St Albans Park is one of those quiet, 1930s developments that have grown comfortably elegant with age. Proximity to Sandymount Strand gives an additional cachet, as do good-sized gardens and a gentle curve to its layout. Number 8, for sale through agent DNG, has been home to the same family for 50 years, a backdrop to lives that were "happy and fun", the vendor says. Now, with "everyone living abroad" the family is selling, albeit "with heavy hearts".
Martin and Maura Lysaght bought 8 St Albans Park in 1966. Their son Simon says they paid “something in the region of IR£2,000-£2,500” at the time. Fifty years later, for sale by private treaty through agent DNG, number 8 has an asking price of €995,000.
The floor area covers 160.72sq m (1,730sq ft) and there are five bedrooms, two reception rooms, kitchen /breakfastroom, family bathroom and ground-floor shower room. There is off-street parking for two cars to the front and a walled garden to the rear.
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This is a house in need of both TLC and refurbishment. The fundamentals, a solid structure with charm and original design features intact, are securely in place.
The internal doors still have their shoulder-height door knobs, ceilings are high, covings undamaged, fireplaces, picture rails, banisters, wooden floors, dado rails, the stained glass in the front door and a large attic space all await their design place in a make-over.
The dated, in need of modernising, kitchen/ breakfastroom overlooks the garden and has a side exit. The quarry-tiled breakfast-room has a gas fire. Interconnecting sitting and dining-rooms have a sliding door between, finely ornate mahogany surround fireplaces with inset tiling, picture rails and coving.
In the front-facing sitting-room there is a wide bay window and in the diningroom French windows to the garden. The one-time garage on this floor has been converted into a bedroom.
A dado rails runs alongside the stairs to a landing made interesting by no less than six doors opening off. The main, front-facing bedroom has another wide, bay window, an unusual, pink-tiled fireplace and built-in wardrobes. A rear bedroom and a second front bedroom also have attractively tiled original fireplaces.
The rear garden has what Simon Lysaght assures is a flourishing apple tree as well as a lilac bush and, giving privacy all around, high trees.
