Shanganagh Terrace off Killiney Hill Road was developed in the mid-19th century during a building boom in south Dublin. The first houses in this cul-de-sac were built quite apart from each other but infills soon sprung up and now one side of the road is lined with various types of Victorian houses, a few semi-detached, others two-storey detached and a handsome terrace of villa-style houses.
No 15 is at the very end of the road – which retains the feel of a quiet rural lane – and unlike its neighbours, it still has the substantial garden it was built on. It is a solid two-storey and pretty-looking house behind electric gates on a private site and it all is instantly charming, more like a country house than one a short drive from the N11.
It’s the gardens that sold the current owners on the house when they arrived to view it with some of their six children in 1990. There’s a long front garden with plenty of space for football, dens and hiding places and with a vegetable patch at its far end; to one side of the house is another lawned area, now used for croquet.
Inside, previous owners made changes and improvements, including building a deep bay to the front to create a window seat in the living room. A formal dining room on the other side of the hall was knocked through to the kitchen at the back. The present owners changed that open-plan idea – reinstating the wall but leaving a serving hatch – and installing a cosy country-style eat-in kitchen complete with an Aga, a utility room and a vast pantry.
A major addition was the single-storey extension to the side, with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and with its own entrance built for older teenagers so it feels quite separate and could be used as au-pair accommodation or to house older family members. Accommodation at No 15 now extends to 230sq m, 2,476sq ft.
Upstairs are four double bedrooms and a rambling feel; there is light from tall sash windows to the front and views at the back to St Alphonsus and St Columba’s Church. New owners will redecorate throughout and probably look to improve the BER rating of F. Unusually for this terrace, where parking can be tight, No 15 has off-street parking for five cars. DNG is selling for €1.5 million.
