Five-bed house in Blackrock with a secret garden

Just off Booterstown Avenue in Dublin, Castle Court is a small crescent of link-detached homes: the houses are more or less detached but connect at ground floor level beside each front door.

They were built in the 1980s by developer Paddy Kelly, loosely based on Georgian lines from the outside. Number 14 runs to 149sq m (1,600sq ft) of accommodation and has five bedrooms.

One of these is on the ground floor with an en suite and utility room off it, but as it also has generous French windows to the sunny patio and back garden, it could also beconverted it to a sunroom – which may have been its original purpose.

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On this level, there is also a drawingroom and a kitchen/ diningroom, which are attractive, however the décor and fittings may need to be upgraded, as this has been a much loved family home for a number of years. That said, there are nice touches that reflect the quality of the original build: a panelled staircase with carved newel posts and double doors, with glazing above, through to the drawingroom.

Upstairs, the master bedroom is en suite and has good views of the Pigeon House towers.

Exceptionally well located, Castle Court is handy for schools – it backs onto the playing fields of St Andrew’s College – and the Dart, and all the amenities of Blackrock, with the city centre close at hand.

The house is for sale through Lisney with a guide of €695,000.

The development also has a rather brilliant secret – and it’s one you’d be hard pressed to find in many more recent projects. Each house has a key to an enclosed, well-maintained communal garden, which includes a playground for smaller children, a tennis court, outdoor ping pong, basketball court and grassy area. The annual fees for the upkeep are €250.

This property could suit those trading down, or could work for for young and growing families, with space to play.