High on a cliff-top for over £2m

Howth One of the most stunning properties to come on the market in Howth in several years will be auctioned by Douglas Newman Good next month. Shanet, on Ceanchor Road, with its 1.75 acre garden overlooking the sea, is expected to fetch at least £2 million under the hammer on March 14th.

The five-bedroom dormer-style house is owned by the Blandford family who have lived there for over 30 years. An exRAF engineer, Peter Blandford came to Ireland with his wife Pam and their four children in the 1960s. House hunting in Howth, they heard of Shanet, which was quietly on the market. They bought it for "not very much" and set about clearing the grounds which were covered in brambles.

Pam Blandford has spent the intervening years creating a wonderful garden virtually single-handedly. Now, drifts of snowdrops are just opening on the terraced lawns fringed with camellias, azaleas and rhododendron that flourish in an acid soil. The magical sea view is screened a little by mature trees that provide shelter in a garden where frost seldom appears.

The sale of Shanet is sure to excite interest in the close knit Howth set where Ceanchor Road is seen as the ultimate address. Only one or two properties on the sea side of Ceanchor Road have come on the open market in the last decade. Most sales that have taken place have been on the other side of the road, where the houses have terrific views but do not have direct access to the cliff walk and the beaches below.

Shanet has right of way through a neighbour's garden to the cliff path where there are steps leading down to Jameson's Beach far below. Built in the 1930s, the 2,500 sq ft house is undeniably old-fashioned, but it has a pleasing layout with a large central living space where the owners spend most of their time. Here, a wall of windows takes maximum advantage of the garden and sea views. On either side of this room, lean-to style conservatories can be acccessed from the diningroom and the main bedroom, so each room has a view of the sea.

The kitchen faces away from the sea and is darker as a result. It is warmed by an old double Aga, and leads on to a scullery and utility room.

There are two further bedrooms at this level, and a bathroom, while the main bedroom has an en suite. A spiral staircase leads from the hallway to the upper floor where two further bedrooms - one with a superb view of the lighthouse - lead off a central sittingroom-cum-library.

This is a modest and charming house but new owners may consider demolishing it to make way for a more impressive home. On nearby Baily, work continues on the enormous modern residence being built by Riverdance duo Moya Doherty and John McColgan, who demolished a bungalow of a similar size and vintage.