The sale of Walford is all about the gardens, where up to five detached houses could be built, says Property Editor Orna Mulcahy
Dublin's most expensive house, a large Edwardian redbrick on Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, goes for sale today with a guide price of up to €35 million.
The seven-bedroom house, called Walford, is owned by the Duggan family whose father, the late Patrick Duggan, was involved in the banking and insurance business.
Walford stands on 1.8 acres of garden backing onto the grounds of Old Belvedere rugby club. There is clear development potential: one study suggests that up to five detached houses could be built in the rear section of the garden, leaving the seven-bedroom house with a half acre of private grounds.
Sherry FitzGerald is handling the sale which is likely to generate frantic interest among the wealthiest in the land, many of whom see Shrewsbury Road as the ultimate destination address.
The house is to be sold by tender at the end of the June.
A property of this size and quality hasn't come on the market in decades, according to Sherry FitzGerald director Simon Ensor, who is handling the sale with Peter Lynch of DTZ Sherry FitzGerald.
"When you take into consideration the house, the site, and the location, it's the finest house to come on the market as long as I've been in the business," he said.
"Walford, as a straightforward private residence is, in our view, certainly worth in the €30,000 to €35,000 bracket. However given the extensive gardens of 1.8 acres, and the fact that there is little if anything comparable in Dublin 4, it is a distinct possibility that demand is going to be very strong and that anything is possible on the day."
Walford has been home to the Duggans for 50 years and the house has changed very little in that time. When Paddy and Carmel Duggan moved there in 1956 they had the two-storey house renovated by Cramptons and redecorated by Brown Thomas. The decor is substantially the same, down to the marble effect linoleum in the hallway and the lemon yellow upstairs bathroom.
New owners will give it a thorough makeover, and may well demolish and rebuild a three-storey wing that was added sometime in the 1930s. It's a long rambling house with a layout designed for a family and staff. In their early days at Walford, the Duggans had a cook, a parlourmaid and a housemaid, as well as a gardener.
There are two main reception rooms leading off the hallway - a drawingroom and a diningroom, both of which have Georgian fireplaces. There is study leading to a conservatory, and a big family room with French doors to the garden.
The old fashioned kitchen leads to a series of pantries. Upstairs, there are five bedrooms and a series of attic rooms offering endless possibilities.
As Simon Ensor kindly comments, Walford "has reached a stage in its life when it needs refurbishment". These days, and at this level of the market, refurbishment means a top-to-toe makeover that could see the unlisted house virtually demolished and rebuilt.
Still, it's an investment that many will be willing to make. With high worth individuals now queuing for homes in the area, houses on Shrewsbury come on the market very rarely. The last property to be auctioned on the road was a 1930s semi, number 7, which made £2.5 million in 1999.
Since then several houses have changed hands privately for higher and higher sums. The latest sale was an undistinguished modern house at number 28 which was bought as an investment for around €8 million. About four years ago, David Doyle, of the hotel family, bought a large detached house, Clancool, for a figure believed to be around £9 million.
Walford may have tremendous development potential but the issue of planning permission on the street will inevitably lead to a confrontation with neighbours who have strenuously opposed any redevelopments along Shrewsbury Road.
Galway developer Mr Frank O'Malley has had a lengthy battle with some of the neighbours to redevelop the former Chester Beatty Library site which extends to one acre.
