Gardens to delight – or profit on

When Chandos in Milltown was built in 1900 it was a grand house compared with the mill-workers’ cottages around it and the two-storey detached house is still a very large property.

Together with its 0.6 acre of gardens, it is the largest family home on the Dundrum Road.

Just opposite Emmet House, the former home of Robert Emmet, on the Milltown end of the road, it is a striking looking two-storey house, with timber finished gables, set behind a stone wall.

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It last changed hands in 1967 when a family moved in and the agents, Sherry FitzGerald, suggest that it will once again be a family who buys the four-bedroom, 291sq m (3,130sq ft) house. It is for sale at €1.65 million.

The family friendly layout is far from the gloomy warren of rooms that is so often found in even late Victorian houses.

There is a large hall with a picture window, a dining room, living room, family room, study and eat-in kitchen.

The bedrooms upstairs are very large with high ceilings and plenty of light.

The house was updated in 2003 when the new kitchen, two en suites and a new bathroom were put in and, in all, aside from decorating and maybe updating the original windows and improving the insulation, it looks to be in walk-condition.

While it is likely that a family will buy, developers are sure to take a look too.

The 0.6 acre beautifully kept, mature, west-facing garden, which in its heyday provided the family with all its vegetables, will surely be a draw given the house’s convenient location.

Development potential

As far back as 1983 its development potential was recognised by its owner when planning permission was granted to demolish the house and build a small apartment scheme.

That planning has obviously lapsed and perhaps the planners now might feel it a shame to knock one the finest old houses on the Dundrum Road, certainly one of the prettiest but that might not stop a small developer giving it more than the once over.

Chandos is not a protected structure. A similar-sized infill site across the road changed hands in recent years and six new houses – called Richmond Close – have been built on it.

Even if a family does buy Chandos they might consider a small side development. A quirky feature of the property is its two adjacent drive-ins.

One is original to the house and one leads directly into a strip of land to the side which the owner acquired some years ago.

It would seem – subject to planning permission – that a home could be built on it without impacting on the main house.