Eden Terrace, one of the finest of all the terraces on the much sought after North Circular Road in Limerick, was built for local entrepreneur Thomas Revington in 1864. It was designed by architect William Fogerty, who was responsible for some notable properties in the city and county such as the detached Gothic chapel and Turkish bath of what was then the District Lunatic Asylum (now St John's Hospital) on Mulgrave Street, and the much admired courthouse in Adare.
Fogerty held tenure as the president of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland in 1875 within a year of being admitted to the institute. In those days the institute was very much Dublin-centric; he tendered his resignation “owing removal from Dublin” but this was postponed as he hoped he “may be induced to withdraw it as he intends practising in Ireland”.
He resigned in the end as his work took him to London and New York, where he designed the Protestant Episcopal Church in Washington DC and the Episcopalian Church in New York, which was described as “magnificent” by The Irish Times at the time.
Despite this unique home's central location, the current owner says that when friends visit for the first time they always have to telephone, as they think they are getting lost
The Limerick landmark Ardhu House on the Ennis Road, which has had many incarnations and is now a hotel, was another of Fogerty’s designs. Just around the corner is Eden Terrace, and tucked behind the imposing row of 12 houses is something that it a rarity in Limerick City – a converted coach house and stables.
The old properties – which would have originally been used by ostlers and horses for the military men of the terrace – were converted by a previous owner and another noted Limerick architect, Michael Healy, managing director of Healy Partners. Like the original architect of the terrace, Healy also won a plethora of awards, including Opus Building of the Year, RIAI Public Choice Award and Clare Design and Conservation Award.
The quiet private road on which the Coach House lies is reminiscent of a small country lane. While there are a handful of small buildings, this property is the only conversion of a previous stable and coach house, which makes for a unique offering on North Circular Road.
Despite its location, just a 15-minute walk to the city and just around the corner from the bustling artery to Shannon and the west – the Ennis Road – the current owner says that when friends visit for the first time they always have to telephone as they think they are getting lost.
The owner credits Healy for the lovely interiors, such as retaining old stone walls, double height ceilings, sourcing wooden floors from an old convent and the use of lots of glass that keeps the open plan areas flooded with light.
While it could be termed a mews – in the sense that the building is a conversion of old units to the rear of a period house – the fact that it has three bedrooms and three receptions rooms occupying 147sq m (1,585sq ft) of space, it is a generous family home, with a BER of D1, in a much sought after area so close to the city.
The popularity of the location is evident from sales recorded on the Property Price Register. In 2018, Cherrymount, Moyarta and Gleneagles achieved €970,000, €1.3 million, and €1.1 million respectively, while Kilcornan House, which was seeking € 1.75 million, achieved €2.3 million in 2017.
The Coach House, a gem hidden behind a six-foot limestone wall with a private landscaped garden, is now on the market through DNG seeking €545,000.
