Dalkey

A cosy kitchen heated by an Aga is the most attractive room in Ashern, a five-bedroom house on Saval Park Road in Dalkey, Co Dublin, which is for sale by private treaty through Sherry FitzGerald. It has a guide of £580,000.

The 2,110 sq ft double-fronted house was once a farmhouse, and the kitchen/breakfastroom is built for comfort: it has room for a sofa by the Aga, a laundry rack on pulleys at ceiling level and original red tiles on the floor.

Fitted pine presses with a white-tiled splashback are fresh-looking, although the kitchen was modernised some years ago. A breakfast bar divides the working kitchen from the dining area.

The property, built in the 1920s, is in need of refurbishment, but has plenty of space and good potential. Converted stables at the back, for example, could be used as a home office, studio or extra accommodation.

Originally, the house was surrounded by land which over the years has been developed. Fairlawns, a scheme of upmarket modern homes, was built on part of its lands. However, there is still a lot of room for parking at the rear; although new owners may want to reclaim some of the tarmaced area for garden. as it is, there is only a small tiled patio area at the back.

The front garden, however, has a large lawn with mature trees, including a huge bay tree.

Accommodation inside includes a livingroom, diningroom and family room downstairs, as well as the kitchen/breakfastroom. There are stained-glass panels in the inner front door.

Upstairs, off the top landing, there are five good-sized bedrooms with dormer windows. (From one, there is a view over Dalkey rooftops to Dalkey quarry). There are two bathrooms side by side on the return, one a shower room.

Ashern's location is a major attraction: Saval Park Road is a long street which runs from Barnhill Road up to Dalkey Avenue and the entrance to Killiney Hall.

It is in walking distance of Dalkey village and the DART station.