Restoration of Ballynatray House in west Waterford is continuing, with new plans approved by Waterford Council this week.

The 18th-century estate, which was bought last year by billionaire inventor and Dyson founder James Dyson for a reported €30 million, has been undergoing extensive works.

Sir James Dyson is a British inventor, industrial designer, farmer, and business magnate who founded the Dyson company. He is best known as the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation.

Recent projects at the site have included restoration of gatehouses, demolition works, and the installation of an internal lift. Plans for a helicopter landing area on the grounds were lodged but later appealed.

The latest application, conditionally approved, allows for changes to the grounds south of the main house. These include lowering a basement lightwell wall, refitting its capping, and reinstating a grass path across the south lawn.

Ballynatry House, Co. Waterford. Pic: Kieran McCarthy.

Ballynatray House is a protected structure and listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. It is described as a late-Georgian residence designed for large-scale entertaining, featuring interconnecting reception rooms, wide mahogany doors, and ornate plasterwork.

The house sits on an 850-acre estate and was previously restored in the late 1990s. Since Dyson’s purchase, it has been almost entirely enclosed in scaffolding as works advance.

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