Offices: Two adjoining semi-detached Victorian era houses at 18/20 Northumberland Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, are expected to make over €9.5 million when they are auctioned by Lisney on June 29th.

Although the two-storey over garden level houses have been in office use for a number of years - they are still occupied by KMB solicitors - new owners may well look at the option of turning them into residential use because of the elegant and spacious accommodation.

Equally, they will be of interest to both developers and owner-occupiers looking for good office accommodation with the possibility of adding on additional space at the rear.

Both houses are currently interconnected at each level but, according to Lisney, they are separately serviced and could easily be restored to their original layout. Many of the original period features have been retained, including fireplaces, attractive cornice details, ceiling roses and stained glass windows.

Another of the strong selling points is that there is a separate access from Cranmer Lane where there is a large storage building and parking for up to 10 cars at the rear of number 20.

The other house has a charming town garden and parking for three or four cars.

There has been heavy investment in many of the houses along Northumberland Road in recent years. The area has also benefited greatly from the opening of the Dart station at nearby Barrow Street.