The chase, off Brewery Road in Leopardstown, Dublin 18, is an enclave of Victorian houses which were redeveloped and given modern interiors about 10 years ago. Broadcaster Clare McKeon has lived there for the past nine years in the home she is now selling through agent Daphne L. Kaye.
With a guide price of £215,000, 27 Arkle Square is a terraced two-bedroom, granite-built house with a west-facing sunroom and patio. It goes to auction on June 1st.
The 30 houses which made up the original development were built in 1870 as homes for unmarried women. The two-storey cottage-style houses were set in landscaped surroundings and these have been carefully maintained, although 10 new houses were added to the development. The facades and windows have been carefully preserved, as has the privacy of the enclave. Number 27, with its Victorian facade and comfortably modern interior, covers a floor space of some 1,000 sq ft and is one of the original houses. It is in walk-in condition, having been recently refurbished. Ms McKeon chose to decorate it in shades of yellow and terracotta and the floors are either tiled, timber or carpeted.
All the Zanussi and Bosch fittings in the kitchen will remain. The kitchen, which is to the left of the entrance hallway, has a pair of original, multi-paned windows overlooking the small front garden. The ceilings here, and elsewhere on the ground floor, are surprisingly high. A white tiled wall is relieved, behind the oven/hob, by an Orla Kaminska hand-painted square of tiles. There are varnished wooden shelves and timber units at floor level and at wall level they have been painted a shade of cream.
A door opens into the good-sized livingroom which has a mahogany surround fireplace with tile inset and black slate hearth. The lighting is recessed and there is cornice work, a decorative alcove and a door leading to under-stairs storage. Old-style, glazed double doors lead to a dining/sunroom, which has patio doors leading to a terrace. The floor in the dining/sunroom is tiled in white ceramic and the ceiling painted a deep, slate blue.
Upstairs, the main bedroom has a sloping ceiling and polished, timber floor. The opening for the original fireplace has been concealed but could be reopened. The second bedroom has an original cast-iron fireplace. The family bathroom, where the ceiling again slopes, cottage-style, is white tiled with a Victorian-style wash-hand basin, wood panelling around the bath and ornate, Victorian-style brass taps and fittings.
On the landing, a Velux window gives light and a floored attic has drop-down steps. The patio to the rear is surrounded by a low wall and overlooks a grassy courtyard and fountain - near enough to make peaceful, watery sounds a constant.
