Dublin's seaside villages are dotted with some very exotic house names – usually inspired by the far-flung travels of their original occupants. Matakana is the name of a New Zealand town – very far from the house of the same name on Grey's Lane, a quiet, residential and sought-after road above Howth village. Its current owners moved into the three-bedroom semi-detached house, which has an unusually large back garden, in 1961. Having been a comfortable family home ever since, it is now for sale for €750,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.
The redbrick house, which measures 118sq m (1,270sq ft), was built in the early 1900s, when the Great Northern Railway’s Hill of Howth tram stopped on nearby Dungriffin Road, and the balcony at the front is a typically Edwardian nod to its seaside location.
The front reception room has a deep, square bay window and the rooms at the back interconnect, the livingroom opening into the open-plan diningroom and kitchen where a picture window overlooks the very large, private back garden. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, a bathroom and a separate toilet. Previous owners converted the attic, adding a dormer and creating a small room with lovely sea views. One of the current owners, who are both artists, used this as a light-filled studio. Two timber chalets at the end of the back garden were also used as art studios.
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There is a garage to the side and parking for a couple of cars in the long front driveway. The house was extended at the back by its current owners but new owners will likely modernise and renovate. They may also extend to the back and side – there is scope to do so without taking away from the garden. The garage at the side could also be converted but new owners may prefer to maximise the sea views at the top of the house by updating and perhaps extending the existing attic conversion.
