As the railway line came, the Victorians really made Monkstown their own. Elegant villas, charming squares and plenty of places to walk, shop, eat and sit make this a particularly lovely part of south Dublin. Eaton Square is one of these spots, and now two neighbouring houses are on the market here. Number 26 is with Sherry FitzGerald for €1,375,000; its slightly larger neighbour, number 25 has just joined it, at €1,395,000 with Lisney.

Number 25 has 196sq m (2,110sq ft) of accommodation, compared with 159sq m (1,711sq ft) next door. Having a close comparison is really useful when househunting, so anyone looking in this area would do well to take in a couple of viewings. The owners of number 25 have lived here for the past 30 years, and are now regretfully downsizing. During their tenure, they added a sunroom (the owners’ favourite summertime spot), opened up the kitchen at the rear, and have maintained the house in excellent condition.

All the ingredients 

There’s a nice balance of original features and contemporary conveniences, and it has all the ingredients for a really super family home. Downstairs there’s a livingroom with a big bay window. The diningroom adjoins, then it’s through to the kitchen/breakfastroom, and sunroom next door.

“We’re on the right side of the square to catch the evening sun in the garden,” the owner says. “And from my bedroom, you can see the sea. I love it in the mornings: when I pull back my curtains, I can see the bay.”

There are three further bedrooms up here, and the owners received planning permission to convert the loft space. It’s currently floored and insulated, so you’re almost ready to go if you want even more family room.

Other handy features include a double garage, side access and off-street parking.

“It’s been a very happy house,” the owner says.

There’s a good community spirit in the area – the homeowners clubbed together to buy the square itself, so a share of that comes with the house too.