Set back off Breffni Road, Bayswater Terrace dates from the early 1800s and was constructed by four merchant brothers who wanted to decamp from the city during summer months.
Extending to 370sq m (3,983sq ft) it is superbly located between Sandycove village and the heritage town of Dalkey.
The current owner of number 1 on the terrace, who raised his family here, is now moving to a spot in the country with larger grounds.
“When I bought the house about 25 years ago, Liam Ó Maonlaí from the Hot House Flowers and sean-nós singer Iarla O’Lionaird from The Gloaming were renting it. I continued to rent the property to them for about five years until I could really afford to live here myself.”
Also a musician, the owner was once a regular feature on stage at Whelans on Wexford Street with the band Hummer, and continues to play the guitar today, which is evident from the many instruments lying about the place in the elegant terraced property.
Decorated with bohemian flair, the property was returned to apartment layout five years ago as the owner’s children had grown up and left the seven-bedroom home.
But this was done in a sympathetic way, so for a buyer in search of a spacious family home in the seaside suburb of Sandycove, it could be easily reinstated to its original use as a fine home set over four floors.
It retains many of its period features and is the only double-fronted house on the terrace of four houses. Unlike its neighbours, it does not have direct access to the water, but for new owners with a penchant for year-round swims, the Forty Foot bathing spot is just five minutes’ walk away.
For sailing enthusiasts – a few minutes by bike, or a few stops on the Dart – are four yacht clubs. For smaller motor boats, it is possible to apply to Dublin Port Authority for a mooring permit on Bullock Harbour, which lies adjacent, and is also where local fishermen land their hauls of lobster.
New owners will more than likely want to change parts and upgrade the house, but the bones of a very fine property lie at its heart. The owner says his children refer to a room at the top as the “magic room”, due to its panoramic views.
“To the east gives you that Killiney-Bono aspect of open sea, and if you look to the west at night you see the lights all across the city, so it really has the best of both worlds.
“I would sit here a lot and think about ladies with parasols and the coaches waiting for them out front, and the former rooms used by the servants upstairs are really a reminder how life once was in olden days,” says the septuagenarian owner.
Indeed, if they could talk, the 200-year-old walls of this marvellous grande dame would have many a tale to tell. Number 1 Bayswater Terrace is now on the market through DNG, seeking €2.75 million.
