A cutting from The Irish Times dating from 1942 details an interview with a Mr James Charles Ball, who had just celebrated his 100th birthday at his home at 80 St Lawrence Road in Clontarf, Dublin 3. Having originally arrived in Ireland by sailing boat, Ball decided to remain in Ireland, establishing an accounting business in town.
Though he had originally had a home on Henry Street – noting at the time how he would commute to Mullingar from Portobello by horse-drawn canal boats – he eventually constructed a new house on the now popular tree-lined road in Clontarf, which has just been launched to the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €1.475 million.
In the feature, Ball notes that his wife at that time spoke the international language of Esperanto. She was, in fact, his third wife and Ball ended up living to the ripe old age of 103 at a time when the average life expectancy in Ireland was 59. Photographs of his grave in Clontarf cemetery show he is buried with all three wives: Elizabeth, Eliza and Brenda, who died at the ages of 72, 68 and 74.
Moving on a century, number 80, which was called Ellesmere when the Victorian redbrick was first constructed, was purchased 27 years ago by its current owners, who, having raised their family here, are now downsizing locally.
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“It didn’t have full electricity when we bought so it had to be completely rewired,” say the owners, who also replumbed the now 238sq m (2,562sq ft) five-bedroom house.
The house is Ber-exempt, though owners upgraded their home with extra insulation in the attic and installed a new energy-efficient gas boiler in 2019. They replaced all the windows to more energy-saving counterparts, then upgraded again with Pilkington Insulight glass, while also installing solar panels – the excess power from which goes back to the grid.
The house, which is laden with period features such as original Victorian terrazzo tiling in hallways, high ceilings and coving, also retains rare and original amber-glass door handles.
In 2019, during a refurb of the property, owners added an extension to the rear in the form of an open-plan kitchen and living area, along with a large utility room, guest loo and an en suite fifth bedroom (at garden level). This space added to the usual reception rooms at hall level – both of which retain period fireplaces – while a study to the rear of these rooms opens to an internal courtyard – as does the second reception room to the front.
Upstairs on the return is a second en suite bedroom and family bathroom, while three further bedrooms lie on the first floor.
Laid out in Italianate style, the rear garden was originally designed by Andrew Collyer Garden Design, and being low maintenance with shrubs and architectural plants, is now lovingly looked after by its owners. To the rear lies a garden room with access to a back lane. It is being used as a studio by owners, and it has Cat 6 cabling, as it was initially intended to be used as a home cinema.
Out front there is parking for two cars but you could walk most places, such is the accessibility of its location. The city centre is less than three kilometres away, the Dart less than 800m and, if sailing is your thing, you might just end up staying here for quite a bit of time, like Ball did, as Clontarf Sailing Club is just a few minutes’ walk round the corner.
