Empty nest with a bird’s eye view of the sea in Howth for €2.75m

Glenview, a 300sq m four-bedroom house lies on a large corner site connecting Dungriffin and Thormanby Roads. The central part of the property dates from the mid-1800s with the addition of a drawingroom, kitchen area and master bedroom in the 1930s.

Elizabeth and David Will, have called the property home for the past 35 years, and are now downsizing due to an empty nest. “David and I grew up four doors from each other, and when we married we moved to Offington in Sutton – but David always wanted to get an old house up on the hill,” recalls Elizabeth.

“We moved here with a nine-month-old baby and literally camped out for a few years, spending quite a lot of money on the things one doesn’t see like rewiring, installing central heating and damp proofing.”

In 1988, the couple engaged architect Angela Jupe to open up the kitchen as “it was a bit like upstairs downstairs at the time, but we had no one to answer the servants’ bells but me”.

Elizabeth sourced salvaged pitch pine from Northern Ireland, which came from a barn in Scotland and engaged Alan Brown to create “a chunky kitchen” – all the carcasses are solid as are the doors. “I dislike knots in wood so there was quite a lot of sawing to create the handmade units,” she recalls. Brown also built all the wardrobes and bathrooms in the house.

A lovely feature in the property is the wine cellar, which lies adjacent to the kitchen. Also built by Brown, its arched brick work provides storage for hundreds of bottles and is a favourite stopping point for guests at parties.

There is a further kitchen which the couple use as a utility, but being the size of a standard kitchen could well be amalgamated with the main kitchen to create one huge culinary space.

Also on the ground floor lie a large dining room and drawing room, both of which have period fireplaces and are dual aspect. There is a further reception room at this level which lies opposite a bathroom and butler’s pantry.

Four bedrooms are on the upper floor and the master, which was added in the 1930s is colossal – with the same dimensions as the drawingroom – it features a dressingroom and large en-suite.

Views from the property, which are best from the top floor, stretch all the way to Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye and the mountains of Mourne on clear days.

New owners will want to update the interiors, though in great condition they are a tad dated, and the house would really benefit from wooden sash windows as the PVC that are in situ detract from the property’s heritage.

One of the biggest selling points of the property are the attractive gardens which extend to 1.2 acres. Though most plants are now dormant – including the Virginia creeper that swathes the property itself, there are wonderful spaces for outdoor dining set about meandering paths.

Glenview may also attract investors as the site is so large with an abundance of road frontage, there is a possibility of development – subject to planning.

Then again, when one looks at the sales of properties on large sites in Howth, the majority have been kept as single-family homes with expansive gardens. Both Long Acre and Carnalea, which achieved €2.5 million and €5 million respectively, have received permission to demolish the old houses and erect substantial family homes.

Cobbler's Bank achieved €2.9 million and Danes Hollow though significantly larger attained €8.2 million. Lisney will auction the charming property, which has an AMV of €2.75 million on March 28th.