Perfect symmetry of a Victorian villa with blossoming private garden

Nestled behind high walls and electric gates on Glenageary Road Lower in Dublin is Ivy Lodge, a charming Victorian villa dating from the mid-1870s. The property is perfectly symmetrical so much so that if one could fold it in half, it would fit perfectly together.

The current owners who have called the lodge home for 20 years have upgraded the property over the past two decades.

What is unusual about the house is its setting; most of the properties on this road face the traffic, not so with Ivy Lodge – it sits sideways to the road allowing the house to overlook the substantial front garden, which features a splendid magnolia – now on the cusp of blossom, surrounded by a lawn with mature plantings and a pergola for morning coffee.

Two reception rooms flank the generous hallway, each are dual aspect and have open fires. Two further reception rooms lie directly beneath at garden level. One is the family diningroom and the second is currently used as a livingroom but would also work as a fourth bedroom.

The old coal hole underneath the 12 granite steps to the front of the house has been converted into a utility allowing the kitchen to be clutter free. The kitchen, in simple whites opens into a further family livingroom, which also has an open fire.

The two returns house three bedrooms, and a very spacious family bathroom. All are exceptionally bright with plenty of room and storage.

A patio wraps around two sides of the property with a mixture of Indian sandstone and granite flags, this essentially follows the path of the sun, where clematis and agapanthus add colour, with summer scents from an abundance of lavender and jasmine.

In its current layout the property, which occupies 216sq m (2,325sq ft), has five reception rooms and three bedrooms, but does not feel overly large – the rooms are more comfortable than grand, with simple coving and décor.

The property will suit a family in search of a period home with a large garden and ample off-street parking. But it is the privacy and aspect that make Ivy Lodge special. Sherry FitzGerald is seeking €1.45 million for the house, which is in turnkey condition.