Former embassy with top Ballsbridge address

Dublin 4/€8.5m: This Ailesbury Road house will probably be converted for family use, writes Bernice Harrison

One of Ailesbury Road's embassy buildings has come on the market and, given the strong demand for the trophy homes on this prestigious Ballsbridge road, it's quite possible that a new owner will be interested in reconverting the fine Victorian house from commercial to family use.

The end-of-terrace redbrick is for auction on March 29th through McNally Handy with an AMV of €8.5 million.

Number 43 has been the Mexican Embassy for some years now and before that it was the German Embassy so it is laid out as offices.

It is divided into two commercial units - the garden level is a self-contained office while the rest of the building is home to the embassy. On this side of Ailesbury Road the back gardens are south-facing.

At hall level, there are two large reception rooms and a further room in the return. Upstairs there are five large rooms, giving the potential for four bedrooms and a large family bathroom.

At garden level there are two large rooms, as well as a smaller room and a kitchen. There is access from this level out to a patio at the back of the house.

Despite its commercial use, many of its original and most attractive period features are intact, such as the highly decorative cornice work in the main rooms, the fine marble fireplaces in several rooms and stained glass in the front door and hall.

The internal staircase down to the garden level is still in place making reincorporation of that level into the main house a relatively simple task.

Other original features, such as some internal doors, are missing.

This house is the end of a short terrace of four so there is potential, subject to planning permission, to extend to the side and it also means that there is good access to the back garden which is under gravel for additional parking.

There is also parking to the front for several cars.

Some time ago the site at the end of the garden was sold off for a mews - but the remaining garden is still a good size.