Tenerife, Glenalua Road, Killiney
From every room in Tenerife, a flat-roofed detached house that was built in the 1950s, high on Killiney Hill, there are panoramic views that sweep from the obelisk, a landmark monument that was restored and re-limed in recent years and actually glows in the dark, to Bray Head and farther south to Wicklow’s two Sugar Loaf mountains.
When owner Shirley Henderson, a set dresser for film who worked on big Irish productions such as December Bride, The General and Veronica Guerin, purchased it in the mid-1990s she inherited the name but has no idea why it was called after a Canary Island. Superstitious about such things she decided against changing it.
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Situated on a private lane just off Glenalua Road with the entrance to Killiney Hill Park at one end, and Killiney Heath at the other, the three-bedroom house, which measures 120sqm (1, 292sq ft), looks like a pretty ordinary bungalow.
Inside it feels light and airy, like you’re almost floating above the hill because the reception rooms have been designed to take advantage of the spellbinding views from every one of its rear windows.
In the hall sit two of four colonial-style chairs to dress the office of the attorney character Pierce Brosnan played in Laws of Attraction. The brass candlesticks on the sideboard came from a convent and were used in Dangerous Fortune, a Victorian TV show.
Glass doors lead through to the interconnecting dining and sitting rooms with wood-burning stoves in each, rooms that have hosted many a social gathering. One can imagine the industry gossip exchanged at the birch-topped dining table.
The sideboard, sourced from Peter Johnson, featured in Loving Miss Hatto, a production broadcast in 2012 for which Victoria Wood wrote the screenplay. Under foot, there is solid French oak flooring throughout.
From every rear window you can view the sea. You can also hear it wash across the shingle. There is no noise or light pollution and at night when Henderson has guests over they can switch off the lights and stargaze. The house is uncluttered by the finds one imagines a buyer comes across every day in her line of work. How does she keep everything so streamlined? “For years I lived a double life,” she confesses. “I kept a storage shed in Sallynoggin full of my belongings that I could bring into and out of the house at will.”
All three double bedrooms have sea views. The split-level back garden faces the sea. At garden level there are further rooms that are accessed separately. Henderson had entertained the idea of digging down to create a second floor. The next owner might be more tempted to apply for planning to go up rather than down, as the houses on either side have done, to maximise on the views. The property has a G BER rating and is asking €1.1 million through agents Lisney.
5 Ashurst, Military Road, Killiney
According to local lore, when Archbishop John Charles McQuaid was selling four acres of grounds from Ashurst, his summer palace, he had one stipulation: that he should not be able to see any of the eight houses that now comprise the Ashurst estate.
Building did not actually take place in his lifetime, but whether the story is true or not, the houses on Ashurst are beautifully secluded.
Drive down Military Road in Killiney and the Close dips down, with mature trees screening each house from its neighbours. McQuaid’s tower is just visible from No 5, which is for sale with Hunters with a guide of €1.45 million.
Perhaps that is why it is called Bishop’s View or maybe the original owners just had an ironic sense of humour. Ashurst itself was recently sold, for €4.065 million, to a Dublin solicitor, and extensive renovations are being carried out.
No such similar work needs to be done at No 5, as the current owners, who are downsizing, have kept the house and grounds in beautiful order. A new kitchen was installed a couple of years ago, a bright space with all mod cons and cheery orange splashbacks.
They also put on a sunny deck which leads off the living room and down steps to a sunken patio surrounded by roses.
In all there is 238sq m (2,562sq ft) of accommodation on just over half an acre. You could consider making the garden smaller too, as the owners recently got full planning permission for a 186sq m (2,000sq ft) house in the grounds. The drawings come with the house.
The house itself is a dormer, and all the rooms are of an extremely generous size. Each of the five bedrooms is a double, some dual aspect, and the principal bedroom has a very nice en suite.
The house still has its original windows, from when it was built in the 1980s, although plenty of insulation gives it an overall BER of D3.
“We’re 18 metres from the sea,” says the owner, “The waves put me to sleep. Much better than counting sheep.”
This also means you’re very handy for the Dart, just at the end of the road, and the shops at Ballybrack village are minutes away too.
Downstairs, there are two large reception rooms and a study, plus kitchen-breakfast room and a generous utility room. A garage next door hasn’t been converted, but you can see the potential should you need more space, and there is plenty of off-street parking to the front.
Gardening is a passion for the owners. There are lawns, and a vegetable plot that could, they say, almost feed the world. They recently hosted their daughter’s wedding in the gardens, and are now downsizing.
“We have so many fantastic memories here, of the kids growing up, of parties . . . ”
Having come to number 5 from a period house in Clarinda Park 15 years earlier, they say the modern layout is very conducive to family life. Downstairs, the rooms all lead off the spacious hallway, but also flow through into one another.
There is still plenty of privacy, while schools and public transport are very close by – at the end of the gardens, you can just see the outline of Holy Child School is tennis courts.
46a Seafield Court, Killiney, Co Dublin
On a sunny morning, the back patio garden of 46a Seafield Court in Killiney could almost be a little snatch of Mediterranean bliss. Designed to be low maintenance, a row of olive trees, set in stone planters, and set off by box and bamboo has a pleasantly southern European feel.
The house, which is for sale with Sherry FitzGerald for €595,000, was built in 2007 for the current owners, on a corner site in the Seafield Court estate.
As this is just five minutes’ walk from Killiney beach and Dart station, it’s a location to conjure with, but the house has plenty going for it too.
Detached and compact, it nevertheless puts plenty into its 106sq m (1,141sq ft). There are three bedrooms upstairs, all doubles, one en suite, and one currently being used as a music room.
Everything has been done and maintained to a very good standard. Dalkey’s Kelly Design created a recessed window seat in the principal bedroom, and also put a study area with tall built-in bookshelves at the top of the stairs, getting maximum use out of an often forgotten space.
Downstairs there’s a hallway and WC that is large enough to accommodate the washer and dryer, and the rest of the floor is a nicely flowing kitchen /diningroom /livingroom, that opens up to the back.
Often smaller spaces cheat when it comes to storage – ie they don’t give you any – but this house has good cupboard facilities, and enough designer touches to assure you that everything has been well thought through.
Killiney is gorgeous, you can ramble round back lanes, up the hill, or along the beach, and the Dart access to Dublin is a definite plus. There are schools in the vicinity, as well as a selection of local shops.
Viewing is this Saturday at 10am-11am. Don’t miss an opportunity to take a stroll along the beach.
