One of the best things about Dublin is that you can live there forever and still discover new secrets. Another is Herbert Park. At 32 acres, with formal gardens, carp pond, sports pitches, lawns and a children's playground, it is an oasis in Dublin 4.
The park was laid out after the World Fair of 1907, as John Prior, the current owner of 1 Orchard Lane, tells me. "The bandstand and pond date from the fair but did you know there was once a huge glasshouse there?"
So where is Orchard Lane in relation to Herbert Park? It’s a secret pocket on just over a third of an acre off Herbert Park, which Prior found almost by accident. He bought it in the early 1990s with the intention of planting an orchard, because his own family home on nearby Merrion Road had no garden of its own to speak of.
0 of 11
But Prior is a builder by profession and soon he saw the opportunity to build there. So he teamed up with architect Vernon Leahy, and together they dreamed up a house in a combination of Tudor and arts and crafts styles. It sits happily in its secret garden as if it had been there for more than 100 years rather than the 20 since it was built.
Mod-cons
Having grown up in Warwickshire in England, near Stratford-on-Avon, Prior was inspired to create something that Shakespeare might have appreciated, although he laughs as he says that any desire for authenticity stopped short at mod cons such as underfloor heating, multi-zoned temperature controls, a BER of B3, solar-powered Veluxes with rain sensors, and contemporary plumbing.
Still, the Tudor style is most evident in the wonderful enormous hall, complete with rich dark wood beams, Tudor roses carved into the fireplace, and a minstrels’ gallery above.
There are five bedrooms – all en suite – four upstairs and one on the ground floor.
There is a kitchen/ breakfast room with a sunny conservatory off, separate drawingroom, dramatic diningroom, plus utility room at ground level.
Upstairs, alongside the bedrooms, there’s a lounge area on the gallery, which is warmed by a gas fire in a sandstone surround and is highly inviting.
The two large attics have been floored, and there’s a spacious basement – which Prior says had been earmarked for a home gym but instead lent itself well to wine storage.
Salvaged beam
As he highlights features such as the English Bond brickwork, and particular render, it’s clear that Prior put a lot of pride and love went into building this family home which he is selling now that his four children have moved on. Even though it has only been here since 1996, there are little pockets of history everywhere.
The huge beam in the kitchen ceiling was salvaged from a 17th century building in Temple Bar, while other timbers in the house came from the old Heuston Station before it was restored.
“It’s one of the most unique houses I’ve ever seen, especially in Dublin 4,” says Peter Kenny of Knight Frank, who is selling the 362sq m (3,896sq ft) house for €3.25 million.
Nearby DNG sold the similarly-sized 6 Herbert Park for €2.36 million at auction in 2014. Milverton down the road sold for €8 million in 2005 and then again for €4.6 million in 2013. "When they built the houses on Herbert Park in 1905 the brief was that each one had to cost at least £1,000," Prior says, to give a little perspective. What a difference a century makes.
Outside it is beautifully peaceful. Orchard Lane is a little gravel path (just wide enough for a decent sized SUV) that leads to a set of electric gates beyond which are the grounds, which were laid out and kept by Prior’s late wife, a keen gardener and nature lover. The lane is a right of way so there’s technically shared access with the rears of the houses on Pembroke Park.
Ducks wander in from Herbert Park, and explore the boxwood-bordered herb gardens, while birds sing in the apple, pear and plum trees.
There’s an expanse of lawn, a very enticing tree house – whatever your age – and lots of places to sit in the quiet even though you are just minutes from Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and the city centre.
One of Dublin’s best kept secrets? Not any more.
