When Marina Village in Greystones launched last August, approximately 3,500 people viewed the four- and five-bedroom homes on the opening weekend. It was built by developer Bridgedale, which has a long history of quality residential schemes in Leinster, and counts Butterstream Manor in Trim, Co Meath, and The Grange in Ballyboughal, Co Dublin, among its previous developments.
The firm completed the final phase of Cois Glaisín, on the outskirts of Navan, Co Meath, the first development in the town in about five years when it launched, in 2015, and is also behind an upcoming apartment complex at Herbert Hill in Dundrum village.
Georgian era
At Holsteiner in Clonee, Dublin 15, Bridgedale has completed a development of 21 upscale four- and five-bed detached homes on lands originally owned by Williamstown Stud. The large A-rated detached homes have been inspired by the Georgian era, and the development is named after a breed of horse.
“We wanted to build the same kind of houses but to bring a more modern and streamlined sense of flow to their layout,” says Stephen Garvey, chief executive of Bridgedale. And there is a real sense of balance and light throughout, with a sittingroom to the left and a study to the right of a double-height hall.
A large 14-arm chandelier fills the void in the 5.4m double-height hall. Interiors were completed by interior designer Arlene McIntyre of Ventura Design. From the hall you can see all the way through the house, and the windows, with heights of 2.7m instead of the standard 2.1m, flood every room in light. Everything is bigger: ceiling heights are 2.7m; door heights are 2.28m. The gardens are up to 80ft long and the properties have triple glazing throughout.
Galileo style
Today five houses are launching, and are named after famous racehorses. Two are of the Galileo style. The largest of the house styles, it measures 321sq m (3455sq ft) and is almost 14m wide with five bedrooms plus another 400sq ft in a detached garage. These two are asking €895,000.
There are two Camelot styles, also five-bed and measuring 266sq m (2865sq ft). One is asking €775,000; the other €795,000.
Frankel is a four-bed detached style of 246sq m (2650sq ft) for €770,000. The properties are being sold through joint agents Knight Frank and REA Coonan.
The open-plan kitchen/living/diningroom enjoys light on three sides. The in-frame painted kitchens are by Gallagher Kitchens and have Siemens appliances. As well as a utility room there is a boot room painted in the same deep, pigmented colours. The formal livingroom has a glass-fronted open fire set into a limestone fireplace, allowing the new owners the luxury of a real fire while maintaining the property’s A-rating.
Underfloor heating
There is underfloor heating downstairs, concrete screed floors between the ground and first floors, and fast-heating aluminium radiators upstairs fuelled by a heat-recovery pump system. All the bedrooms are doubles and open off the galleried landing. The bathrooms have Villeroy and Boch sanitaryware. In the master bedroom the same balance is evident, with the wardrobe and ensuite set on either side of the main room – big enough to house a dressing-table, armchair and end seat as well as a sizeable bed.
The development is just an 18-minute drive from the airport – a real boon for frequent flyers. The newly opened Avoca in Dunboyne, with Howbert & Mays, is a five-minute drive. Facebook’s data centre opens in Clonee next year while work is to begin on Shire Pharmaceuticals’ biologics manufacturing campus at Piercetown – a 20-minute drive.
Each house is set on almost a third of an acre, on grounds landscaped by Ingrid Swan who also did the Greystones and Navan developments. All feature laurel hedging and post and rail fencing instead of boundary walls. There are granite entrance pillars, wrought iron gates and a tree-lined avenue.
