They used to travel from the four corners of the world to lay their heads on the comfortable pillows of 37 Pembroke Park. Owners David and Theresa Sanderson ran it as a B&B from the late 1980s until seven or eight years ago when they decided to reclaim their home as their own. So it has seen a lot of breakfasts, and some rather complicated egg orders. “We’ve had Russians, Australians, Europeans . . . a French guide book said Theresa was an excellent chef,” says David proudly, though his wife adds that American orders “like ‘over-easy’ for their morning eggs used to get very confusing. I’d think – but what do you mean?!”
Its provenance as a B&B means the house is well served for en-suites. Four of the five bedrooms are large doubles, with their own bathrooms, laid out over the two upper floors. There is also a smaller single, with a wash basin. The master bedroom is particularly nice, with a pair of windows looking out to the front.
Lovely light
Perhaps it's because it has more recently reverted to use as a family home, or perhaps it's the lack of peach bathroom suites and chintz, but the house doesn't feel "B&B-ey". Instead it has the late-Victorian low-key elegance of this part of Dublin. The Sandersons have taken very good care of it, and have preserved many of the original features, including a rather lovely lantern at the bottom of the staircase.
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The two main reception rooms on the ground floor run front to back, and even on a dull day have lovely light. There are a pair of original tiled fireplaces, and you only realise how large the well-proportioned spaces are when you see how easily they can take the big family dining table and sideboard, plus a pair of hugely comfortable squashy sofas.
The kitchen, which is through a small and cosy study, to the back, opens onto a courtyard area, and there is another small patio to one side. The rest of the outside space is given to a large gravelled area at the front, which can give off-street parking to four or five cars (if you’re good at arranging them). There is also a utility room, and plenty of storage spaces.
Pembroke Park is, and yes it's cliché time again, highly sought after. This isn't surprising when you consider its position: a very short walk to Donnybrook village, and close to a range of schools, shops, cafés and restaurants, plus the lovely Herbert Park is on your doorstep.
DNG is selling the house by private treaty with a guide price of €1.6million. At 227sq m (2,443sq ft), that makes it pretty similar to Number 7, which went on the market last November at €1.65m, and sold in January this year for €1.605m. In July 2013, Number 33, which is slightly smaller, and has just four bedrooms, sold for €1.45m.
People used to pay considerably less to spend their nights in Number 37 and, if you do buy it, Theresa isn’t going to be on hand to cook your breakfast, but it would still make a very nice family home, however you like your eggs.
