Havelock Square, and its neighbour Vavasour Square, are Dublin city landmarks, ideals of the best kind of Victorian artisan dwellings set around central swathes of pleasant, green commonage. Havelock Square, in the years since it was built and named after a land developer in the 1860s, has seen a lot of neighbourhood change, not least the nearby development of the Aviva stadium. All grist to the mill of a square that has held fast to its character and charm.
The architect/vendor of 12 Havelock Square has put heart and work into what has been his home since 2003. He has an attachment to the area, “wouldn’t have wanted to live anywhere else”, and moved at the time from nearby Grand Canal Street.
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Number 12 was “in very reasonable condition” but he went on to make it his own by removing fireplaces, laying new floors, installing a new bathroom, creating a rear garden that has become a living space in its own right and generally upgrading the property to a stylish, contemporary home.
The square’s green centre, at its blooming best right now, is a communal effort: “everyone helps”. The proximity of the Aviva is not a problem, he says: “It’s sculpturally beautiful, interference levels are minor.” Leaving will be a wrench but “I’ve just retired and it’s time for a change, for an adventure.”
Striking elegance
Number 12 has 105sq m (1,130sq ft) of floor space, two bedrooms, a bathroom, two reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfastroom and front and rear landscaped gardens. Agent DNG is asking €835,000.
The entrance hallway and front sittingroom have a striking, formal elegance. The hallway is given drama by the rich, browny-red of a Jatoba Cherry floor and stairs (this hardwood covers the ground floor and landing), feature mirrors on the gallery-style landing and a 13ft-high ceiling.
The front-facing sittingroom is a perfect 4.6m cube with a (functioning) pale Chesney limestone fireplace, taupe-coloured walls and sash window. A showpiece chandelier, in Tipperary crystal by designer Louise Kennedy, is a negotiable part of the sale.
The Jasper Conran fireplace in the familyroom is also of limestone. The fittings here are of wood and a window overlooks the rear garden.
The L-shaped, first-floor landing has a velux window, a deep hotpress, a bathroom with jacuzzi bath, a main bedroom with a wall of bathrobes and a second bedroom, currently an office, with impressive, pull-down double bed, fitted wardrobe and desk.
A rear laneway gives valuable access to a garden parking space. The front garden is railed and landscaped in maintenance-free stone.
