You would expect to see high ceilings in a period house, but the ceilings in Avondale, a magnificent period house on Avoca Avenue in Blackrock, will have you raising your eyebrows to another level. Still, in the five large reception rooms, the ceilings are nicely in proportion with the large dimensions running throughout this fine house. The extra height makes the intricate ceiling coving, centre roses and chandeliers feel even more commanding, and gives the rooms that extra yard of elegance.
This detached, Ber-exempt, two-storey-over-garden-level house has a double-fronted facade and extends to a spacious 558sq m (6,006sq ft) on 0.3 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds just a walk from Blackrock village. It’s for sale through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, asking €5.95 million.
Avondale was built in 1859 as part of an exclusive suburban development aimed at wealthy professionals and merchants and minor members of the gentry. Among the great and good who called it home were the late judge John H Pigot, who played a big role in Ireland’s transition to a free state, and the late RTÉ journalist turned TD and author Ted Nealon.
The current owners bought Avondale 25 years ago and refurbished the property, restoring many of the superb period features including the impressive stained-glass fanlight, and putting in new doors and architraves, and new tiled floors at garden level.
The entrance sits atop a set of granite steps, and leads into a bright entrance porch with original tiled floor, feature fan light and intricate ceiling moulding and cornicing. The inner doorway is surrounded by stained glass, and leads to the entrance hallway with original polished pine floorboards and a feature archway, one of many in this grand design.
The hallway brings you towards the large drawingroom to the back; breathtakingly big – 7.34m by 5.4m – with polished pine floorboards, a large marble fireplace with raised slate hearth and slate inset, and a bay window with working shutters overlooking the back garden.
To the front is a livingroom and study, both with polished timber floorboards, shuttered sash windows, marble fireplaces and built-in radiator covers. The diningroom to the back has polished timber floorboards and shuttered sliding sash windows looking out to the back garden. All four rooms have intricate ceiling coving and three of them have a centre rose.
Also on the first floor level, with its own inner hallway, is a secondary kitchen, perfect for catering to a big dinner party in the diningroom. It’s well fitted out, with floor and eye-level units, a Neff SST oven, four-ring gas hob, marble work surfaces, under-mounted SST sink unit and a pull-out larder press. There are two sliding sash windows to the side, and a door leads out to the back garden down stone steps, for when the dinner party goes al fresco. There’s also a handy storeroom across the inner hallway with a sash window looking out to the front.
Downstairs at garden level, the main attraction is the big open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom to the rear of the house. The bespoke SieMatic kitchen is designed by Houseworks, and has tiled floor, feature central island with Belfast sink, large gas Aga, marble work surfaces and tiled splashback. Display shelving, recessed lighting and ceiling coving finish off the look nicely. The dining area sits by a wide bay window looking out to the back garden, which is south-facing and gets sun all day.
Next to the kitchen is a large games room opening out to the back garden – the ideal spot to gather and play snooker, video games or board games. To the front is a big utility room, and the large entrance hallway allows the family to troop in from a separate garden-level entrance. There’s a guest WC at the end of the hall. The fifth bedroom, a double with en suite, faces out to the front.
On the first floor are four large double bedrooms. The main bedroom overlooks the rear garden and has a big en suite with walk-in closet. Bedrooms two and three both have en suites, and bedroom four has easy access to the main bathroom. There’s another guest WC on the second-floor return. The landing is particularly grand, with three feature arches leading to a full-height window looking out to the front.
The south-facing back garden is private and configured to maximise all-day sunshine. There’s a terraced dining area, and meticulously manicured lawns and mature shrubs, trees and specimen plants. Outside, lighting beautifully illuminates the entire property at night. The front is set behind electric security gates and has parking for several cars.
Avoca Avenue is one of south Dublin’s most sought-after addresses, and Lisney has two other properties for sale on this quietly elegant street between Carysfort Avenue and Mount Merrion Avenue. Aranmore, seeking €4.75 million, is a double-fronted Victorian house on 0.4 of an acre of manicured gardens. The Ber-exempt 411sq m (4,424sq ft) house was renovated and extended in 2008, creating a light-filled blend of formal and informal living spaces.
Ardglas, seeking €1.495 million, is a substantial detached house measuring 239sq m (2,753sq ft) on 0.2 of an acre with a large, south-facing back garden. The G-rated house requires modernisation, and an attic conversion adds 12sq m (129sq ft) to its footprint.
