Great address, work required: Robin Hill, Blackrock

Spacious detached three-bedroom house on a third of an acre in quiet cul-de-sac


Viewers who have seen the brochure for Robin Hill on Ben Inagh Park and who are driving into the short cul-de-sac off the Rock Road in Blackrock might think they have arrived in the wrong place.

The house with the Sherry FitzGerald for sale sign – looks like a modest-sized, single-storey, white-painted 1960s house that’s up a short flight of steps on a steep asphalt driveway – and that’s quite different from the main picture in the brochure, which is a substantial two-storey detached property surrounded by beautiful gardens.

They are the same house – it’s just the brochure picture shows the rear of the property.

That’s probably because the rear view gives a better idea of the size of Robin Hill which has 185sq m (1,991sq ft) and is for sale for €1.395 million. The added interest is that it is on about a third of an acre – a substantial site close to the village in Blackrock.

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When Robin Hill was built in 1962 it must have been the height of modernity. The front door opens into a double-height entrance hall which looks down into the main reception room.

Distinctive

It has a feature fireplace so popular at the time made of a granite surround with a distinctive brass canopy. This room opens out to the back garden. There is another small reception room and a small study – which could be a fourth bedroom – as well as the eat-in kitchen that was updated in more recent years.

There are three bedrooms upstairs, all good doubles with picture windows and one with an en suite.

Whatever the present layout, it is likely that new owners will embark on a renovation project – although whether it is as radical as what happened next door will be interesting to see. That house of similar vintage to Robin Hill, sold 10 years ago, was knocked down and a much larger, quite different two-storey house was built.

There certainly is scope with Robin Hill – the 0.32 acre garden and its position at the end of the cul-de-sac gives it that. The site is fringed with mature trees and the owners, who are downsizing, are clearly keen gardeners. To the front there is a detached double garage, and the steep garden has been paved over to make space for parking for a couple of cars.