This being October, lots of WhatsApp groups are filling up with pictures of young people, dressed in silk and sequins, black-tied and shiny-shoed, raising glasses of fizz in their friends’ homes before heading to their debs. That’s the sort of do that has always been at the heart of Dungriffan, at 2 Sydney Parade Avenue in Sandymount, says Jackie, whose family have celebrated big birthdays and small triumphs in abundance since moving there in 2003.
The first house after Sydney Parade Dart station as you go from Merrion Road towards the sea, Dungriffan occupies one of the largest plots on this Dublin 4 road; wedge-shaped, and just under an acre in area, it’s bounded on the west side by the railway, to the north by a Park Avenue garden and to the east by number 4, to which it is attached.
Built at the end of the 19th century and extended by previous owners in the late 1990s, Dungriffan covers 800sq m (8,611sq ft) of pristine accommodation, with six bedrooms and two sets of what the brochure describes as “double reception rooms”, as well as a large kitchen/breakfast/family room, and a games room with mezzanine. There’s plenty of room to burrow away and do your own thing, but the hub of the home encompasses the interconnected rooms downstairs that open to the back garden.
At the front, the electric gates are set so that you come in at a slight angle, with trees along the leafy roadside lending great privacy. There is some grass and a lot of gravel, with space for at least six cars. The sound of the Dart is buffered by planting all along that side of the garden, beside a granite wall that blends in well with the original fabric of the house. It has a handsome façade, with mock-Tudor timber detailing, and wood-railed balconies, front and back. The new part, to the left of the porch, blends in seamlessly; a wrought-iron gate in the garden wall opens to the side patio, perfect for sunny breakfasts.
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There’s plenty of room to burrow away and do your own thing, but the hub of the home encompasses the interconnected rooms downstairs that open to the back garden
The main patio stretches the full width of the house, and some interesting marks on the flagstones suggest they are reused from elsewhere. The snooker-table-smooth lawn is edged with paths, there are shrubs along the walls and a very bountiful apple tree. A hedge at the end partly conceals the indoor swimming pool, which looks to be about 12m long; it has not been used for some years.
The name of the house is designed into the stained glass over the hall door; the lily motif and other flowers repeat throughout the house and are replicated in new windows. Once through the encaustic-tiled porch, the inner hall branches left and right; the light from the kitchen draws you to the left, past the “new” stairs with office nook underneath, through the cosy family room with a bay window to the front, and into the large kitchen.
With white-painted Clive Christian units and stone worktops installed by the previous owners, a huge red Aga in a brick-topped nook and a large island are also present. Jackie and her husband added more windows to make more of the garden views. A round table sits beside French garden doors to the patio.
A pantry with floor-to-ceiling shelves makes use of understairs space, and a beautifully bright little sunroom projects gardenwards from one end of the rear reception rooms, home to those glad gatherings. Elegant and softly formal, with elaborate ceiling roses, columns and marble fireplaces, these make up what the family call the “Christmas room”. Each child chose a sofa for their stocking, says Jackie, adding that they put up three 9ft trees every year; now that the children have moved on, she and her husband plan to downsize locally.
Also on this level is the original kitchen that has served as a studio, as well as a sizeable utility with a garden door, and a boiler house at the end. The Ber is D2.
Across the hall, the second pair of reception rooms, with ceilings exceeding 11ft, occupy the front of the house; a dual-aspect dining room and a sitting room with a grand piano have tall mahogany fireplaces with tiled insets. There are fireplaces in most of the rooms, many with yellow botanical-themed tiles, and the wallpaper and paints pick up this mellow shade, unifying the hall and the upstairs bedrooms.
There are fireplaces in most of the rooms, many with yellow botanical-themed tiles, and the wallpaper and paints pick up this mellow shade
Up the “old” mahogany stairs, the main bathroom has a cast-iron bath on a plinth, and a separate shower. The principal suite is also on this level, at the front, with a luxurious en suite off the large bedroom.
Off the landing is a study with a pull-down bed for guests, and two further bedrooms look out to the back garden. One of these, with en suite bathroom and a corner fireplace, is decorated in a more modern style than the rest of the house, showing the adaptability of the proportions. This room also opens to the rear balcony.
Up again, two appealing bedrooms occupy the attic; each has a bed built into the apex, and one is en suite. A third bedroom on this floor has a dormer window with a garden view.
At the other side of the house, above the kitchen, there’s another sittingroom with squashy sofas in an L around a fireplace, and a full-size snooker table. It is triple aspect, with windows to the front and along the end wall of the house, and glass doors to the balcony, which was extended on to this part of the house. Above this, accessed by a metal spiral staircase, is what the family call the snug, with space under old beams to sit, play and listen to music.
For outdoor sports, the house is convenient for Railway Union, Pembroke and Monkstown FC rugby club as well as the RDS; it’s located between the Merrion Shopping Centre and the sea, close to the city, Sandymount and Ballsbridge villages, and within walking distance of some top schools.
It is for sale through joint agents Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty and Turley Property Advisors with an asking price of €6.75 million.
