Our 21st century housing crisis could usefully learn from the early 20th century story of 3 Strangford Road East and its neighbours. Number 3 owes its existence to one Canon David Hall, who arrived as pastor to St Barnabas East Wall parish in 1918.
Deeply upset by the poverty and wretched living conditions of his parishioners, he set up the first public utility company in Ireland and, while city authorities were debating the housing crisis he managed, between 1920 and 1926, to build 176 houses.
The vendors of 3 Strangford Road love the house that has been their home since 2002, and they greatly admire the work of Canon Hall. They would never dream of leaving East Wall and now, with three teenage children, “are moving to something bigger nearby”.
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Canon Hall, the vendor says, “was a great person. There was a housing crisis at the time, he had a vision of a garden city and got women involved in the design; they wanted indoor bathrooms, hinged windows and gardens – and they got them. Three tennis courts he had built are now covered in Astro Turf and constantly used by the wonderful Sean O’Casey Community Centre.”
Number 3 cost €240,000 in 2002. Agent Owen Reilly is seeking €450,000 for the property with 100sq m (1,076sq ft) of floor space, three bedrooms, a livingroom, open kitchen/diningroom, bathroom and well-tended gardens front and back. The vendors did a refurbish in 2002, built on a kitchen in 2008, "which transformed the house", and put a new roof in place in 2016.
A welcoming house in a quiet cul-de-sac, number 3 is a tribute to Canon Hall’s vision. Solidly built, with original windows intact and high ceilings throughout, internal doors and some fireplaces are also original. A front-facing bedroom on the ground floor has a timber floor and small cast-iron fireplace, the sittingroom (opposite) has a larger cast-iron fireplace and wood-trim French windows to the southwest facing rear garden.
Wraparound floor to ceiling windows in the kitchen/diningroom make a feature of the garden, fittings are grey and the whole has a sense of space. There is off-street parking and a wide side entrance. The front garden has apple, cherry blossom and lilac trees, the rear is lawned and given privacy by high bamboos.
