Star parish houses in Sandymount to pay for renovation of church

Two parochial houses in Sandymount, directly across the road from St. Mary's Star of the Sea church, are to be auctioned to raise funds for its renovation. Both are minutes' walk from the seafront.

The two homes are substantial period houses of different vintages and visually appealing. They will, however, require renovation to convert to comfortable family accommodation.

Stella Maris at 1a Leahy's Terrace is a solid-looking detached redbrick house constructed around 1911 by a builder for his son, who was a priest. HOK Residential is guiding £680,000 (€863,420) prior to auction on 27th September next.

The 3,228 sq ft house is set on a corner site at Leahy's Terrace and Oswald Road. A very peaceful walled garden is one of the house's most attractive assets.

A tiled entrance hall opens into a huge inner hall with the sittingroom off it to the front. Two ecclesiastical stained glass windows in the sittingroom are an interesting addition and this room also has a fine mahogany mantelpiece. There is a guest bathroom behind the central staircase.

The kitchen, scullery and pantry to the back of the house are somewhat spartan and need a complete re-think. A flight of back stairs off the kitchen goes to one of the upstairs bedrooms, which has a bathroom suite.

The main staircase - mahogany and polished to a high sheen - is probably the house's best period feature. There is a very wide landing at the top of the stairs with four double bedrooms off it, all with period fireplaces.

The same agents are selling 1 Leahy's Terrace on September 27th. The guide price for this house is £630,000 (€794,450). This is the end house of an elegant Victorian terrace. With almost 3,000 sq ft of living space and separate access to the garden level, it would suit a family or anyone looking for a home and income.

Tall sycamore trees screen the house from the church across the road. The main reception rooms are off a bright crimson-painted hall with decorative cornicing and two curved side windows. A sittingroom overlooking the front garden has wide sash windows and an original marble mantelpiece. Ceiling plasterwork here is very fine. Double doors open to a smaller room which would make a good diningroom. At the back of the house is a study, with a decorative ceiling and a mahogany fireplace. The kitchen is fairly basic.

A large bedroom directly above the sittingroom may have been the original drawingroom of the house. Unusual ribbed ceiling cornicing with an Art Deco look is also a feature of a second double bedroom, which has an en suite bathroom. The bulk of renovation to be done is at garden level. Original flagged floors are worth preserving, but the four rooms - currently used as parish meeting rooms - require restoration.

The front garden is delightfully old-fashioned, with wisteria growing over the steps and well tended rose-beds and borders. A garden at the back would benefit from replanting.