The houses on Silchester Road are very sure of themselves. Tall, elegant, red brick, they’re set back from the road, and appear confident of their own space and place since they first arrived, in Victorian times.
These days, they’re mainly behind electric gates, and yet little else has changed. The coastal railway line has been upgraded to become the Dart, and most of the gardens have been divided to make room for newer houses at the back, although Lady Cross still has lots of sunny outside space in which to sip your sundowners.
The bathrooms have been modernised too, and the Lady Cross kitchen, which is at garden level is a more contemporary idea of what a period kitchen should be like – I’m sure they weren’t nearly as lovely when owners had servants to do the cooking for them.
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Sunny seating areas
The house is on three levels, with richly polished parquet adding a glow to the lower floor. There's also a breakfast room, and a den/family room that has French windows out to the patio and garden. This has two sunny seating areas, a studio (or glorified shed, depending on how you like to look at it), lawn and tasteful planting.
Look more closely, and see the red bricks surrounding the patio at the end wall – they came from the chimneys when the house was restored.
On the first floor, the reception rooms are what you’d expect: high ceilings, great proportions, open fires with marble surrounds, ceiling roses, cornicing and coving. The living room swallows up the huge sofas, so that it’s cosy but still most definitely grand.
On the first floor the ceilings are also high, and the bedrooms well appointed. The master suite, with dressing room and en suite, is particularly lovely, with a deep bay window.
Lady Cross has four bedrooms in the current layout, though the study could go either way – depending on your needs.
Another space that is hugely flexible is the adjoining mews. An internal door connects it from the diningroom, although it also has its own entrance. Currently, it is divided into two separate flats, one two-bedroomed and one with one bedroom. The first floor two-bed is bright and sunny, and as both are separately metered, they can be rented, or used for an overflow of family.
It has been a long time since a house came up for sale on Silchester Road, just round the corner from Glenageary Dart station, and ultra-convenient for seafront walks, Glasthule village (including the lovely Cavistons), and transport to town.
Lady Cross is for sale by auction, with Lisney at an AMV of €2.3 million, and there's an open viewing this Saturday from 12 to 1pm, so you can see what's on offer for yourself.
