Dalkey and Killiney are often compared to the Italian Riviera and the Amalfi coast because of their dramatic sea views, meandering coastline and golden sands.
Killiney Bay lives up to its comparison to the green waters of the Bay of Naples, and many roads in the surrounding areas, including Vico Road and Sorrento Terrace, take their names from Europe’s continental coastal towns. These were said to have been named when wealthy young Dubliners set off on their grand tours of Europe in the 1800s, coming home with tales of adventure and cultural influences.
This Victorian pile on Marino Avenue East in Killiney takes its name from Mentone, the Italian variant spelling of Menton on the French Riviera and Italian border. And while it has an Italianate marble chimney piece in the drawingroom and a fabulous Italianate tower, its name when first built in the 1860s appears to have been Villa Franca. It then appears on later maps as French Villa, while in 1872 it was given the grand old title of Mentone Castle. Since 1888, however, it has simply been called Mentone.
It extends to 393sq m (4,230sq ft) and has been refurbished to an exacting standard, as the owner went right back to the shell of this impressive pile after she bought the house in 2018. It appears on the Property Price Register in 2019 as having sold for €3.23 million. The owner spent almost three years and significant sums to restore the property after falling for the “breathtaking sea views, proportions of the rooms and the practicality of the house”. A pretty one-bedroom cottage, also refurbished, is included in the sale.
There isn’t an inch out of place in the house, which had its interiors designed by Minnie Peters. It now has underfloor heating beneath reclaimed American oak sourced from Ebony & Co on Fitzwilliam Place, which was installed all over the house, including in the bedrooms and the tower.
The kitchen, which has echoes of California styling underscored by the lovely views through an arched window of Killiney Bay, was designed by Andrew Ryan, who also did a smart secondary kitchen. With solid-oak countertops and an Aga, the main culinary space opens into a diningroom with an eye-level fireplace. It was designed to resemble an orangery as the owner wanted to bring in the light and sea views.
It’s really an impressive room and the windows have thermally insulated glazing, “so much so that when you hold a candle up to them, it won’t flicker,” the owner says. So, it doesn’t matter if the weather outside howls during dinner, your guests will be snug. Moving outside from the room leads to a terraced living space with a raised fire to keep guests warm for postprandial drinks.
A drawingroom, which enjoys a fine bay window in addition to an arched window matching that of the kitchen, has a stunning Italianate white marble chimney piece as its focal point. Adjacent lies a study, the walls of which have been panelled with solid oak.
Upstairs the main bedroom has sweeping views towards Killiney Hill, Dalkey Island and the sea. High-end fixtures such as a Carrera marble clad en suite and bespoke wardrobes are indicative of the spend that went into the restoration. There are three further luxurious bedrooms on this floor with a fifth on the second-floor return, which has access to the tower. And this is a selling point as it allows 360-degree views encompassing the Wicklow Mountains across to Killiney Hill in addition to Dalkey Island and Killiney Bay.
Outside, tonnes of topsoil were brought on to the site. It had a tennis court but the owner wanted a garden that looks like it sweeps down to the sea. The gardens, laid out by Rachel Lamb, extend to 1.4 acres and include a spacious sun terrace off the orangery, which has an open fire and a walled garden. The large sweeping lawn is currently maintained by a robotic lawnmower that comes out of a little den and scoots about the place keeping green areas neat and trimmed.
Mentone, a protected structure, is Ber-exempt and has a monitored CCTV system with thermal imaging AI cameras. Privacy is further ensured by electric gates, and its location is just two minutes’ walk from Killiney beach and the Dart station. Holy Child School is just across the road, while the general locality has a great selection of schools.
Its walk-in condition and high-end interiors add to the allure of this Italianate beauty overlooking Killiney Bay. And though its name has changed over the years, swinging from French to Italian, with the word “castle” thrown in for good measure, it’s a lovely spot on the south county Dublin coastline, and is now on the market through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, seeking €7.5 million.
