Sea views from the Sorrento of the north

For anyone hankering after a charming village feel, beach walks, good schools and nice restaurants, plus a rail link to Dublin, listen up: Skerries is a marvellous place to live. No need to foray further south, to Wicklow or even Wexford, to get your coastal kicks, just look north.

This property is located on Holmpatrick Terrace. To compare it to Dalkey’s Sorrento Terrace might seem a little overzealous – it’s not quite as grand, perhaps – but you do get two Martello towers in your sea views and a necklace of little islands, plus your own back gate leading on to the golden sandy beach.

Holmpatrick Terrace is Victorian and, right at the end of the terrace, the Old Rectory has the great views. With a floor space of 290sq m (3,121sq ft) it also has an enclosed walled garden with 360-degree seclusion.

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“Sometimes I can hear the walkers going by,” says the owner, “but the views are so lovely I can hear they’re always in a good mood.”

Three levels

The Old Rectory has been a happy home to the same family for the past 39 years. The owners are selling because the children have moved on, and it’s time to find something smaller, though it’s a wrench to leave.

The house is on three levels. A large sunroom, which is a more recent addition, leads from both the familyroom on the lower ground floor, and the drawingroom above, into the garden. The kitchen is also on the lower ground floor, along with a utility room and separate access, which opens up possibilities for different kinds of use.

There is also planning permission for a separate dwelling in the garden.

An original advert from the 1881 auction of Holmpatrick Terrace announced “To Capitalists and Parties requiring Seaside Residences”, though the current owners bought the house in the 1970s from the Church of Ireland.

Dual aspect

They did a lot of upgrading, restoring and renovating, but after four decades, new owners will want to take another look, and put their own stamp on it. The four bedrooms are all upstairs, though none are en suite.

The master bedroom has a dual aspect, and with its thick walls you can curl up in the window with a book and ponder the bigger questions of life, all against the glorious backdrop of the sweeping coastline.

Lisney are auctioning The Old Rectory on September 25th, with an AMV of €1 million. Viewing is by appointment.

Skerries is just 30 minutes from the city centre by car. There’s also a regular bus (the stop is right outside), and the commuter train.

“Everyone who grew up here wants to come back,” says the owner. If they ever left, that is.