Boden Park House, on Scholarstown Road in Rathfarnham, once stood on 22 acres, and it gave its name to adjoining housing estates that were built in what were the grounds of the Georgian farmhouse.
By the time the current owners came to buy the old house 45 years ago, most of the land had already been sold off to build those houses, but it still left them with a substantial garden. Indeed, in their time they were able to sell off the walled garden for development as well as another site.
They were also able, about 30 years ago, to convert a series of outbuildings into Farm Lodge, a charming-looking three-bedroom, two-storey house just inside the gates, which became home to their elderly parents. So the house has been good to the family.
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Now they are downsizing and the entire property, made up of the original Boden Park House and the adjoining Farm Lodge, all on 1.5 acres with an outdoor swimming pool and mature gardens, is for sale through Ganly Walters for €1.95million.
Instantly appealing
The main house, built in about 1800, is instantly appealing: it’s a beautifully decorated family home with character that has the feel of a comfortable old house but with Georgian proportions.
The entrance, at the end of a sweeping driveway, is typically grand with a short flight of granite steps leading up to a split front door topped with the original fanlight.
The Georgians loved symmetry in their buildings, and so, off the bright, wide hall, are four good-sized rooms of roughly equal proportions with high ceilings and sash windows, a layout that is mirrored upstairs in the bedrooms.
There is a fifth bedroom in the return.
Curved wall
A curved exterior wall is an attractive feature of the formal diningroom to the front, again mirrored upstairs in one of the bedrooms. New owners will probably update the ensuites, the bathroom and possibly the kitchen, which was last updated when the owners moved in and commissioned mahogany units that have stood the test of time.
Boden Park House is hidden behind a high wall along the Scholarstown Road. Farm Lodge could provide rental income for new owners or it could be incorporated into the original house, which, because of its age and original features, is a protected structure.
