The house called Sancta Maria on Brighton Road in Foxrock, just down from the busy village, is a very different Sancta Maria from the one that stood there in 2003. Then, the more modest old Foxrock house, on 1.3 acres, sold for €2.3 million and, after a protracted battle, it was knocked and a new, significantly larger one was built in its place. That Sancta Maria is now for sale – for €4 million – a strong price for the area where there is now significant choice for buyers. Quillsen is handling the sale.
Now sitting on half an acre of beautifully landscaped gardens – the southwest facing back garden is a stunner – the two-storey with basement house was designed to blend in with the period houses in the area and also meet the specific needs of the owners, so the design also incorporates a one-bedroom annex. That is to the front on the right as you drive in through the electric gates.
This “granny flat” wing could easily be incorporated into the main house – although, with five bedrooms and several reception rooms, there is significant space there already. In all Sancta Maria, which was completed in 2006, is a roomy 745sq m (8,000sq ft) on a half-acre site.
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The entrance hall, through the double front doors, gives a hint of the spec and design approach in the rest of the house. It’s a very large and bright space with Portuguese limestone flooring and a sweeping curved Portuguese limestone staircase together with custom-made ornate ironmongery.
Off it to the left are two interconnecting reception rooms; on the right is a formal diningroom. The well-planned Oakline kitchen opens into the more informal livingroom-cum-breakfastroom that faces out into the garden. This family-friendly space is very appealing in its scale and comfort. There’s also another, smaller room on this level – it opens out on to the back garden and would make a great home office or teenage den.
Upstairs off the large landing are five double bedrooms. Each has a dressing area and either its own en suite or access to a shared Jack and Jill style en suite. The largest is fitted with a reclaimed period fireplace, and with a large bathroom with both freestanding bath and walk-in shower as well as a separate walk-in dressingroom fitted from top to bottom with walnut shelving and hanging spaces. This main bedroom opens out on to a balcony overlooking the rear garden.
As well as the feature cantilevered stone staircase in the main hall, there is a back staircase through a door off the kitchen and this leads down to a basement – a hidden addition as it is not visible from the front or rear.
Down here there is a gym, a home office, a wine store, a utility room and further storage rooms, but only the gym and the home office enjoy any natural light and that comes from relatively small rooflights. And without much natural light there is a definite feeling of being underground.
Also, the location of the utility room so far from the kitchen, and with access to the outside down a hallway and up a flight of steps, might not suit everyone – it’s certainly a long way to haul your laundry if you fancied hanging it out on the line. There is also a vast attic room which could have many uses, although at present it is just used for storage.
There is a geothermal underfloor heating system with gas boiler back-up and solar panels and a heat exchange unit.
As Sancta Maria was only completed 10 years ago and has been maintained in top condition since then, buyers, likely to be a growing family trading up from within the area, will find little to do or change. To the front there is parking for several cars and a garage.
