One of the most distinctive terraces in Ranelagh is on Sandford Road where a line of half-timbered houses – their decorative timber trim all smartly painted – stand out as being quite different to their Victorian neighbours.

The houses are similar in design to Sandford Park which is to their rear. Now a school, it was built in 1894 as a family home, designed by English architect Thomas Hudman. It’s thought that he also designed the more modest, though similarly styled houses on Sandford Road on the periphery of the Sandford Park land shortly afterwards.

The semi-detached number 23, named Ivanhoe, last changed hands about 20 years ago when it was in need of updating. At the time it was a six-bed house but the owners reduced that number to five by converting one of the smaller bedrooms to a second family bathroom.

At 195sq m (2,100sq ft) it is a large house but new owners may seek to extend it further as has happened with others on this stretch, a move made possible by the long (23m) rear gardens.

The architectural detailing on the inside is as appealing as on the outside – internal doors at hall level feature elaborative architraves, fine cast-iron chimneypieces are in every room , and there’s a fine mahogany staircase.

Downstairs there are two interconnecting rooms, divided by sliding doors. Unusually, both have bay windows – the back bay has double doors set into the bay that open out to the garden. That distinctive porthole window to the front belongs to a walk-in cloakroom.

Twenty years ago there was an old-fashioned kitchen and a scullery at the back and these rooms were knocked together to make an eat-in kitchen with glazed doors out to the garden. New owners, who will redecorate throughout, will also update the kitchen; they may even extend out as the present owners were considering doing and they even got plans drawn up. Off the kitchen is a utility room and a side passage giving access to the front of the house.

Upstairs there are four double bedrooms and a small single (now used as a home office) spread over two floors, as well as two bathrooms. Probably the most attractive bedroom is at the top of the house at the rear. It has a balcony – built by the present owners – which must be a sun trap on a good day as the back of the house is southwest facing.

To the front, the garden has been entirely paved for car parking.

Ivanhoe, 23 Sandford Road, is for sale through Lisney seeking €1.6million.