Ambassador's elegant Georgian retreat set to make close to £1m

Eastham is an elegant Georgian redbrick house at 13 Wellington Place in Ballsbridge that is expected to make over £800,000 at a Lisney auction on May 19th. Set back from the road with a high pillared entrance bearing its name, the house has intrigued many passers-by over the years, perhaps because much of it is hidden behind dense shrubberies.

Its owners, the former Italian ambassador to Ireland, Goffredo Biondi Morra Di San Martina and his wife, have had numerous approaches to sell since they bought 20 years ago. Before that, they lived at the palatial Italian embassy residence in Lucan for six years. They liked Ireland so much that they decided to retire here at the end of the ambassador's term.

Eastham looks to be a large house but in fact it was just one room deep when they bought it. They added a large extension to the rear that allowed for three new bathrooms and more space in the drawing-room at hall level.

One of the earliest houses on the road, it was built in 1835 and originally it incorporated the two semi-detached houses on either side. Its first owner was a gentleman who wanted to have his two daughters living with him but in their own quarters. Behind the house was an enormous walled garden, although all that remains today is a 50-foot long plot.

There is a long front garden however, with a central gravel drive that allows parking for three or four cars.

The front steps are flanked by thick holly hedges that shield the lower part of the house from view.

The entrance hall has a simple archway and cornicing in keeping with the Georgian era. However, stained glass insets in the fanlight and two sidelights add interest.

There are two reception rooms on either side - a drawing-room to the left and a dining-room to the right. The drawing-room is over 28 feet long. One is barely aware that is has been extended since identical cornicing was used in the new part of the room, and a period style window installed in the back wall.

It is a long, elegant room with a simple Adam-style fireplace and morning sun streams in through the front window.

The dining-room has a door leading off to a long narrow bedroom that, ideally, could be converted into a kitchen or butler's pantry.

Upstairs, there is a bathroom on the return, and this is shared by the three top floor bedrooms. The largest of these runs from the front to the back of the house and has an original chimney-piece. The other two rooms are smaller. There is a second full bathroom on the return between the hall and garden level.

The ground floor has been adapted to suit the owners, who are elderly, but new owners will probably re-organise it entirely. There are four rooms and a bathroom leading off a central hall that ends in a door to the front garden. Wellington Place, which connects Clyde Road with Lower Leeson Street is a relatively quiet road with houses on one side only. Late last year, Lisney sold a fully-renovated semi-detached house at 33 Wellington Place for £950,000 at auction, setting a new record on the road.

While Eastham needs extensive refurbishment, it is a very elegant house in a prime location and these two factors should push the guide price towards £1 million on auction day.