Anne Russell recalls when her father purchased the site where her family home now sits on Brennanstown Road in Carrickmines: "The lands had been used as a nursery and I remember as a child we were out collecting stones each weekend, to help clear the site. There was a huge Victorian glasshouse, laden with vines, which dad donated to the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin."
The lands were transformed over 40 years by Russell's father, the late Don Reid, a prominent tax practitioner and a former chairman of The Irish Times.
"Every tree has a story and a purpose and the cedar of Lebanon was his favourite," says Russell of the giant Cedrus libani, which soars to well over 100ft.
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Reid, who passed away while tending to his garden in Mayo in 2013, spent all his free time caring for his gardens in Dublin until well into his 70th year.
The gardens, currently maintained by gardener Jasper O’Toole, are simply magnificent, and feature many specimen trees, a tennis court and clipped hedging through meandering pathways of reclaimed stone.
Meticulous care
In a testament to the meticulous care, I’m asked to walk with the stripes on the lush green lawns, in order not to leave footprints.
Sunflowers are the only casual planting. O’Toole collects and dries seed heads each year, scattering them about the gardens so they grow randomly.
The house, which was built in the 1970s for the Reid family, sits on a site that was originally part of Cabinteely House, and old walls and a horse's run under a bridge form the boundary to adjacent estates.
An old granite cottage, which was a servant’s house, has a belfry alongside, which was used to summon workmen to their meals. Used as a workshop by Reid, it has huge potential for conversion to guest accommodation.
The main house measures 235sq m (2,530sq ft) and all rooms have verdant views including Reid’s study which looks out onto a peach tree laden with fruit. Views from a balcony off a bedroom upstairs, stretch all the way to Dublin Bay, the Sugar Loaf and Bray Head.
The split-level reception rooms are spacious and lead to the kitchen. New owners have many options to update this space, including converting the double garage, which would give greater views of the ornamental silver birch which line the garden like a garrison.
Ground floor
The property has five bedrooms, the master of which is on the ground floor. A further room upstairs changed purpose as the Reid family developed and is used as a second study. Glenside, is a dream property for those with a love of gardening. New owners could transform the house in a matter of months, but the gardens have taken 40 years of love and care to become what they are today. The property is for sale through estate agent Hunters with an asking price of €1.7 million.
