Taking its name from the nearby Tivoli Road, which was part of an old path linking the castles in Monkstown and Bullock since the 14th century, construction on the Tivoli terraces began around the 1830s.
The oldest part of the rectangular block is Tivoli Terrace South, which was referred to as just Tivoli Terrace on Griffith’s Valuation in 1849 – as the northern terrace was not even shown on the map. It has a mixture of house styles including some lovely Georgian piles and both pre- and postwar homes, some of which have been given big makeovers.
One such home is number 15 Tivoli Terrace South. Originally dating from the 1940s, it now extends to a generous 212sq m (2,282sq ft) with well-lit rooms of generous proportions. Lying inside a walled gravel drive with ample off-street parking (on-street parking permits are available), the semidetached house has three fine reception rooms at hall level.
A livingroom with an elevated log-effect gas fire sits opposite a second livingroom with an open fire; they sit each side of the entrance hall. Running widthways to the rear is a spacious family dining area that opens to the back garden through double doors and also into a streamlined galley-style kitchen. With a range of fitted units and a quartz countertop, this space opens into a side garden where there’s a little courtyard, that itself can be accessed from the front driveway. Also on this level are a utility room, a larder and a guest loo.
Upstairs the principal bedroom and its en suite occupies 37sq m of space, running from the front to the back of the property. It has the benefit of dual aspect (or triple if you count the en suite) as one wall occupies the gable end. Three remaining bedrooms are of generous size, and share the family bathroom. Space is really what this house is all about, from the generous proportions of the reception rooms and principal bedroom upstairs.
The same can be said for the rear garden, which occupies the corner site on the terrace. Extending to 31m (102ft) in length and 16m (52ft) in width, the garden is really a selling point to this turnkey house – where new owners will just have to unpack. Laid out with a raised patio and decking, it is surrounded by high laurel hedging – providing total privacy as it runs along Tivoli Terrace East. Centred by a large lawn with oodles of room to kick footballs or play hide and seek, green-fingered enthusiasts will have lots of space to develop the garden further.
Its location is another selling point. As it is one way, the road tends to be quiet, though it’s just a short stroll to the centre of Dún Laoghaire for dining out and shopping – and there’s lots to choose from as Monkstown village is also just down the road.
The seafront, with its three yacht clubs and a motor-yacht club, is about a 15-minute walk, as is the Dart station with services to the city centre, while tennis, gyms and swimming are all available locally.
The C1-rated four-bedroom house in mint condition with its large garden is sure to attract attention, and is now on the market through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, seeking €1.25 million.
