It’s not surprising that back in the 1970s an enterprising owner divided Saintbury House, an early Victorian castellated pile perched high on the slopes of Killiney Hill that enjoys panoramic unobscured views of the sea from most of its rooms.
The house, built in 1837, must have been vast – so much so that dividing it resulted in two houses, the 410sq m (4,413 sq ft), Saintbury House, which has been for sale for the best part of a year for €2.85 million, and Lynbank with 345sq m (about 3,714sq ft) which has just come on the market for €2.25 million.
Both share the same entrance and are semi-detached – although probably because of the size of the rooms and the general feeling of space there is no sense of that once inside.
The houses are at the top of Saintbury Avenue, a winding road close to the village that leads down from Killiney Hill Road to Station Road – presumably once Saintbury House’s driveway but now lined with houses tucked away behind tall gates.
Renovated
The present owners have lived in Lynbank since the early 1990s and renovated and extended during their time here to make a comfortable, rambling family home with accommodation set over two levels.
Dividing the original house didn’t mean dividing room so all the rooms in Lynbank have grand period proportions, notably the formal living room with its deep bay window and high ceilings.
That is at the entrance-hall level as are three large double bedrooms – two facing out to sea and one with a large en-suite – and a family bathroom. The rest of the living accommodation is down a modest staircase – probably originally the servant’s one – and comprises an eat-in kitchen opening out to the garden, a family room and a bedroom en-suite.
Designed for a busy family, there is a vast pantry, boot room and utility room. That is all in the original part of the house and in the late 1990s the family added a modern wing designed by Denis Looby of Sheehan & Barry architects – again with every room looking seaward – to make space for a home office upstairs and a bedroom with en-suite downstairs – both levels open out on to their own terraces.
The tiered gardens front and back are lushly planted, and extend to about a third of an acre with parking for six cars. The drive-in is off Saintbury Avenue but there is also a gateway off Killiney Hill Road. Sherry FitzGerald is the agent handling the sale.
