Dublin 4: €4m Its gardens run down to the Dodder and it backs onto Merrion cricket ground - but a striking contemporary home near the city enjoys privacy. Property Editor Orna Mulcahy reports

It's hard to believe that there can still be a house with an acre of garden in the heart of Ballsbridge but such is the case with Dunluce, a striking contemporary home on a full acre of grounds adjoining Merrion cricket pitch and running down to the Dodder with a view through the trees to Herbert Park.

Dunluce, off Anglesea Road in Dublin 4 is hidden away at the end of a private laneway at the Ballsbridge end of the road. It's the home of Pat Stephenson, head of North's, one of Dublin's longest established commercial estate agencies, and his wife Mary.

They inherited it from Pat's father who bought the property in the 1950s. In 2000, they decided to replace the existing 1920s house with something completely different.

It took about 14 months to build their new home - a 464 sq m (5,000 sq ft) house raised above garden level with huge windows on the ground floor and a long sheltered balcony above to take advantage of the superb westerly aspect.

Now the five-bedroom house is on the market with a guide price of €4 million-plus prior to auction by Harper O'Grady on April 19th. Dunluce shares an entrance with one other house, but it's quite private, with a curving gravelled driveway that opens out into a very large forecourt with parking for a dozen or more cars. Designed by architect Jim Cody, the house stands two storey over basement with a long façade and steps leading up to the front door. Inside, a corridor runs right through the hall level with rooms on one side only.

The principal rooms at this level - kitchen, diningroom, drawingroom and family room - connect through a series of doors that open to make great entertaining space.

All the rooms also open onto the terrace where there are steps leading down to a dramatic circular lawn surrounded by shrubberies. Beyond the lawn is a belt of woodland beyond which the garden descends to the Dodder. A dense hedge separates the garden from the cricket grounds.

One of the best rooms in the house is the open plan kitchen, a vast light-filled space with a central granite topped island. Upstairs, the main bedroom occupies one corner of the floor with a large en suite bathroom and a dressingroom.

It and three of the remaining bedrooms have access to the balcony, which has a spiral staircase leading down to the patio below. Two further bedrooms share a large en suite, while the remaining two are positioned on either side of a big family bathroom. At basement level there is a large office, wine cellar and big garage-cum-storeroom.

Finished to a high spec, Dunluce has underfloor heating at hall level, top of the range kitchen appliances, luxurious bathrooms and some clever touches lik the laundry chute, that sends clothes tumbling down to the basement utility room.

For a virtual tour of this property click on nicemove.ie