Houses along Wellington Road were built between 1845 and 1855, and almost two centuries later still remain in high demand among well-heeled buyers seeking homes close to the city.
The wide tree-lined road always appears quiet, even at peak traffic times despite sitting between two of the city’s main traffic arteries. It is as if it exists in a suspended bubble compared to other roads in the affluent suburb of Ballsbridge.
Number 55, which has just come on the market through Sherry FitzGerald will tick quite a lot of boxes for those in search of a period townhouse in Dublin 4.
The house was once home to Sir Arthur Quekett who lived here in 1914. He became the first holder of the office of parliamentary draftsman to the government of Northern Ireland and also drafted the constitution of Northern Ireland in 1928.
In its current layout, the property has a one-bedroom apartment at garden level. But new owners will probably want to amalgamate this back into the house, which has a generous 288sq m (3,100sq ft) of living space.
All the period features remain in place, including a beautiful stained-glass fan light over the doorway and a matching rose window on the upper floor.
The kitchen is located on the first return, warmed by an open fireplace and from here there is access to the rear garden. At garden level, there is a small courtyard for the apartment – with additional access to the rear garden proper.
There are three bedrooms on the upper floor, all of which have fireplaces and the room to the rear is en suite.
The gardens of the house have huge potential. While neat and trimmed, they are crying out for more shrubbery. The front which lies behind electric gates, allowing for off street parking, extends to 100ft, and the rear runs to 65ft, which would allow for a sizeable extension subject to planning permission.
Recent sales on the road include Number 10, which at 381sq m had the additional benefit of a coach house that backed on to Raglan Lane. It sold for more than €3.5 million in 2017. Number 19, the former home of public relations guru PJ Mara, and measuring 280sq m sold in 2017 for €2.6 million.
Sherry FitzGerald is seeking €2.95million for number 55.
