis are €475,000, with larger 135 sq m/1,445 sq ft four-bed semi-ds at €550,000. Moving on to detacheds, there’s availability at €630,000 for a 149 sq ft home, there are five 168 sq m detacheds at €675,000, and two others, Nos 74 and 88, are €685,000 and €690,000 apiece. Selling from day one in the 89-home development are Miah McGrath and Susanne Wilkinson of McCarthy and McGrath, the Price Register shows their sales tipping 60 houses and now the final phase of 25 three and four bed homes are on offer. The agents say the scheme finishes up by mid to late 2026, with the last of the house stands now up (they are timber frame, A2-rated, with air to water heating underfloor at ground) with part-brick facades, and with design and meandering site layout by Meitheal Architects. There’s a show unit open, No 65, a four-bed semi, done by Ellen O’Shea of Enhance Interior Design, set just by the meandering last leg of the overall cul de sac scheme reached by scenic Ballinacurra’s Dark Road, within the overall mature site’s boundaries. The location is 1.5kms south of Midleton’s town centre, with easy access to points east, to the wider east harbour area and with beaches further out, around the mouth of Cork Harbour by Guileen and Inch and beyond. The wider Midleton hinterland is on the cusp of a new homes delivery surge, with major developments on the Cork side at Waterrock, while Ballinacurra/Castleredmond is more restricted. Near Charleston Woods, the O’Flynn Group’s substantial Lakeview development of over 300 homes is well advanced, built just off the N25 in the grounds of a 1830s Georgian Villa, Lakeview House, a protected structure which went into decline in previous developer ownership since the 2000s and now awaiting restoration. Three-beds semis at Lakeview are currently being sold from €450,000 (via Sherry FitzGerald) with one detached four-bed showing online available as ‘last in phase’ at €540,000. VERDICT: Thanks to the grace of the original Charleston House which now commands views of the ‘Woods’ amongst its woodland, it’s likely Charleton Woods will be deemed a premium Midleton address in further years and decades to come.
