In a village that honours two Irish Nobel laureates in the local park, it seems fitting there is a home in Sandymount with a library that would perfectly house their works.
On the busy green in Sandymount village, there are busts of both WB Yeats and Seamus Heaney. On one side, this triangular park is flanked by a few castellated houses that were part of Sandymount Castle.
Built in the 1850s, the castle was originally home to the Corbett family who were Dublin merchants. It was later broken up into separate dwellings, with writer Frank O’Connor living at Castleville at one point. This two-storey property is still attached to the house next door with both retaining the castellated battlements and the arched sash windows.
The current owners bought Castleville in 2015 for €1.675 million, according to the Property Price Register. It was a brave purchase at the time as the then pink property was in dire need of a makeover.
Willing to invest in the project, the owners called Extend Architects to help them come up with a layout that would respect the property’s origins, but also allow them to create a modern, functional home.
While the process was generally collaborative, the owners remained open to wild and wonderful ideas, one being the spiral staircase in the almost triple-height aforementioned library.
Split levels, different roof heights, a variety of contemporary spaces and more glazing than anyone thought imaginable, dealt with any awkward angles and transformed the Gothic residence into a stylish home.
Now on the market seeking €3.95 million with Sherry FitzGerald, the B2-rated house has a floor area of 366 sq m (3,940 sq ft) with four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
No longer painted pink, there is a small yard to the front of the property with the original rain canopy over the front door. To the left of the hallway is a bedroom with en suite bathroom, which is the only room on this level that doesn’t connect with another through steps or glass.
Beside this is what would have been the drawingroom but is now a cinema room that has the original cast-iron fireplace and ceiling detail, but also comes with a surround-sound system with integrated speakers in both the walls and ceiling. It also has doors out to an internal courtyard, which links with the kitchen at the back of the house.
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A more conventional way to access the kitchen is down a few steps from the main hallway and into this open-plan space that is bright and beautiful. The chef’s kitchen was designed by Rhatigan and Hick with bespoke units painted in Farrow and Ball’s Stiffkey Blue.
It is clear to see why the garden views were of such importance in the plans. Set out over 0.2 acres, it features lawn, flowering borders, pathways and trees providing privacy.
Back inside, to the front of the property, the room that pays homage to the bygone days is the library. Panelled and painted in a dramatic blue with a marble fireplace at its heart, the room goes from the ground floor right up to roof height.
The upper level lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases can be reached by a hand-turned oak and brass spiral staircase, with natural light from the pointed arched windows and a new roof light.
The main staircase in the hall also brings you to this first floor. Here there are two double bedrooms, both with separate dressingroom areas and en suite bathrooms.
The principal bedroom has a balcony overlooking the back garden and a generous dressingroom with built-in wardrobes and an island unit, as well as a large en suite shower room.
The renovation at Castleville was daring and lavish, as the castle was gently led into the 21st century with careful consideration at every turn, allowing it to remain an important part of Sandymount’s architecture.
