£690,000 quoted for Victorian seven-bed

A seven-bedroom Victorian house in Howth with an otherworld feel is to be sold at auction on October 13th through Sherry FitzGerald with a guide price of £690,000.

The oldest house on Dungriffin Road, Brooklawn stands on an acre of lush gardens. Made of Howth stone, it was built as a farmhouse in the 1840s. It remains of its time, despite later additions which include bay windows and a porch towards the end of the last century, and two bedrooms and a garage in the 1930s. Many of the original cast-iron fireplaces remain, as do windows and shutters, cornices and oak floorboards. It was recently rewired, has gas central heating and a floor area of almost 3,000 sq ft.

The entrance driveway makes its way under a canopy of high old trees to a front garden with a pond and a mixture of exotic and everyday trees and shrubs.

The front door opens into a porch floored with original quarry tiles in black and terracotta. An arch leads to the entrance hallway, to the left of which is a drawingroom, the first of three reception rooms. It has a deep bay window facing the front of the house into which has been built a wooden window seat. To the right of the entrance hall is the diningroom, which has a cast-iron fireplace and wooden floorboards. Steps from here lead down to the annexe added in the 1930s. Off its small hallway there are two bedrooms and a guest lavatory.

Back in the diningroom, an arch leads to a bright family room, where a deep bay window overlooking the rear lawns and garden has the original shutters. There is a 1950s-style tiled fireplace, instead of the original cast-iron one. In the kitchen, the original flagstones are concealed by vinyl, and there is a limited range of fitted cupboards, as well as an alcove intended for a range. A door leads to small interconnecting rooms which include an old-style pantry, utility and storage area as well as a porch and door to a walled courtyard.

Upstairs, there are five bedrooms, some with views of a distant Dublin Bay and Ireland's Eye. All of the bedrooms have sloping ceilings, shuttered windows, wooden floorboards and wash-hand basins. Four of them have their original, cast-iron fireplaces.