PERCHED HIGH ATOP CRAGGY ROCKS OVERLOOKING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, WITH DURSEY ISLAND AND CROW HEAD FRAMING THE VIEW, DURSEY SHORE LIGHTHOUSE RESIDENCE WAS DELIBERATELY SITED TO HAVE DIRECT VISIBILITY OF CALF ROCK BEYOND, THE LOCATION OF THE ILL-FATED LIGHTHOUSE. THIS FULLY RESTORED HOME ENJOYS SOME OF THE MOST SCENIC VIEWS IRELAND HAS TO OFFER.

SPECIAL FEATURES
•
Renovated former lighthouse dwellings containing 380 sq.m. / 4,096 sq.ft. approx. of living accommodation with four bedrooms that is easily adaptable to either one or two separate dwellings.
•
Designed and built in the early 1860s to house the Calf Rock Lighthouse personnel and their families.
•
Two acres approx. of grounds with private direct access to the foreshore including a former store house, ideal for storing kayaks or various lifestyle uses above a rock cut out Pier and Slipway.
•
Idyllic West Cork Coastal location with the nearby Cable Car providing access to Dursey Island while being approx. 20 minutes from Allihies village and 30 minutes from the port town of Castletownbere.

DESCRIPTION
One of the finest sites in Ireland, this is a four-bedroomed waterfront residence with jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic Ocean and of the scenic Dursey Island. The grounds of approximately 2 acres have direct water access, leading to a secluded swimming cove with cut-out pier and slipway.

A sundial located adjoining the property records it as the location of the final sunset of the last millennium in Western Europe and sets the scene for this unique property.

LOCATION
The Dursey Shore Lighthouse Residence at the south west tip of the Beara Peninsula, is an iconic location on the Wild Atlantic Way and the spectacular ocean views make this part of the south west of Ireland a much sought after location. Sailing and fishing are catered for, as is golf with the Castletownbere Golf Club. The town of Castletownbere is 30 minutes away. The town has picturesque pubs and restaurants, a famous seaport and the nearby Dzogchen Beara Buddist Retreat Centre. A major attraction of the area are the many nearby colourful West Cork villages including Allihies and Eyeries.

The area benefits from a microclimate, warmed by the Gulf Stream, which enables the cultivation of a wide diversity of plants. The clear deep waters of the bay are home to a seal population and include many very picturesque swimming spots.

SHORE DWELLING
The house, built in the early 1860s, with substantial renovations beginning in the late 1990s, exudes character with decorative red brick window and door surrounds maintaining the feel of the original house while the addition of two elegant octagonal Victorian style conservatories brings the picturesque surroundings inside.

Excellently maintained and attractively presented, the spacious reception rooms have wonderful proportions, with tall windows to let in maximum light and access the extraordinary views.

With an ideal balance between formality and family relaxation, this is a house to entertain in style, enjoy at leisure and make the most of throughout the seasons. Cosy fireplaces warm in winter, while contemporary rooms let you enjoy the landscape at all times of the year. The well positioned patio areas take in the magnificent views of this renowned part of Beara in West Cork.

The home is currently laid out in two separate living areas that can easily be adapted into one spacious home. Most of the rooms benefit from the outstanding views.

The bedrooms are all spacious, and there is potential to create a separate guest house on the grounds. There is flexibility to adapt the property for living, working, adding staff quarters, or creating an additional income stream.

OUTBUILDINGS:
Boat House/Former Store House - Positioned above the foreshore and slipway on a rock base, the building is ideal for lifestyle use including the storing of kayaks or a studio. Built to store provisions for the lighthouse, a crane was used to lower goods to a waiting boat below to be shipped to Calf Rock.

An ancillary building to the main house includes an open shed with stairs to floored loft, ideal for storing a boat, attached glass house and garage. The building is easily adaptable for use as a further living area, workshop, garage or Studio.
There are two further stone-built outbuildings, one to the rear of the property and a second to the east which offer further potential.

GARDENS AND GROUNDS
While the coastline of the Beara Peninsula is renowned for the extraordinary beauty of its blue waters and rugged cliffs, relatively few properties have grounds that sweep down to the sea. Even fewer have direct water access.

The Lighthouse Residence is a private enclave with a sunny southwest aspect to one of Ireland’s most spectacular views. A large, gravelled driveway leads to a sitting area in front of the house and a further raised decking area which extends towards to sea to take in the views. Further lawns, fields and patios surround the house.

There is private shoreline access via steps cut out of the rocks.

HISTORY
Referred to variously as the ‘Lighthouse Relieving Station’ or the ‘Shore Dwellings’, the building is linked to the construction of a lighthouse on an island known as Calf Rock, off Dursey Island in the 1860s. They were used to house the light house personnel when off duty and their families.

The site for the house was chosen as it had direct line of sight to Calf Rock and after a difficult negotiation, the property was purchased from local landowner Mr Hutchins for £181 in 1859. While an initial estimate of £2,000 to build the houses was seen as expensive, it would eventually be built in conjunction with the lighthouse by Henry Grissell of the Regents Canal Iron Works in London for £6,151. The dwellings would serve as homes for the lighthouse keepers and their families until 1940. They were eventually sold off by the Commissioner of Irish Light in 1946. It would be the 1990s before they would eventually be converted to a dwelling.
The Calf Rock light was lit eventually on 30 June 1866 but it was doomed to fail from the beginning. Concerns about the design raised by experienced builder, Henry Grissel, were not listened to. Built of cast iron with an interior brick lining (red brick also used to decorate house), Grissel believed that condensation in the cavity would rust the iron. On 27 November 1881 his prediction would come through, when a violent storm completely severed the lighthouse. With stormy conditions, it would take 12 days before a crew of seven Dursey Islanders put to sea in a small boat and rowed 5km through the still treacherous conditions to reach the island. Miraculously all 6 men on the lighthouse were saved. After the storm a decision was made to move the lighthouse to the higher and safer Bull Rock nearby.

SERVICES: • Oil fired central heating • Solar panels on roof • Septic tank drainage • Private water supply