Limerick has over the past year witnessed a significant recovery from the depths of the property crash. Kilcornan House, on the much coveted North Circular Road, sold last year for €2.3 million – it had been seeking €1.75 million.
Both the North Circular and Ennis Roads have long been considered the most desirable addresses in the city. Period houses with large gardens within walking distance of the city centre are what make the areas most attractive.
Springdale on the Ennis Road is sure to attract attention, as it is one of the few detached and totally private houses on the stretch.
Its architecture is also significant, as it was designed by William Clifford Smith: a young Welsh architect who won a competition to design one of Limerick's best known landmarks – the Shannon Rowing Club, which sits on an island on Wellesley Bridge. He also designed another landmark property – the town hall in Adare, and all three properties share similar architectural features within the Edwardian arts and crafts style.
What's more, all of the period features at Springdale have been impeccably preserved since its construction at the turn of the last century. Indeed the current owner, while tracing the property's history, managed to find the original drawings at the offices of Newenham Mulligan and Associates – a company which Clifford Smith founded when he adopted Limerick as his home. These, and the original drawings for the carpentry and fireplaces, now grace the walls of the study in the house.
In the 1980s an extension was added by previous owners which is described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as “alterations that do not detract from the architectural significance of the property”.
The house extends to a generous 232sq m (2,500sq ft) surrounded by 0.6 of an acre of landscaped gardens. Every room – including the entrance hall has a fireplace – the one in the drawingroom is particularly impressive. The original oak parquet floors are also worth mentioning.
The property originally had five bedrooms but the current owners converted one to add an en-suite and dressingroom to the principal bedroom.
At ground level, the house has two interconnecting reception rooms, a study, television room and the large extension houses a kitchen, living and diningroom.
The current owners purchased the house in 2011, for €750,000 – when the market was stagnant in the city, and they are now in the process of building their “dream passive house around the corner on Clancy’s Strand”. The property is one of the finest houses on Limerick’s Ennis Road and on the market through DNG Cusack Dunne with an asking price of €1.2 million.
