Humewood Castle is an Impressive Victorian Residential Sporting Estate Set in the Heart of the Garden of Ireland

The Humewood Castle Estate lies in the beautiful rolling countryside of County Wicklow, one of the most scenic parts of the country that has earned the name ‘The Garden of Ireland’. The Victorian estate is a natural extension of this spectacular landscape, framed by a picturesque mountain backdrop to the north and the attractive village of Kiltegan beyond the south gate. With easy access to Dublin’s city center, this estate truly enjoys its reputation as one of the most sought-after locations in which to reside. 

The manor dates back to 1867 when William White, the English ecclesiastical architect, was commissioned by the rich Irish landowner and Conservative M.P. for County Wicklow, William Wentworth Fitzwilliam Hume Dick, to build Humewood, which was intended originally as ‘an occasional resort in the summer recess or shooting season’. The property is offered for sale with the inclusion of sporting rights, and there is potential to run a pheasant/duck shoot on its mature grounds, utilizing the extensive woodland and two lakes.

Lying on the edge of the Wicklow Mountains, the architect considered with care the juxtaposition of the mountain silhouette with the romantic Victorian skyline of towers, gables, and turrets. The stables, also by White and in the same style as the house, comprise a skillful composition of stonework and design in their own right.

“The fact that much of the core estate remains intact with the majority of the Victorian outbuildings and principal approaches unchanged make this property unique. Humewood Castle is replete with exceptional and upscale recreational amenities, ideal for the outdoor enthusiast,” says David Ashmore from Sherry Fitzgerald.

The mansion house can be accessed from four principal carriage drives, each terminating at the impressive vaulted porte cochere to allow covered access directly into the reception hall. It is a prestige Victorian house with most of its buildings remaining intact; its massive walls built of granite form wonderful compositions of pyramids and triangles in different heights, mounting upwards to combine one great irregular pyramidal mass that culminates in the central tower. 

The ground’s natural undulation was used to provide a basement that is quite unusual in Victorian houses; a billiard room and a wine cellar are among the rooms located there. High ceilings and generous proportions define the mansion’s living areas. Grand marble chimneypieces, robust walls, intricate woodwork in solid doors, shutters, and bookshelves all contribute to the estate’s superb feeling of Victorian privacy. The ground floor consists of a reception hall, stair hall, drawing room, dining room, salon, banqueting hall, music room, and butler’s pantry. The first and second floors offer 14 lavish bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms or shower rooms, with another bedroom positioned at the top of the east tower with an open fireplace and a roof terrace offering glorious views.

The grounds surrounding the house include two lakes, as well as formal and informal gardens that blend seamlessly with the 318 acres of parkland and the 60 acres of surrounding woodland. The formal grounds include lawn terraces along the western elevation from the castle and an enclosed rose garden, which can be accessed by the drawing room. A short distance southeast lies the walled garden with some mature fruit trees and shrubs, a gardener’s cottage, and a tennis court.