“It felt like home the day we moved in,” says the owner of St Anne’s, a 404sq m (4,350sq ft) Victorian villa in Monkstown. “Even before we’d unpacked our things, it felt welcoming.” It is welcoming, but with a wow. From the imposing granite steps up to a glassed-in porch that I’m told is “orangerie-style”, to the generously wide black-and-white-tiled hallway, this is a house that wants you to feel good about being there.
Built in the 1830s, it was the only one of a planned four villas to be built. They were styled as holiday homes for city-centre dwellers at the time the Dublin-Kingston line was first opened. And a pretty fabulous holiday home it would have made too. Brighton Avenue connects Monkstown Road with Seapoint Avenue and the coastline, and it’s a sweet little road, not far from Monkstown village and all its shops, cafes and restaurants. The location is one of the things the owner will miss. “I love the garden, and the proximity to the sea,” she says.
The garden is gorgeous, wrapping around the house, so you’re feel completely private, with mature planting, lawns and a cleverly placed patio to get the very last of the evening sun. The main reception rooms, plus the master bedroom are upstairs, where there’s lots of light, while a further four bedrooms are downstairs where it’s cosier and, given how the house nestles into the grounds, your windows look directly out to grass and flowers. “You get a great variety of birds here, and we see a fox sometimes too. Our daughter used to camp in a tent with her friends in the garden, they’d all feel very brave. It was idyllic.”
Idyllic vibe
There’s also a games room downstairs, where the old kitchen would have been. It’s large enough to house a snooker table and, carrying on the idyllic vibe, there’s also a bar. The owners have installed a sleekly contemporary kitchen upstairs, with large windows that can be slid right back so you feel part of the open air on summer days. “We’ve had some great times here,” says the owner. “Forty for Christmas morning, 12 for dinner, an 11ft tree, and afterwards, I’d lie on the floor with the dog and be content.”
The reception rooms are beautifully proportioned, formal without being overly grand, and include a dual-aspect drawing room, a library and a dining room that leads through to the new kitchen. As it's detached, there are lovely aspects all round, one of which is the owner's favourite: "I like to stand on the landing and look out over to Howth," she says, "and see the weather come in." All the major maintenance has been done – the heating upgraded, the roof restored, and it has been kept in excellent decorative order. Jacqui McCabe, who is handling the sale, at €3.5 million with Knight Frank, picks up on the wow factor, and describes what makes this place exceptional. "There aren't fine detached houses like it in this area," she says. "Over two floors and with the privacy that this house enjoys, it's something special."
