Once home to stained-glass artist Harry Clarke, Ferryman's Cottage, a bungalow in Dublin's Strawberry Beds, is being sold at auction by Gunne on June 17th. It is guiding £290,000. The area's postal address is Dublin 20, but the atmosphere along this winding Liffey-bank road is very rural, with the river on one side and a string of cottages and banks of trees on the other. Interest in houses in the Strawberry Beds is always strong because there are so few of them and they come on the market so infrequently. The last one to come up for sale, Bridge Cottage, sold earlier this year for £285,000. An unusual feature of Ferryman's Cottage is that it has a separate building which was once used by Clarke as a studio. It has now been converted into a one-bedroom granny flat. The pretty looking bungalow was built in the 1950s and has two bedrooms, one single, one double and a further two attic rooms accessed by a spiral staircase. These have been fitted out by the present owners as single bedrooms.
The owners have also secured planning permission for an extension that would enlarge and improve on the existing attic rooms. The new plans also allow for dormer windows to the front which will maximise the house's view of the Liffey. Downstairs, there is a large reception room with a timber floor and a wood-burning stove. An over-sized picture window that goes almost from floor to ceiling ensures this south-facing room is very bright. There is a large eat-in kitchen and a separate utility room. The decor throughout is very 1970s, so new owners will probably want to do some updating. The bathroom is also on this level. The grounds surrounding the house are very private and the house has an acre of garden. However, this is a classic Strawberry Beds garden, which means that it is almost entirely at the back of the house and is on an extremely steep incline. Nevertheless, it is beautifully wooded and parts of it could certainly be landscaped to provide play and patio areas.
The grounds immediately surrounding the house are attractive, with a gravelled driveway, a stone wall and wooden gates which give the house a good sense of privacy.
