Ascending granite steps to the front door of a Georgian townhouse on the continuous terrace of Fitzwilliam Street Upper, callers expect an array of brass plaques and a line of doorbells. But at number 2, just up from the corner with Baggot Street, the bells were reduced to just one in 2013 when the current owners bought the property and, over 18 painstaking months, converted it from offices back into a fine dwelling.
Covering 302sq m (3,251sq ft), this four-storey over-basement redbrick house, with modern additions to the protected structure – recorded in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as having been built around 1800 – is for sale through Lisney for €1.975 million.
The Ionic doorcase and columns outside are set off by a replacement fanlight and repeated on the frame of the inner porch that leads into the main hall, with new black and white marble tiles underfoot and delicate decorative plasterwork overhead. To the left is a grand yet cosy livingroom with a white marble fireplace and a centre rose in high relief. An inner hall introduces the wide staircase with thin spindles and a beautiful pineapple motif on the side that the owner says is also found in Daniel O’Connell’s house nearby at 58 Merrion Square, built in 1790.
On the first floor, a grand drawing room with two ceiling roses spans the front of the house, and the two windows extend from the ceiling almost to the original floorboards. The original wrought-iron balconettes are unusual on this stretch of the terrace and a plush purple chair invites further inspection; while there, it’s tempting to sit watching people bustling about below; there’s a direct line of sight over to Larry Murphy’s pub on the opposite corner. The owner says that, while many people have lost sight of living in the city, essentials including a supermarket and a pharmacy are very close; they even bought their Coloutrend paint on Baggot Street.
This room is also used for formal dining and at the end of the landing a kitchenette is very handy for a host. It opens to a southwest-facing terrace, with plenty of room for furniture and flowerpots, and a great view of the 3D jigsaw of neighbouring rooftops, gables, mews, apartments and glassy offices. For extra garden space, ownership of this house comes with a key to the park at Fitzwilliam Square.
On the second half-landing, a small double bedroom and a next-door bathroom have the same view and, up again, the main bedroom takes up the full width. It’s a very restful room, with an internal en suite and a wall of wardrobes. There are two bedrooms and another bathroom on the top landing, which is broad and bright enough for a desk.
Down a flight from the inner hall – where the owner says guests like to linger and chat – are a utility/bathroom and the principal kitchen, which is lit from above by glass panels in the base of the terrace, and by a glass door that opens to a secure little lane. This is an ideal spot to keep a bike as it leads to a bigger lane off Baggot Court, and while the new protected cycle lane on Fitzwilliam Street has reduced on-street car-parking spaces, residents of the neighbourhood are entitled to park on more streets in the south Georgian core than before.
The basement, accessed from hall and street, comprises one living/bedroom area and an internal kitchen and bathroom. This could be kept for additional income, could accommodate a nanny or a student, or could be reconfigured as a larger kitchen.
