Thorncliffe Park, on Orwell Road in Rathgar, is a mature estate of semidetached and detached houses located beside Milltown Golf Club. Number 7, dating from 1941, has arrived on the market with DNG Terenure, seeking €1.4 million.
It’s a fine four-bed semidetached home extending to 177sq m (1,905sq ft). On a quiet side road, it is set well back from the busier stretch on Orwell Road, with a bank of mature trees shading this small enclave.
A front garden has off-street parking and the double-fronted property has bay windows and a balcony terrace to the front. Original stained glass decorates the front door on either side and above and the entrance hallway has a guest loo under the stairs.
Many of the house’s 1930s features such as the staircase, doors, the fireplace in the main reception room and coving are still in place. An interconnecting pair of reception rooms are on the right side of the hallway, and they are both light-filled and generous. The front of the house faces south, so the drawingroom is sunny and warm. The diningroom to the rear has direct access to the rear garden, through French doors.
At the end of the hall is a family room, which is very comfortable, dual aspect, has built in shelving and a most unusual and attractive Dutch-style cast-iron stove. Behind it the kitchen, which like the drawingroom, sits at the front of the house and benefits from a sunny aspect.
The configuration reflects the original layout of the house, and new owners may want to improve the access to the kitchen, by opening through to the side of the house, which has a side passage, or looking at incorporating the family room at the rear into the kitchen. Another option would be to further extend, subject to planning permission, into the garden, as some of the neighbours have already done.
It’s a versatile house, bursting with potential and possibility. The Ber rating is C and heating is gas. Upstairs are four bedrooms. The main bedroom has a deep bay window, on the far side of the landing it is a smaller bedroom with a large teak door that swings open on to a small balcony.
Reflecting the age of the house, all the bedrooms have sink units, but the family bathroom has been renovated and is in good shape. The house has a large attic, which offers further potential to extend upwards.
The garden, the jewel in this property, extends to 60ft, has been meticulously tended and planted over the decades and is in perfect condition. Mature beds are filled with hydrangeas, roses and turning acers; vibrant clouds of jasmine cloak the walls, there is a garden shed and a bower in the furthest corner.
Thorncliffe Park as a location is sought-after, being close to both Rathgar and Terenure villages, the Dodder Park is only a few hundred metres away, as are the fairways and greens of Milltown Golf Club. The Luas stop at Windy Arbour is a 10-minute walk away and it is within easy reach of schools.
