Ranelagh: €1.9m: Originally built to showhouse excellence, Glenayr still has a strong sense of that quality, writes Bernice Harrison
The romantic turrets on the tall Edwardian houses on Park Drive in Ranelagh set them apart from other houses in the area. Buyers interested in trading up, particularly from neighbouring roads, will also discover that these are unusual Ranelagh houses because, apart from being dramatic and pretty looking, they are also very large with really good back gardens.
Glenayr, at number 20 Park Drive has seven bedrooms and a 70 ft back garden. It is for auction by Douglas Newman Good on May 26th with a pre-auction guide of €1.9m.
The house was built in 1907 by William Pickering for the Dublin International Exhibition and there is still a strong sense that it was built to showcase excellence. It is bright, all the rooms are particularly well proportioned and the plasterwork is much more decorative than in other houses of the period. It last changed hands in 1996 so it is in walk-in condition although new owners will probably want to redecorate all the bedrooms and renovate the bathrooms. Built over three storeys it has 302 sq m (3,250 sq ft).
Beyond the mostly glazed porch is a striking reception hall. It has two-bay windows, one is curved and part of the turret, the other, a deep bay is large enough for a table. The ceiling has ornate plasterwork and there is also a cast-iron fireplace in this very welcoming good-sized hall.
There are two square-shaped reception rooms with period fireplaces and both rooms feature highly decorative and interesting looking cornicework on the higher than usual ceilings.
The spacious eat-in kitchen which has the same tall ceiling as the reception rooms is at the back of the house and there is a walk-in larder. Access to the back garden is from an inner hallway off the kitchen. Upstairs the room with the turret is used as a study, though new owners may chose differently. The largest bedroom is the most charming as it has access to the enclosed balcony with its wooden balustrade and ceiling cornicing.
Also at this level is another bedroom, currently used as a livingroom, a further bedroom, a shower room and a wood panelled, slightly gloomy bathroom. There are four more bedrooms up another flight of stairs at the top of the house, all good-sized, some with built-in wardrobes, one with an en suite shower room, another has an en suite wc.
There is side access as well as a garage and a couple of store rooms. The 70ft back garden looks onto Gonzaga's rugby fields so, unless the sky falls in, nothing is going to be built there, and it is a charming, wide, old-fashioned garden full of flowers with a pond and a patio area.
