Houses on Wellington Road, though constructed in the mid-1840s tend to have a more Georgian than Victorian feel. Patrick Cranny, who built Muckross Park developed numbers 19, 21, 23 and 25, all of which have west-facing rear gardens.
Number 19 is the home of the late PJ Mara; public affairs consultant, senator and long-time adviser and friend to former taoiseach Charles J Haughey.
Renowned for his endless wit and cunningness – lampooned almost weekly on the legendary 1990s Scrap Saturday radio series – Mara was the original "king of spin". He died in January 2016, having held positions as government press secretary and later as a PR lobbyist.
The 280sq m (3014sq ft) property is laid out over three floors and features a seamless three-storey extension to the rear. At garden level lies a large kitchen with Miele appliances which opens out through French doors to a neat albeit small rear garden.
Enormous fireplace
Also at this level is a family livingroom with an enormous fireplace adjacent to what has been used as a fourth bedroom – which also features an open fire. New owners will, if they intend to use this as a bedroom, need to change the glass doors for privacy.
At hall level are two fine reception rooms with 3.7m high ceilings, elaborate coving and ceiling roses which typify the architectural era of the property.
The diningroom opens into a second kitchen – which is part of the extension, and perfect for dinner parties – so hosts don’t have to traipse up and down the stairs between courses.
Upstairs are three spacious bedrooms, the master of which has a dressing room in the extension. The retention of the architraves of the original window – which now act as a doorway into the extension – cleverly incorporate the new with the original house. It has a generous en-suite bathroom with high-end fittings and a freestanding bath.
Off-street parking
When Cranny constructed these houses in the 1840s his intention was to rent the properties to the well-heeled. Over the years many of these houses along Wellington Road became flats, but in the past two decades, they have been converted into family homes and the prices reflect the attractiveness of the location.
Recent sales on the road include number 48, which did not have off-street parking as Number 19 does. It sold for €2.4 million in 2014. Numbers 63 and 83 sold in 2014 and 2012 for €2 million and €2.75 million respectively.
Across the street, number 10 is on the market with an asking price of €3.25 million although it includes a mews to the rear.
Number 19, is on the market through Lisney with an asking price of €2.75 million.
