Leeson Park Avenue is a quiet L-shaped cul-de-sac off Appian Way that backs on to the grounds of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook, in Ranelagh, Dublin 6. The Victorian houses on the right-hand side of the street have long gardens that many owners have extended into in more recent years.
Number 3, built in 1860, is a villa on this well-located street. The owner undertook some internal remodelling but kept the original layout of the 124sq m (1,334sq ft) house more or less intact. Mullery O’Gara is handling the sale, seeking €1.25 million.
The exterior, a mixture of redbrick and granite, is charming, with iron railings and granite steps to the front door, which is topped by a fanlight.
Many of the original features in the hall are in place, including elaborate coving and a ceiling rose.
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The layout of the stairs, however, has been changed. Other villas in this row had a flight of stairs leading to the ground floor at the end of the hallway, but the owner of number three used space from the end of the hall to create a roomier kitchen and placed the stairs at its centre.
The drawingroom is full of original features such as coving, a ceiling rose and a handsome carved-timber fireplace with a slate insert and hearth. Deep, original shutters surround the original sash window in this refined and elegant room. The owner retained the original window here to the front but the windows to the back of the house were replaced with double-glazed models. The property is Ber-exempt.
Smart French doors lead through to the kitchen which has a Laura Ashley-esque aesthetic with cream country units, wrought-iron light fittings and striped wallpaper in the dining area. There are plenty of cabinets, built-in dressers, a timber-topped island and the counters are black granite. A Belfast sink, oak flooring and a stained-glass skylight complete the country-kitchen look.
The remodelled staircase has a wrought-iron surround, and cuts somewhat into the kitchen layout; a circular staircase could be installed in its place to take up less space. Beyond the stairs is a dining area overlooking the garden. There’s a lovely aspect to this room as it has unimpeded views of the Royal Hospital’s gardens and it would make a lovely second reception room if new owners decided to flip the configuration and move the kitchen downstairs.
The ground floor has two good-sized double bedrooms. The room to the front of the house has an adjacent Jack-and-Jill bathroom that leads on to a dressing area. A small pretty sittingroom, which could also work as a study, lies at the end of the ground floor with doors that open enticingly into the garden, which begins after a stone patio. The garden is well planted with shrubs and trees and is more than 150ft long, with a substantial weeping willow at its centre. There is also a small, private seating area at its end.
There’s scope, subject to planning permission, to add on a generous extension that could transform the layout of this house, as many of the neighbours seem to have done. Extending, even by 30ft, would still leave plenty of room in the mature, well-tended garden with its old stone walls.
Located just off Appian Way, it’s a short hop from Leeson Park Avenue to Ranelagh and the green-line Luas stop via Chelmsford Avenue. In the opposite direction, an easy walk via Leeson Street brings you to Fitzwilliam Street, Merrion Square and the National Concert Hall in Dublin city centre.
