This Georgian house was built in the 1820s for the McAnaspie family, as their summer residence. Their principal home was at Great Brunswick Street (now Pearse St) where they operated a "figure and ornamental plaster business". The term used in James Joyce's
Ulysses
"Ditto McAnaspie", refers to them and means "the same again" in pub parlance.
An eight foot figure of a sailor stands tall on the grounds of Nerano, and is a landmark used by seafarers. It is unclear whether the McAnaspies' intention was to guide passing sailors or simply promote their plaster business.
Today, the property, for which Nerano Road was built, and from which it takes its name, is home to Michael and Ann Spellman, who have spent 29 years here raising their six children. Now with an empty nest, the couple have placed their lovely home, which stands at 371sq m (4,000sq ft), on the market, to be auctioned on May 21st through estate agents Lisney with an AMV of €3.5m.
Views of the bay
What is quite unique about Nerano is that every room in the house bar a bathroom to the rear has views of Dublin Bay. The house is set at the very back of the 1.5 acre site, maximising the maritime panorama.
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The property includes a separate coach house – the house was built pre-railway so all transport was by horse and carriage. The ostler had lodging upstairs while the horses were kept beneath. The old cobbled flooring still stands as does an upstairs fireplace and the coach house would make a wonderful conversion project. A pretty one-bedroom gate lodge stands at the entrance to the property and could be used as a guest cottage or staff accommodation.
Inside the gracious hall of the main house are three principal reception rooms. The dining-cum-music room stretches the entire width of the house and leads to a south-facing conservatory, where the Spellmans spend much of the summer.
Fine bedrooms
Two smaller reception rooms are used as a library and family room, and new owners might want to remove the mirrored wall in the family room, installed by previous owners, as it really does nothing for this elegant space.
The kitchen is to the rear and as it has catered to the family for 27 years, it needs updating. It shares a patio with the conservatory.
Upstairs are six fine bedrooms, all with sea views, but the views from the old family bathroom to the front of the house are jaw-dropping.
Nerano is a stunning family home, but the fact that it includes three separate accommodation units on 1.5 acres of land, all with magnificent sea views, means developers as well as families will be interested in this property.
