In 1853, three years after Victoria Lodge, a six-bedroom period house in Rathgar, was built, Britain’s queen Victoria visited Dublin.
The young monarch was said to have passed through Rathgar in a her horse-drawn carriage at the time and the current owners believe the house was therefore named after her.
“Records reveal that the house’s early inhabitants were legal professionals, merchants and civic figures,” says one of the owners. He and his brother and sister inherited the property after their mother’s death earlier this year. “And for decades, Victoria Lodge was also a doctor’s surgery.”
When his parents bought it in 1973, the original structure had not been changed, but they added a two-storey extension to the back in 1995.
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The 340sq m (3,660sq ft) home has three elegant reception rooms, including a lower-ground-floor drawingroom; a ground-floor diningroom which has red walls and an original marble fireplace; and a sitting/diningroom in the lower-ground floor that overlooks the back garden. Off this is a modern galley kitchen which has wooden units and terracotta tiles.
Upstairs, there are six double bedrooms, all of which have big windows and high ceilings, as well as a family bathroom.
Many of the original features have been retained and add to the old-world feel of the house. They include sash windows and window shutters to the front, a decorative stained-glass entrance arch, ornate coving and ceiling roses, marble fireplaces and dado rails.
But Victoria Lodge also has modern elements. At the back, the windows are latticed; the polished wooden floorboards were added in recent years and modern spotlights have been fitted in the ceiling. Most of the walls are cream or tinted shades of white and the carpets are blue or beige with plush furnishings which suit the period.
“My mother had a good eye for decor, and created a lovely calming atmosphere in the house,” the owner says.
The south-facing back garden is set on 0.12 hectares (0.3 acres) and has 0.75m-thick original granite walls. It has a patio with garden furniture and a long lawn with mature trees and flower beds on either side. Located between Terenure and Rathgar, the house, which is Ber-exempt and seeking €2.5 million through agent DNG, is located a 20-minute drive from Dublin city centre.
