Rathdown, in Terenure and beside Bushy Park, comprises the Crescent, the Park and the Avenue and was developed mostly from the 1920s to the 1940s as solid two-storey family houses. They tend to be much sought after by families trading up from the adjoining suburbs who are often prepared to take on some renovation and stay in these large homes well into the empty-nest stage.
Houses like number 32 Rathdown Park, built by Thomas Stringer – one of Dublin’s most successful suburban builders in the early decades of the 20th century – are particularly popular for their build quality, good looks, well-proportioned rooms and good-sized plots giving sizeable, now mature, gardens.
This semi-detached five-bedroom house in the quiet cul-de-sac last changed hands about 30 years ago – the owners are downsizing – and is a classic Stringer build with its redbrick and pebbledash exterior, bay windows, timber floors, fireplaces and high ceilings, and the stained glass, panelled interior doors and other decorative touches he favoured.
The arched, enclosed porch opens into a roomy hall, with the stairs discreetly out of view to the right, and a lovely arts-and-crafts-style picture rail and simple coving.
There are two reception rooms – both with their original fireplaces – to the left, with the back room opening out to the patio and the garden. Also off the hall is a utility located in a section of the garage. Many houses on the road have converted the garage entirely into a family room or home office.
The owners renovated over the years – the Ber is C3 – with the kitchen area to the rear being the most noticeably modern part. It’s a very comfortable, well-planned room with a smart Arena kitchen installed about 10 years ago, including a stone-topped island, a seating area in front of a wood-burning stove and a dining area with doors to the back garden.
Upstairs there are five bedrooms: three good-sized doubles, a large single and a small single. The main bedroom is particularly big, with its bay window and tiled fireplace. There’s a bathroom and separate toilet; a layout fashionable when the house was built, but which new owners may reconsider as they reconfigure the bedrooms to make one en suite.
The house measures a sizeable 218sq m (2,347sq ft), but even at that new owners might seek to extend. A look at the rooftops in the area reveals that many houses have attic conversions – the spacious landing allows for a good staircase – and they could extend the kitchen without compromising the lengthy southwest-facing back garden. Number 32 Rathdown Park is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, asking €1.795 million.
