Foreign Property News | Posted by Hnin Ei Khin
Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones among those who have stayed at Luggala and enjoyed its otherworldly surroundings.
The Guinness family’s Wicklow estate is for sale again. The sprawling property includes a seven-bedroom Gothic Revival lodge and its own private lake.
Luggala, meaning ‘hollow of the hill’, dates back to the late 18th century and occupies 5,000 acres in Ireland’s mystical Wicklow Mountains.
On the market for nearly £25million, its shores are lapped by Lough Dan and the private lake of Lough Tay, the latter’s white sand giving it the appearance of a freshly-poured pint of our favourite dry stout.
The main house, known as Luggala Lodge, is just over 9,000sq ft. Turrets and battlements give it a fairytale-castle aesthetic and it was originally modelled on Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham.
Luggala has been on the market since March 2017. Sotheby's estate agents were initially asked to find a buyer who would allow the late owner, eccentric Claddagh Records founder Garech Browne, to remain in residence for part of the year.
Sadly, Browne died three months ago and the property is now for sale on a conventional basis.
Luggala was damaged by fire in the Fifties and given a rush refurbishment but it was not until 40 years later that it was completely restored, at a cost of £3.5million. Windows and fireplaces were replaced, the north wing was completely rebuilt and a new library and indoor swimming pool were added, along with underfloor heating and a high-tech security system.
THE MAN BEHIND THE PARTIES- The champagne-swilling, ponytailed Browne, or de Brún, as he preferred to be known, was the son of socialite and art collector Oonagh Guinness, who took over Luggala in the Thirties when her father, Ernest Guinness, gave it to her as a wedding present.
Oonagh, who described Luggala as "the most decorative honeypot in Ireland", is buried in the grounds, along with other members of the famous brewing family. Browne, who was 78 when he died, was described by his biographer Paul Howard as "the living, breathing quintessence of Swinging London, a dandy with the air of a young prince". He was passionate about Irish culture and preserving his heritage.
Browne was married to Princess Harshad Purna Devi of Morvi, the daughter of the last Maharaja of Morvi, for 36 years, and the time he spent in India is evident in the wonderfully opulent interiors by David Mlinaric, the renowned British interior designer behind the Royal Opera House.
Ref : Property Report
