Castleknock, the Foxrock of the northside with the magnificent acreage of the Phoenix Park on its doorstep, is a suburb that inspires great loyalty among its residents. There is almost a pioneering spirit there, since this area came late to development and much of the land was farmed up to the early 1950s. The substantial houses in Castleknock today were built at a time when high density meant two properties to the acre instead of one.
It is very much a family area. Young people reluctant to move out are buying into the newer estates off Carpenterstown Road, on the far side of the M50 flyover. Their parents downsize to smaller houses near the shops and middle-agers upgrade to the large family houses.
As happens in other desirable Dublin suburbs, the boundaries of Castleknock have extended to accommodate newcomers eager to buy into a Castleknock address. Carpenterstown, while not strictly in the village, is within the wider parish of Castle knock.
Porterstown, with its own parish church is considered to be a separate area. However, Castleknock residents queue to get married in the very picturesque church there and it has close links with neighbouring Castle knock.
The estate agents dealing with Castleknock homes say much of the property changes hands quietly before the agent's board goes up. The main attraction is the Phoenix Park. It is unique in Europe to have so vast an expanse of woodland and meadow so close to a major city centre. The local coffee shop is in the visitors' centre in the park.
It's a scenic three-mile drive through the park from Castleknock to the city. The lack of traffic lights for most of the journey helps the rush-hour flow and snarl-ups only begin at the quays. There is now access from Castleknock to many parts of the city via the M50. The airport is a 10-minute drive in good traffic conditions.
Castleknock goes back a long way in recorded history - the townland has a mention in the Book of Lismore. In a poem to Cnucha, foster mother of Conn of the Hundred Battles, it was foretold that Cnucha would be the name of this area "until the judgment". You can still see the hill where Cnocha is buried and the ruined castle in the grounds of Castleknock College.
Past occupants of the castle include several high kings of Ireland and Edward Bruce of Scotland, who took up residence when his army encamped in the neighbourhood in an attempt to capture Dublin in 1316.
Apart from the few large period houses on the edges of the park, such as Farmleigh which is to be the new State Residence, the houses are modern and vary from neo-Georgian to contemporary in style. Gardens are universally large and lushly planted. One of the most striking aspects of Castleknock is the proliferation of sycamore, beech and maple trees lining the verges.
All the agents selling in the village are agreed that Castleknock Road is most highly sought-after, with the Georgian Village, Deerpark, Castleknock Lodge and College Park following closely behind.
Castleknock Road houses are all individual in style and quite a few have three-quarter-acre gardens. Prices vary from £700,000 to £900,000, with cheaper houses to be found at the Myo'send of the road.
One house close to the park sold recently for £870,000 and another bought for £705,000 is to be completely redeveloped by the purchaser. A five-bedroom detached house on the road on the far side of the village is currently for sale through Flynn Estates, priced at £450,000.
Developments facing the park in Deerpark, Georgian Village and Chesterfield have contested a proposed stadium and casino on the former Phoenix Park racecourse lands. The developers now intend applying for permission to build apartments and townhouses on the site. The latest new housing scheme, Belville at Ashtown Gates, should allay anxieties. Although high-density, this has been well-received and blends well into the surrounding landscape.
"You can have a Georgian mansion at the park without becoming president" ran the advertisement for Castle knock's posh Georgian Village houses when they were built almost two decades ago. The neo-Georgian four and five-bedroom detached houses cost from £35,000 to £62,000 - top dollar at the time for newly-built homes.
They have proved an excellent investment. Local auctioneer Jim Flynn sold a Georgian Village house before auction last week for around £700,000. Property values have risen well here. Gunne residential sold a four-bedroom house in Georgian Village for £278,000 in 1997 and £570,000 the following year for a larger house in the area.
Houses in Deerpark attract similar prices, with one five-bedroom detached house fetching £600,000 this year. These are more contemporary in design, with slightly larger gardens and residents tend to move within this estate from some of the smaller houses.
Behind the village centre, College Grove is a well-favoured cul-de-sac development built about 25 years ago. A five-bedroom house was sold last month for £490,000 - the first house to sell on this road for three years. There is little in the immediate Castlenock area for buyers with around £150,000 to spend. However, they can buy into the newer developments on the far side of the motorway flyover off Carpenters town Road, although prices of three-bedroom semis here have risen by 15 per cent to 20 per cent in the past couple of years. A three-bed semi in Bramley, Luttrellstown or Riverwood estates at around £150,000 is still good value, considering many similar schemes much further out are selling for around the same price. Closer to the village, Laurel Lodge has older three and four-bedroom semis which are most agents' top investment tip, selling from £140,000.
This newer area has excellent amenities and is close to two Arrow rail services to town. Castleknock Community College is located here, with a gymnasium and a swimming-pool planned in the future.
Apartments are still in scarce supply, but are beginning to come on stream in the Castleknock area. When you can get them, two-bedroom apartments sell for between £200,000 and £230,000, close to the village.
There are a few pretty cottages which are in great demand when they come on the market. Flynn Auctioneers, which has sold three of these in the past two years, say they would fetch up to £220,000 today.
"There's a good standard of living in Castleknock," says estate agent Mark Quinn of Davy Freeman Mitten, who grew up in the village. "It's definitely not a metropolis. You'd be hard pressed to find a better place to live."
