Another large period house in Dublin, with extensive grounds suitable for housing, goes on the market today at Stradbrook, in Blackrock. Agents de Vere White & Smyth expect to secure in the region of £3 million for Ferndene, a two-storey house on 1.4 acres which goes to auction on October 17th. It has been the home of the Cruess Callaghan family for a decade and once formed part of a larger estate. The present owner, Frank Cruess Callaghan, has had a long association with Waterford Stanley.

The property is ideally located near the centre of Blackrock and, according to Barry Smyth of the agents, there are few if any sites of this size still undeveloped in the area.

The land around the house is zoned for residential use in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council development plan and although no planning application has been made for the site, an architectural study suggests that 30 apartments, five townhouses and two bungalows might be allowed.

Ferndene is located behind a long granite wall with 353 ft of frontage on the west side of Stradbrook, close to the junction with Stradbrook Road. The house has four bedrooms and three reception rooms.