Two by the park: rustic charm and generous gardens

2, Rathdown Crescent, Terenure, Dublin 6w

This house ticks what for some will be all the location buttons. If proximity to a park and river is for you, as well as a liking for the joys of an end of cul-de-sac seclusion, number two Rathdown Crescent’s location perfectly fits your bill. Bushy Park and the Dodder River, literally a stone’s throw away, bring the joys of walks and wildlife to the front door.

It’s not all about location, of course. Mature front and rear gardens flaunt a botanical variety of trees, shrubs and plants. Original curved, small-paned windows (number two was built in 1947) add charm and it has its own, separate entrance. There is parking too, rare for the area, with off-street spaces for three cars.

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91 Templeogue Road, Terenure

Owners Brian and Judith are downsizing. “Our children have left so we’ve decided, very reluctantly, to make a change,” Brian says. They bought in 1991, paying £195,000.

They’ve made “quite a few changes” since then, adding a kitchen in 1992 and converting the attic to create an en suite space used as a bedroom. Twenty-five years after they first moved in agent Lisney is asking €1.25 million for number two’s private treaty sale.

There are four bedrooms (one currently a study), four reception rooms and family bathroom on three levels over a floor area of 193sq m (2,077sq ft). The converted attic has a floor area of 25sq m (269sq ft)

The 1992 kitchen has a curve of small-paned window mirroring the original front windows and giving a wide garden view. The 88ft long garden, with its ivy-clad walls, circular lawn, small pond, large maple tree and more makes for luscious rear window views.

The dining and drawingrooms both have fireplaces. There are glass doors between. The wooden floors were fitted to match the original in the entrance hall, the front has a curved window, the rear has French doors. There is a small, rear TV room and compact sitting room to the front. Two of the bedrooms are to the rear, two to the front. The attic space en suite has a separate bath and shower.

91 Templeogue Road, Terenure

This large, bright house dates from 1958/1959 and is, in many ways, typical of its time. Solid and enduring, it was built for family living and has a predictable four bedrooms, two reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast- room and family bathroom. The house is 125sq m (1,345sq ft) and agent Lisney is asking €1.1 million.

What is not so typical is the very large site, especially given its proximity to Bushy Park. A good 0.3 acres, the site is 12.8m (42ft) wide and allows for a 51.8m (170ft) long rear garden and 29.9m (98ft) long front garden. The potential for development, after planning permission, of the house and a probable second build, is obvious.

This is an executor’s sale and neither planning nor development are part of the vendors’ priorities.

“We had a lovely, lovely time growing up here,” Anne-Marie says about the family. “We had all that garden to play in. It was a wilderness when we moved in so my mother planted potatoes to clear the soil.” She will, she admits, be sad to see the apple trees, orchard and a pair of magnolia trees go but is resigned to the inevitable.

The house was constructed by a builder called McDonald. “He built this house for my parents,” Anne-Marie says, “plus the house next door”. The year was 1959 and the house cost “about £4,000”.

The reception rooms face the front and rear, lead into one another and are filled with light. Both have tiled fireplaces typical of the 1960s. A kitchen, fitted in the 1990s, has a breakfast area, wide range of fittings and utility off it. A front, glass porch ensures added light.

The bedrooms have garden views, two to the front, two to the rear, a couple with wash basins. The bathroom and WC are separate.