Developer Gerry Barrett’s dream of a Georgian square for a new millennium has matured into a very fine gated development.
Named Edward Square after his company, Edward Holdings, the tall four-storey Regency-inspired townhouses, which are set around a beautifully landscaped square, adjoin Bloomfield House and apartments and are tucked away off Bloomfield Avenue.
Far from the busy traffic of Morehampton Road these homes, designed by architectural practice Douglas Wallace, offer a lot to super-prime buyers looking for a family home within walking distance of schools and with the grounds of the Royal Hospital on the doorstep.
The homes have lofty ceiling heights at every level, floor-to-ceiling glazing washing the rooms in light, and offer decent-sized gardens as well as a rather stunning rooftop terrace.
Several have made multiple appearances on the Property Price Register. Numbers 9, 13, 14, 16 and 17 all have sold three times since records began. Prices have crept up from €1,358,542 for number 7 in 2010 to €2.7million for number 8 in 2017.
The Knight Frank agency is bringing number 15 to the market – this is its first time as its owners have lived in it for the past 15 years. The property is in pristine condition and with 382sq m (4,111sq ft) it is far more stylish and spacious in real life than it appears in photos – some homes are just more photogenic than others.
It is seeking €3.5million, pricey even by this stretch of haute D4 homes. But it is one of just 20 townhouses set in an L-shape around private and mature greenery within a 15-minute walk of the city centre.
It was built on an north-east/south-west axis and so has a screened east-facing garden to the rear accessed from both entrance and basement levels and a stellar balcony on its third floor that gives you glimpses of the mountains, the mature trees in the grounds of the Royal Hospital and the setting sun.
It’s a scene-stealer of a space at the top of the house. It extends the depth of the floor and has a wall of glass framing the aforementioned views. Blissfully peaceful, you could happily lose hours to the view.
The house has own-door access and opens into a hall where there are interconnecting reception rooms with open fires and near floor-to-ceiling glazing to the front and back.
Underfoot is a limed oak wide plank floor warmed by underfloor heating. To the back is a lift that future-proofs the property should older buyers be concerned by the number of stairs. Indeed the current owners have been known to send a tray down from their room at the top to the kitchen below.
At kitchen level the ceiling heights are an impressive 3m which really helps to open up the space. It has stylish units by Poggenpohl, with a lightbox splashback and Miele appliances. To the back is a guest toilet while to the front is a smart square sitting room.
On the first floor there are two bedrooms. The main is set to the front and spans the width of the residence. It includes an especially big en suite bathroom, which incorporated the main bathroom on this floor into it to give you a large stall shower and freestanding bath. There’s a second double bedroom to the rear.
The second floor has the same layout. The front bedroom has a large en suite bathroom while the fourth double bedroom enjoys sole use of the shower room.
The C1 Ber-rated property comes with two car parking spaces and a lock-up storage unit that gives you about an additional 86 cubic metres of space. The car park is underground, set below the limestone paved square. The development is accessed via electronic gates.
