Bijou and well-priced period properties in mint condition are hard to find, especially those in walk-in condition. Number 1 The Old Vicarage in Swords ticks all these boxes.
The stone-fronted property, which boasts views of the village’s landmarks including St Columba’s Church and the historic Round Tower, is an end-terrace townhouse within a converted three-bay, two-storey stone-cut property. A former vicarage – built circa 1675, according to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage – number 1 is gable-fronted and has granite windowsills with yellow-brick dressings.
It was developed in 1999 by Denis Finn, a boutique developer with the skill and eye to deliver clever conversion projects. His work includes the Findlater Apartments in Howth, where the original house was subdivided into flats and contemporary buildings constructed for the rest of the apartments within the scheme. He has also worked on many private luxury homes; his client base includes Riverdance producers Moya Doherty and John McColgan.
The development, which comprises houses and apartments that share a communal front garden, has aged very well. Number 1 also has access to a courtyard to the rear of the property.
Inside, the Grade II-listed Rococo plasterwork of the livingroom, which dates back to 1812, will really wow househunters. This is a fine-sized room with a ceiling height of 4.2m (14ft). The interior space extends to about 51sq m, a room you could really entertain in and that will accommodate large-scale furniture – ideal for someone trading down who wants to retain larger pieces. A room of such scale is rare in most homes, and certainly almost four-leaf clover rare at this price point.
But the real interior flair here is the contemporary treatment the space has been given by its interior designer owner. Cronia McKay, who featured on RTÉ’s Showhouse programme, added polished walnut floors, opaque glass-fronted radiator screens designed by Duff Tisdall and a Brian Yates wallpaper below the dado rail. The room is washed in light by a pair of uPVC windows and a side door opening directly out to a small paved terrace to the front.
At about 9sq m the kitchen is small by comparison but still big enough to accommodate a small table. There are two bedrooms, one on the first floor and the second is on the return under the eaves. Adjacent to it is the bathroom, which includes a bath by Philippe Starck.
When this unit – which extends to 130sq m (1,399sq ft) – first launched in 2000 it was seeking £275,000, equivalent to about €350,000. The current buyers bought it around 18 years ago and brought it to market last September seeking €400,000. It had been sale-agreed for well in excess of the price, but the sale fell through. It is now back on the market seeking €400,000 through agent Sherry FitzGerald.
Located in the middle of Swords with easy access to the airport, the property has little by way of outside private space, save for the paved area to the front, but there is a communal garden.
