Malahide: €2.85mAttention to period detail makes an end-of-terrace period house in Malahide really stand out, writes Rose Doyle
Standing, shaded by trees at the front door of number 4, Killeen Terrace, Malahide, Co Dublin, it's hard to believe that the busy heart of Malahide village is just 20ft away, on the other side of the high, bordering hedge.
Along with location, number 4 has a history and, with the entire, delightful four-house terrace listed for preservation, the owners admit to having "worked hard to keep the original embellishments" - a labour of love much apparent and highlighted by the sight of large, original keys in original locks in original, panelled doors.
A tall, end-of-terrace house with the elegant curve of triple bay windows on each of its three floors, number 4 has four bedrooms, three reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfastroom over a floor area of 252sq m (2,701sq ft). Sherry FitzGerald Blanc, with an AMV of €2.85 million, will put it to auction on June 29th.
As for that history: Killeen Terrace, in 1808, was the site of a ribbon factory owned by a Mr McIntyre. A prosperous, Scottish-born wig-maker, McIntyre sold to John Killeen, a wealthy engineer who was master of the Fingall Hounds and the man who built the nearby railway viaduct. Killeen built the terrace as a dowry for his only daughter who, instead of marriage, choose the religious life in Scotland. The terrace became a girls' school but, by 1922, had once again become a family residence. The vendors have been living there since 1980.
As an end-of-terrace house, number 4 has side windows giving extra light. This comes into its own in the drawing and sitting rooms, which are on the ground and first floors respectively and where light from the sweep of triple bay and side windows falls on the elegance of polished floorboards, period fireplaces and decorative plasterwork. In the ground floor drawingroom, which is off the timber floored hallway, the impression given is of a golden-toned, oval room.
The first floor landing is another bright space, its long, vaulted window a backdrop to a peaceful reading niche. A guest bedroom off this landing is en suite, as is the main, second floor bedroom, the latter the third beneficiary of a triple bay. The second floor landing is lined with original, ceiling-high linen cupboards and, to the front with a small window over the trees, has a white-tiled family bathroom.
The quarry-tiled kitchen/breakfastroom and a family room with high, wood panelled ceiling, are to the rear of the ground floor. They lead to a white-walled courtyard where original sheds have red-painted doors and where there is a covered well and original pump. A wide, sheltered patio to the side could well be converted into a sun room or conservatory.
It is precisely 78 steps from the front door of number 4 to the nearby Dart station.