As the setting for Patrick Kavanagh’s poem lamenting unrequited love, Raglan Road in the heart of Dublin’s Ballsbridge was developed in about 1857 after the Crimean War and named after Lord Raglan, who was the British commander-in-chief at that time.
One of the most distinctive properties on the road – today called Raglan Court – commands a large site standing at the junction between Clyde and Raglan roads. Though converted to apartments about half a century ago – and reputed to be some of the finest units in the capital at the time – the property underwent a second comprehensive redevelopment in 1993.
Like all houses of this stature, its history has tales to tell, and most notably here was how Maria Georgina Duckett was given this vast house as a wedding present by her much older husband – some historical websites suggest he was 75 and she 21 when they wed.
The imposing landmark property, complete with a striking turret bay and a multitude of period details, was originally called De Wyndsore and was a city home for Carlow-based landowners, the Duckett family. Legend also has it that the property once hosted Britain’s Queen Victoria during her 1900s visit to Dublin.
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Said to fear Catholics, Maria Georgina Duckett fled to her Raglan Road residence from the family seat at Duckett’s Grove, a Victorian Gothic-revival castle in Carlow, after the death of her husband in 1908. Apparently living in squalor here for the remainder of her life, she donated almost all the estate’s proceeds to charity.
This resulted in a notorious court case known as the Angry Shilling, as her daughter, Olive, had been cut out of the will (apparently for marrying an O’Grady) leaving her with just one shilling despite the estate being worth hundreds of thousands. In the end, after contesting the will on the grounds of her mother’s insanity, she is said to have inherited a mere £7,000.
A spacious top-floor unit in the property has just launched to the market. Number 10 is a large apartment extending to a generous 149sq m (1,600sq ft), which is the size of many four-bedroom houses. With a covetable southwesterly aspect, its really a far cry from most other apartments in the capital. The two turrets, leaded stained glazing, tall ceilings and six-over-six Georgian sash windows all marry well with proportions in this most interesting property.
It was last on the market in 2011, when it achieved €950,000 according to the Property Price Register.
The current owners have recently given the place an upgrade with a new kitchen (that now overlooks the garden). The whole place has been painted, with new carpets and flooring laid in the dining, drawing and kitchen spaces, while bathrooms have new vanity units installed.
A great facility is the private, southwest-facing terrace off the kitchen, offering a tranquil space overlooking the gardens for morning coffees.
In terms of apartment living, its footprint is more akin to a house given its size and the fact that this property, which has a smart heating system, has four bedrooms.
In its current layout, three of the bedrooms (the fourth is used as a study) lie in a separate wing off the hallway, where part of the principal bedroom is set in a turret. Bedroom three is en suite. The property has three bathrooms in total, with a further shower located in a good-sized utility room.
Its location is another selling point, as new owners can walk to a plethora of amenities (though for those with cars, there are two designated spaces outside). Sporting facilities such as the Aviva Stadium and restaurants in Ballsbridge and Donnybrook are all within a 15-minute walk, as are the 32 acres of Herbert Park, Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and the RDS.
Annual service charges are in the region of €9,980. Although the property does not have a lift, 10 Raglan Court is located up two flights of stairs that have a gentle, gradual rise.
Laden with interesting architectural details and thought to have once hosted a queen, this Ber-exempt four-bedroom apartment is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €1.275 million.
