After a near four-year stint on and off the market, St Peter’s, 91 Ailesbury Road, has been sold for about €2.9 million. Having originally hit the market in May 2011 for a lofty €5 million with Savills, the property was reduced in 2012 to €3.95 million by the new agents, Lisney, before eventually being reduced to €3 million later that year. In late 2014, the property was offered for sale by auction with an AMV of €2.75 million and despite good interest in the property, it failed to sell on the day. St Peter’s then reappeared on the market asking €3 million, with Lisney finally securing the sale.

The 530sq m (5,700sq ft) period property offers significant frontage on to the Donnybrook end of Ailesbury Road. Much of the garden was developed in 1980, with Ailesbury Court, a redbrick apartment block, built on the once extensive side and rear garden. The remaining small and somewhat overlooked rear garden proved to be a sticking point with high-end house-hunters, hence the relatively low price achieved for a house of its size in this location. The entire contents of St Peter’s were offered for sale in more than 300 lots through Drum auctioneers, Malahide, in January. Drum notes the family spent almost 40 years living at the home prior to selling this year.

The buyers are understood to be London-based – little surprise, given the attractive currency exchange rates available at present. They join a number of other UK-based Irish buyers who have recently snapped up top Dublin homes. A similarly large home, Coolbawn, at the opposite end of Ailesbury Road, was purchased in 2013 for €2.6 million by another UK-based couple, Rory Godson and Hilary Hynes, who are currently extending and refurbishing the house.