There’s a super feature on the history of housing development in the South Dublin suburb of Mount Merrion on mountmerrionhistorical.com. While, these days, the location is in high demand with houses selling for well over a million, 300 years ago it was a combination of forest and pastureland where the Fitzwilliam family; the prosperous Anglo Normans who owned most of the land in southeast Dublin, engaged in a spot of game hunting.
Housing in the area began in earnest in 1928 when five bungalows were erected. Despite the promise of a brook with miniature cascades and a bathing pool fed with spring water, houses sold slowly.
Then Limerick native John Kenny of Irish Homes Ltd developed much of the suburb after he purchased the remainder of the Mount Merrion Estate for IR£18,000 from Guardian Assurance Co in 1933.
He then engaged distinguished English architect Rupert Jones to design houses the likes of which had never been seen before. These Kenny built homes were aimed to be a “Garden City” – where wide roads and low walls gave a sense of spaciousness. When marketed they had the theme of “space to breathe” with fitted baths, running hot and cold water plus the all-important electricity, which had just arrived in Dublin – though spare a thought for the people in Ballycroy in Co Mayo who didn’t have their light-bulb moment until 1964.
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[ Kenny-built four-bed on large gardens in Mount Merrion for €1.65 millionOpens in new window ]
Labour-saving kitchens (as these properties had no space for staff) and the latest in modern conveniences were really a game changer for these dream homes.
Today, they remain dream homes for many Dubliners, as they will set you back more than €1 million, and stand on large sites: Kenny had permission to construct 20 houses per acre, but reduced this density significantly to just six – so large gardens are one of the real selling points of Kenny-built homes in the locality.
Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty has just launched 25 Greygates, an appealing detached Kenny-built house. Positioned on a corner site on the junction of Stillorgan and Greenfield Roads, the property has significant wraparound gardens that extend to a third of an acre. Its design appears to be that of C8 priced at £1,150 in the original brochure for Irish Homes from the 1930s.
With 222sq m (2,390sq ft) of floor space and set behind tall electric gates with excellent off-street parking, it will need some work to address the F Ber. As it is a receiver sale, there is no furniture so it looks a bit grim at present.
What it does offer, though, is a super location at the end of Greenfield Road adjacent to shops and The Rise, substantial accommodation with three bedrooms and a converted attic. There are three reception rooms, a large kitchen that opens to the rear garden along with a study and a garage for extra storage.
Features such as Kenny’s signature bay windows and a sylvan setting that enjoys both afternoon and evening sun, add to the attraction of the property, which is now on the market seeking €1.2 million.
