At the Fairview end of the long, diverse Philipsburgh Avenue, number 67 is a Victorian redbrick, one of four built in 1870 by a builder who decided to live in number 67 himself. Clearly a house that lends itself to serendipity, the present-day owners discovered, when they bought in 2004 and read the title deeds, that the first person to own the house after the builder was their very own great-grandfather.
Framed pictures, recovered by the family, bear testament – so do copies on the title deeds on the wall. Treated to care, attention and a great deal of obvious affection, number 67 has had its original detail restored and a rear kitchen/breakfastroom added. There are a notable number of original fireplaces, both marble and cast-iron. The vendors are moving to be closer to their childrens’ schools.
The vendors paid €465,000 for number 67 in 2004, a time when the market was flying high. Agent Sherry FitzGerald is asking €565,000 this time round for a house with a floor area of 115.5sq m (1,243sq ft).
Lushly carpeted, number 67 is a quiet house with an unpretentious elegance. The front sittingroom has a wide bay window and a working, green and black marble fireplace with lovely inset tiles of blue. Colours here, and throughout, are mostly a delicate mushroom and off-white. The front door has the original, stained glass intact and the bright hallway has a dado rail, cornicing and an interesting original alcove on one side.
There is a feature skylight window in the rear kitchen/family/diningroom, as well as a polished oak floor and, a step lower in the dining area, a picture window over the granite slabs, cream walls and Astra turf of the rear garden. Here, there are beds with lilac and hydrangea along the walls, a storage/utility shed at the end and access to a convenient rear laneway.
The bedrooms are bright and have high ceilings. The main bedroom has an ensuite shower and a cast-iron fireplace. One, a second-floor attic bedroom, has a cast-iron fireplace and dormer windows.The second bedroom is on the first return, where there is also a guest WC while the third bedroom is an original attic bedroom with cast-iron fireplace and dormer windows.
