A slice of the good life in fruitful garden in Rathgar

After decades when nothing much sold on Orwell Park in Rathgar because families stayed in the Victorian houses for generations, there was a flurry of sales over the past five years or so and that doesn’t include the new fast-selling development at the Dartry end of the road.

Number 57 is the latest house on the leafy road to come on the market, for sale for the first time in more than 30 years. The owners are downsizing having reared their family in the rambling semi-detached redbrick built in the 1880s and the six bedroom house with 3,400 sq ft is for sale for €2.5 million.

With its timber-trimmed porch sheltering its front door, number 57 is a pretty house, its bay windowed façade featuring particularly tall sash windows indicating the proportions of the rooms inside.

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And they are lovely – especially the grand interconnecting reception rooms which have fine decorative plasterwork including unusually elaborate ceiling roses and original fireplaces. Those two rooms are on the left of the hall while on the right is the kitchen which unusually is accessed down a short flight of steps.

It has a McNally fitted kitchen of cream-coloured units with granite worktops that opens into the extension to the side where a large utility room is also located. This kitchen blends seamlessly into the more modern extended part of the house which runs across the rear.

Sun room

That addition made space for a dining and seating area with a contemporary built-in gas fire and in turn, it opens into what was a fully glazed conservatory which was reroofed with a slate roof some years ago for year round comfort. This sun room is also accessed – down a couple of steps – from the rear reception room.

Upstairs the bedrooms are over two floors with a double bedroom and the family bathroom on the first landing. The bathroom was originally a bedroom and was converted by the current owners which gives an indication of its size. Three bedrooms, the largest with an en suite, are on the first floor, while there are two more at the top of the house with an adjacent shower room.

Outside it’s easy to see that the rear garden is the work of an expert gardener – and one keen on growing fruit and vegetables. Along one side there is a large and ambitiously planted vegetable plot while the greenhouse is used for growing tomatoes. Pear, apple and fig trees are dotted throughout the rest of the large garden which is laid mostly in lawn.

To the front is off street parking for several cars. As this house is built on a wide site with plenty of space to the side, prospective buyers might consider extending this already very large and family-friendly home.