Family house, large gardens, great address

A detached four-bed on Castleknock's 'golden mile' makes a fine family home. Rose Doyle reports

Central to what is known locally as "the golden mile" or, alternatively, "millionaire's row", Ridings, Castleknock Road, Castleknock, Dublin 15, is a detached, bungalow-style, two-storey house with close to a half-acre of grounds and landscaped, south-facing gardens.

Built in 1963 and with a floor area covering some 204 sq m (2,200 sq ft), Ridings is close to the Phoenix Park gates, has four bedrooms, three reception rooms and a study. If trends in the area are anything to go by, it is the generous, south-facing gardens that will attract most buyers.

Lisney is guiding €2.75 million in advance of the auction on October 21st.

Ridings' neighbouring house was the last to sell on this side of Castleknock Road. That sale was five-and-a-half years ago and the buyer was Mr Fran Rooney, chief executive of the FAI, who paid £865,000 (around €1.046 million) and rebuilt the house. A more recent sale, on the opposite side of the road in May of this year, saw a house on one-third of an acre fetch €2.32 million.

Ridings has an enclosed timber floored porch leading to the reception area and a long, narrow hallway off which six doors lead to the ground floor rooms. The bright, opened out and living part of Ridings is to the rear.

A parquet-floored drawing-cumdiningroom runs the width of the house and leads via French doors (in the drawingroom) to the garden and through folding glass doors (from the drawingroom) to a sunroom/conservatory. The drawingroom has a brick fireplace and side window, the diningroom a serving hatch to the kitchen. The sunroom, comfortable and functional, has walls of glass on two sides and wood panelling.

In the compact kitchen/breakfastroom, which has two windows, the floor and wall fittings are in pale blue and the tiling white. There is a built-in floor-to-ceiling pantry. The well-equipped utility room, in which there is a broom/storage cupboard, has windows to the front and side and a door to the garden. There is a storage cupboard off the hallway, too, and a guest toilet decorated in shades of yellow which has a toilet and wash-hand basin. A study to the front of the house has a box window and a built-in corner, shelf unit.

A low window on the turn of the stairs gives light to a first floor landing which mimics the style of the hallway below. Three of the four bedrooms have sloped ceilings. The main en suite bedroom has a window over the rear garden and a pair of built-in wardrobes. The grey and pink en suite has a toilet, wash-hand basin and bath. A second, double bedroom has windows to the front and rear, a small built-in wardrobe and under eave storage. The third and fourth bedrooms are to the front and rear respectively. A family bathroom has a bath with shower attachment, toilet, wash-hand basin and hot press. Tiles and fittings are in shades of yellow and aqua-green.

The south-facing garden has a sentinel row of high evergreens along its end, giving privacy from the Georgian Village development behind. Large mature trees border another side and there are fruit bushes, plants, roses and shrubs around an immaculate lawn. There is also a Barna shed, gated side entrance and double garage.

There are large, lawned gardens to the front and car-parking spaces on the tarmac drive.