De Vesci Terrace is a fine example of the Victorian terraces which used to define the seaside town of Dun Laoghaire - before the recent building boom of apartment and office blocks. The stately row of 11 houses sits in an elevated position above the town, and enjoys a green and leafy view of De Vesci Gardens. The four-and-a-half acre private park, which includes a tennis court, is held on a long lease by the residents of the terrace.
Number 2 is a four-bedroom house, with a separate flat at garden level, and a rebuilt mews house at the rear. It is to be auctioned on July 12th by Gunne; a guide price of £1.1 million (1.4m) is suggested. Houses on this terrace rarely come on the market but even so, given the mews, the size of the house and the terrace that it is in, this would seem to be a conservative guide.
The double-fronted house faces west, and receives the full warmth of the afternoon and evening sun at its front and the morning sun at its back. Granite steps lead to the front door, which opens into a lofty and spacious hallway. There are two interconnecting reception rooms on the left, and in common with almost all the rooms, they are elegantly-proportioned spaces with high ceilings, ornamental plasterwork and original mantels.
The back room has a tall window which stretches from floor to ceiling, while the front room has a similarly-lengthy bay window. Across the hall is a huge, long drawing room, also with a bay window. A very ornate, white marble mantel has carved, acanthus-leaf consoles and a central boss with a fruit and flower basket.
A utility room, lavatory and kitchen make up the rest of this floor. Upstairs, on the hall return, there is a large family bathroom and a study, with windows on three walls. On the upper floor there are four double bedrooms, two of which share an en suite bathroom.
The flat in the basement is self-contained, but the original stairs have been retained, so it would be a simple matter to incorporate this area back into the house. Most of the walls have been stripped back to the rough granite surface. There are two bedrooms, a large sittingroom, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Behind the house there is a paved courtyard which leads to the two-storey granite mews. This building, which was entirely reconstructed in 1996, may also be accessed from a back lane. On the ground floor there is a sittingroom with a kitchen annex. A big stone-and-brick fireplace warms the room. Upstairs, half of the space has been given over to an open-plan area, which could be used as a study or a second living area. There is a shower room adjoining. Stained glass doors open on to a tiny balcony. The bedroom and a bathroom take up the rest of the space.
