Dating from the 1930s, Larkfield Park was designed by architects Higginbotham & Stafford for the Rathmines Public Utility Society as part of a social-housing initiative for former servicemen and their families known as the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Trust Housing Scheme. Architecturally distinctive with redbrick facades, these properties were purposely designed with long back gardens to allow residents to be self-sufficient, grow vegetables and keep chickens.
Number 23 Larkfield Park has just launched to the market, and in keeping with the self-sufficient lifestyle it was constructed for, it retains a substantial and private 87ft-long rear garden. It is a 15-minute drive or cycle from St Stephen’s Green in Dublin city centre.
It appears on the Property Price Register as having last sold in 2016 for the sum of €425,500. “When we bought, we were only the second owners as the daughter of its original owner, who was a serviceman, had also lived here. But it only had an outside loo, no central heating, and one of the rooms was lit by an original gas light,” say its current owners, who are upsizing due to a growing family.
Since then, they have fully modernised the 81sq m (872sq ft) semidetached property. Upgrades such as rewiring and its first ever plumbing – with a new combi boiler – were completed in 2017, and new double-glazed windows were installed as well as a replica front door by Mellott Joinery. A wooden portico replicating the original design of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Trust now frames this door, serving as a reminder of the property’s heritage, which is now also echoed in the design of the electrified sliding front gates that offer off-street parking for two cars.
With advice from an architect brother and the builder, the owners were encouraged to keep as many of the original features as possible. This now means fireplaces (including those upstairs) are all in working order, while woodwork such as picture rails and original doors have also been repaired. New hardwood parquet runs throughout downstairs with the exception of the tiled kitchen and bathroom.
The double-fronted semidetached property has a full bathroom inside the front door opposite a well-lit dual-aspect diningroom.
Opposite that is a lovely livingroom, which is warmed by a Charnwood wood-burning stove. A smart navy kitchen with Silestone countertops and a Belfast sink runs along a wall connecting the living and dining spaces, and a set of double doors opens out from the livingroom on to a brand new patio and barbecue area – installed in 2024, allowing a seamless divide between indoor and outdoor spaces.
It’s a lovely spot as it looks down the entire length of the garden where owners found lots of dividers for growing vegetables when laying the lawn, as the last occupant was self-sufficient in terms of vegetables. The bulk of the back garden is currently lawned, but should new owners wish to be grow their own, there’s a side passage for access and hauling in any gardening accoutrements.
Upstairs are three bedrooms; two doubles and a single that sit alongside an all-white main bathroom.
The property has a Ber of D2 despite lots of new insulation. Should new owners wish to seal up the fireplaces and install cavity-wall insulation and solar panels, this would likely improve the rating.
Larkfield Park is a curving road on the route between Sundrive Road and the Kenilworth Park/Harold’s Cross Park junction. It leads directly to Clareville Road, which has two primary schools, so the area is popular with young families.
Number 23 is a sensitively restored lovely home that will appeal to those looking for a large back garden close to the city centre. Prices have been rising steadily in the area, an indication of its popularity in recent years. Number 33, a 62sq m house with a Ber of D1 achieved €667,000 in 2024 while number 21, a B3-rated 106sq m house sold for €866,000, also in 2024.
Number 23 is seeking €725,000 though selling agents Mullery O’Gara.
