A semi-detached two-storey over basement house, with a long secluded back garden, at 51 Sandford Road, Ranelagh, has a guide price of £1.25 million-plus. It is likely to attract a great deal of interest when sold at auction on September 27th through Jackson Stops.
This is part of a terrace of seven large Regency-style houses set back from the road and accessed by a tree-lined laneway. Houses on the terrace rarely come on the market. In fact, the last house to sell here was number 43, which was sold by former President Mary Robinson and her husband Nicholas, shortly after they moved to Aras an Uachtarain. Their semi-detached house fetched around £450,000 in 1991. Number 51, the last house on the terrace, is a couple of doors away from Helen Dillon's house and garden which attracts international attention. The six-bedroom house, which has around 2,600 sq ft of space, has been in the same family for over 30 years; although it is in need of some upgrading, most of its original period features remain intact.
The stucco-fronted house has granite steps with a wrought-iron railing leading up to the front door. The entrance hall is lit by the original fanlight, and the ceiling has a centre rose and the original cornice. There is also a dado rail.
Off the hall are two interconnecting reception rooms. The entrance doors and dividing doors are of stripped American pine and both rooms have original cornicing and centre roses. The drawingroom overlooks the front of the house and has a period sash window, as well as a fireplace with cast-iron surround and tiled inset.
Double doors lead into the diningroom, which also has a fireplace with tiled surround and a black marble mantelpiece. Full-length double doors opening into the back garden are a particularly attractive feature. The kitchen on the return needs modernisation but has plenty of space for dining and a door leading out to a raised terrace overlooking the back garden. A mahogany staircase leads to the first-floor return where there is a bathroom with partly-tiled walls, a bath with shower, and a lavatory. Also here is a small bedroom.
On the first-floor landing are two further bedrooms. Both are good-sized doubles, and overlook both the front and back of the house. A feature of the rooms is slightly sloping ceilings.
The basement is an integral part of the house: although the original staircase has been replaced, it could easily be removed again if new owners wanted separate accommodation downstairs.
A sittingroom stretches across the width of the house, with a small kitchenette off it. Also at this level are two bedrooms - a single and double - with access to both the front and the back, as well as a bathroom.
The west-facing rear garden is approached by the rear terrace, with steps leading down to a 120-ft lawn. The garden is bounded by high hedges and mature creepers with paving stones curving down the centre. A "secret"' garden is hidden among some of the growth. There is also a small yard with vehicular access from Hollybank Avenue, and additional parking for one car.
The property is bounded to the rear by the grounds of the former National College of Ireland, where planning permission is being sought for a large scheme of apartments. The house is close to Ranelagh village as well as to schools. It is within walking distance of the city centre, as well as near bus routes.
