The Albany on Albany Avenue in Monkstown, Co Dublin, is a very pretty single storey over garden-level Regency villa with a spacious interior that rarely deviates from classic understatement.
The real showstopper, however, is the magical lawn to the front of the house that’s been a backdrop to a family wedding and children’s sports days and has sea views across to Dublin Bay and Howth.
The Albany, on the corner of Seapoint Avenue and Albany Avenue, is surrounded by high stone walls. The garden is all to the front of the property and the impact, when you step into it from the pedestrian entrance on Albany Avenue, even on a grey, drizzly day, is quite spectacular.
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What raises it to another level are two Gothic-looking partial stone facades with ecclesiastical-style arches, one of which commands a prominent position on the manicured lawn.
In the wrong hands, and with poorer quality stone, these could have looked tacky.
Chelsea-inspired
The owners, who have lived here for 29 years, had seen similar objects at the Chelsea Flower Show some years ago and had two made by a company in Bristol.
The garden, on just over half an acre, is fringed with flower beds full of hydrangea and agapanthus.
A tall copper beech has been here since 1820, nine years before the house was built. There’s also a summer house that’s decorated in the style of a mini-living room.
At the far end of the garden, behind the stone wall, there’s a forlorn sunken area with an old wrought-iron lounger and a barbecue, which jars slightly in a property where everything else is just so.
There’s also a two-bay car port with access from Albany Avenue and a few patio areas.
Sherry FitzGerald is asking €3.65 million for the property.
The interior has a neutral colour scheme and is big at 300sq m (3,500 sq ft).
The drawing room, to the left of the long hall, is quite elegant with a curved bay window, French doors to the garden, a high ceiling and marble fireplace. It has double doors to a smaller study/TV room that has the feel of a gentleman’s study.
There are three double bedrooms off the long hall, including the main bedroom with en suite to the front of the house which also has a curved bay window and a mirrored recess behind the bed which looks slightly dated. The other bedrooms are smaller doubles, one with a dark metallic gold feature wall – one of the few departures from a neutral decor – and a large dressing room off it.
The kitchen, to the rear, is a good size with plenty of fitted pale wood units, an emerald green Aga and an extended dining area with a door to a small patio with high yellow walls.
At end of the hall there’s a sun room/passage area that leads to a plush bathroom.
At the lower level there’s a double en suite bedroom and a large family room/den with a door to the patio. There’s also a big laundry room with a storage area off it and a smaller bedroom that the agents suggest would suit an au pair.
