A well-preserved semi-detached period house with six bedrooms at 7 Temple Villas, Palmerston Road, Rathmines, could make in excess of £1.35 million when it is auctioned on October 28th. Selling agent Louise O'Reilly of Sherry FitzGerald says this is a realistic price for the Victorian redbrick, since buyers will need to upgrade it considerably.
A similar house - in good decorative order - on nearby Temple Gardens sold for £1.87 million some months ago. The 3,000 sq ft house has been owned by the same family since the 1920s and the structure has been well-maintained. It is in a prime position, a few paces from Palmerston Park and set back from the road with a mature front garden. An interior designer would have a field day with the untouched and very fine period detail.
A flagged lobby leads through panelled oak doors into the main hallway of the house. This has the customary high ceiling and ornate plasterwork in almost perfect condition. Rich, brown-painted, lincrusta up to dado height and the original Victorian wallpaper above are in surprisingly good condition.
Both drawingroom and diningroom face the front of the house and have well-preserved plasterwork and pitch pine floor boards under carpets. There is a pale marble fireplace and a wide timber sash bay window. The diningroom next door has a pink marble fireplace and two windows.
Down a few steps to the rear of the house there is a cosy family sittingroom with a marble fireplace and French doors to the rear garden. Off this there is an understairs cupboard and the kitchen/ breakfastroom. A new owner wanting to modernise the kitchen should retain the arched brick alcove, which looks ready-made for an Aga. There is also a large utility room and a guest lavatory at this level and another short flight of stairs goes up to the front hall.
Exceptionally large rooms are one of the bonuses of period houses in this part of Rathmines and all six bedrooms are generous doubles. A carved mahogany staircase leads to two large bedrooms on the first floor return, each with cast-iron fireplaces.
There are two further double bedrooms on the first floor and a shelved walk-in linen room. The main bedroom has a bay window overlooking the front garden and a marble mantelpiece with cast-iron inset. The family bathroom is roomy, with panelled sides to the bath and old-style fittings. On the top floor, an original stained-glass window gives light to the landing. Bedrooms five and six are also spacious, with sloping ceilings and castiron fireplaces. The 80 ft long back garden is secluded and south-west facing. Brick and stone walls enclose a wide expanse of well-kept lawn. There is a small flagged terrace, a newly-built shed and a host of old-fashioned shrubs including escallonia, fuchsia and elderflower.
