An hour north of Dublin, among the sort of emerald scenery that inspired Johnny Cash to write his ode to Ireland, Forty Shades of Green, is Ardbraccan House — a handsome, 18th-century limestone mansion originally constructed as the seat for the local Lord Bishop of Meath.
The 23,000-square-foot residence was built to striking Palladian designs laid out by two of the most celebrated Georgian architects, James Wyatt and Richard Castle (also known as Richard Cassels). It features a three-storey over basement, 11-bedroom main house, which is anchored to the ancient landscape by a pair of sweeping wings: a physical manifestation of Ardbraccan’s warm embrace.
‘It’s massive, but you could be there on your own and feel so happy,’ explains Serena Williams-Ellis, an interior designer who has overseen the home’s renovation not once, but twice. ‘It’s really a house that smiles at you.’ From 1 to 15 April 2026, Christie’s will offer more than 80 lots from Ardbraccan House — ranging from equestrian paintings to Irish furniture, Dutch ceramics and Persian carpets — as part of the Collections series of auctions in Paris, London and New York.
‘My hope is that every lot will be cherished in its new home, just as it has been in ours,’ says Williams-Ellis. ‘We are merely custodians — eventually, these works move on, finding new surroundings and becoming part of new stories.’