Houses on Herbert Park in Dublin 4 have proved a good bellwether of the status of the property market at the higher end, and the recent fortunes of one house, No 34, Milverton, amply illustrate the highs and lows that the market has endured.
A family home for 30 years, the five-bedroom redbrick sold for a reported €8 million in 2005, and was then sent back to market in 2008 for €13.5 million, when it failed to sell. A receivers’ sale in October of last year saw it going to auction with an AMV of €2.75 million, and there were gasps of amazement and delight (in some quarters), when it was bid up to a hammer price of €4.6 million.
Green shoots of recovery are one thing, but families also need somewhere to live, and Herbert Park, which runs between Ballsbridge and Donnybrook, must be one of the nicest places in Dublin. There’s the park itself, of course, and the short walks to practically every amenity and the city centre.
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Family home
And then there are the houses. A mix of detached and semi- detached, these are quiet Victorians, which don't shriek of ostentation, but calmly exude a confident sense of the kind of comfort that doesn't come cheap.
Number 6, which is being auctioned by DNG on March 7th with an AMV of €2.9 million, has been a family home for the past 30 years. It’s semi-detached, though you wouldn’t realise it, and with 362sq m (3,900sq ft) of accommodation it’s similar in size to Milverton.
The current owners, who raised eight children here, have kept a careful eye on the place, updating it as the family grew up, moved out and moved on.
The dining room, which had been a boy’s bedroom, painted black and doubtless once covered with posters, is now an elegant room with white-painted panelling, a fireplace, coving and pale yellow wallpaper.
The drawing room is equally lovely, with French windows to a raised patio area that lead down to the enclosed garden. The kitchen, added by the current owners, has a bay window, large enough to take a family table, aqua-coloured wooden fittings (inspired by Rick Stein’s restaurant at Padstow), an island unit, and an Aga. There’s also a family room, utility room and playroom at this level.
Outside there’s parking for 10 cars, or maybe eight if all your friends drive massive urban jeeps.
There are four bedrooms on the first floor, and an attic suite up a spiral staircase at the top. Everything has been carefully tended, and the original features so lovingly restored, that it’s hard to imagine the large and boisterous family growing up here, but still a happy atmosphere pervades the house.
Similar in size, No 3 sold for €2.6 million in September 2012. It shouldn't be forgotten in the midst of creeping – and sometimes more dramatic – price rises, that houses like this aren't always trophies, but great family homes too.
Location, location, location: Three more in D4
Herbert Lodge, €1.1m, Sherry FitzGerald
Herbert Lodge at 20 Clyde Lane is a short step to Herbert Park. This two-storey converted mews has a large private rear garden and off-street parking. Inside, you'll find a kitchen/diningroom, livingroom, family room and day room/office space. The 182sq m (1,959sq ft) two bed h as been on the market since July 2013, when the initial asking price was €1.2 million.
67 Anglesea Road, €2.3m, Colliers
Withdrawn from auction in 2008 with a €3.6 million AMV, 67 Anglesea Road is now for sale by private treaty. This is a five-bedroom Edwardian-era home arranged over three floors, with some latter day bell and whistle additions, including a home cinema and wine cellar in the basement. An extended kitchen leads on to a sunny breakfast area and into the patio garden.
7 St Mary's Road, €1.2m, Felicity Fox
While the Victorians did grand, they also did charming, and 7 St Mary's Road is definitely the latter. With rich wallpapers and ornamented fireplaces it feels cosy, but there are still four bedrooms over 264sq m (2,840sq ft), plus a double-height garden room and mezzanine office overlooking the patio.
