Georgian Country Home For Sale in Derry/Londonderry

Key Features
– Grade A listed period property dating back to the 18th century
– Additional accommodation including a 3 bed cottage & outbuildings with former stables
– Stunning views over the River Foyle
– Set on a beautiful secluded site extending to about 10.3 acres with mature gardens and wooded areas
– Noted by the NI Tourist Board as one of the North’s most historic homes

Prehen House is a stunning period property located in a secluded position surrounded by tall mature trees, with uninterrupted views out to the River Foyle and Derry/Londonderry city. The property has historic ties with Derry/Londonderry and retains many of its original features including bay windows, cornicing and intricate paintwork.

The property offers well-portioned accommodation over three floors including the basement. Upon arrival, you will enter through a stone gateway and arrive at the property via a sweeping driveway through mature trees. The ground floor of the property comprises of an entrance foyer with fantastic original features and limewash finish with 4 reception rooms leading off including a sitting room and an impressive floor to ceiling library with a fireplace and bay windows. From the library you can get access to a further reception room which would be perfect for a family snug. The kitchen and dining area is located towards the back of the residence and provides a spacious family area with an aga, utility and a storage room.

The first floor of the property comprises of a master bedroom with dressing room and ensuite, and a further six bedrooms with one ensuite shower/toilet. The main staircase leads to a small landing area allowing access into two of the bedrooms. Further from this small landing area is the spacious reception which allows access to three bedrooms including the master bedroom. The second staircase provides access to two further bedrooms towards the back of the residence with one benefiting from an ensuite.

The property has the unique benefit of a vaulted basement with wine cellars, a consecrated Russian Orthodox Chapel, a consecrated Church of Ireland and various stores with a total of nine rooms.

Externally the property is set on about 9.78 acres including wooded areas. There is an outbuilding with former stables and a cottage which comprises of a kitchen, lounge and bedroom on the ground floor, with a further two bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor.

History
A map in 1619 shows the townland with a dwelling located close to the River Foyle. This dwelling is noted to have been occupied by William Taylor and was destroyed in the 1641 rebellion.

The property was then purchased by Alderman Alexander Tomkins who was Mayor of Derry/Londonderry at the time of the siege in 1689 and his wife Margaret, with the house at Prehen being constructed around 1660s. His son Alderman Tomkins’ served as MP for the city from 1715-39 and it is noted that he lived at Prehen.

The current iconic Georgian manor property dates back to 1700s and was designed by architect Michael Priestly. The property extended to about 3,000 acres and was built by Andrew Knox who at the time was the PM for Donegall in 1740. The Knox family owned the property for around 170 years until its was seized in WW1. During the 1920s, the land was sold off in lots and the residence was subdivided into flats. The fine and thick woodland surrounding Prehen House was sold in 1927 to the McGregors, who felled the woodland leading to controversy and a portion of the land being saved – known as Prehen Woods. During the second world war, the property was requisitioned by the army for troop accommodation. However Prehen was eventually bought back by another branch of the Knox family in 1971, with Prehen being restored by Carola and the late Julian Peck.

The Knox family produced some of the most prominent figures in the northwest of Ireland with Baron George Carl Otto Lousi Von Scheffler Knox (1884-1966), Dillwyn Knox who was instrumental in breaking the Enigma Code in WW2 (1884 – 1947), Monsignor Ronald Knox who is known for his outstanding translation of the Bible. The Knox’s of Prehen have centuries long association with Derry/Londonderry as well as having one of the most distinctive burial vaults in Derry City Cemetery.

Local Information
The property is located in Derry/Londonderry which is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth largest city on the island of Ireland with the city boasting a population total of 85,279. Situated on the border of County Donegal this location offers easy travel over the border to ROI. The city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle with the old city being contained by the well preserved city walls which were completed in 1618 and are about 1.2 miles in circumference.

Derry/Londonderry is about 70 miles northwest of Belfast via the M2/A6 and 23 miles east of Letterkenny in the Republic of Ireland via the N13. The city has excellent road and rail links as well as benefitting from its own deep seaport ‘Londonderry Port’ and own airport ‘Derry City’ at Eglinton, with direct daily connections to major UK and ROI cities.

Prehen House is located about 2.3 miles southwest of Derry/Londonderry on Prehen Park Road, occupying an elevated position in a private, tranquil setting with uninterrupted breath taking views across the River Foyle and Derry/Londonderry City.

An abundance of amenities are located nearby at Foyleside Shopping Centre (2.3 miles), Richmond Shopping Centre (2.2 miles), Lisnagelvin Retail Park (2.8 miles), and Crescent Link Retail Park (3.9 miles).

For the lovers of the outdoors there are a number of walks and trails nearby including the historic walk around the Derry city walls and Peace Bridge as well as the award-winning 21 mile cycle route which connects the historic walled city of Derry/Londonderry to the border towns of Lifford and Strabane. Other attractive walks include Brooke Park, Ness Country Park, Prehen Woods and St Columb’s Park. Lisfannon Beach in County Donegal is also a short 20-minute drive away on the bay of Lough Swilly.

There is a great selection of both primary schools and secondary schools serving the local area including Ballougry Primary School, Lisnagelvin Primary, Model School, Foyle College and Lumen Christi College to name a few. Ulster University Magee Campus is also 2.9 miles distant, offering a broad range of undergraduate and post graduate academic degree programmes.