There is something charming about Drynan Lodge on the Old Carrickbrack Road in the Baily area of Howth. Perched on a height behind electric gates, the property has undergone a complete overhaul since it was purchased in 2013. The asking price was €895,000 then, but the house, which had never appeared on the market prior to that, sold for €1 million – an indication of the cachet this part of Baily holds.
The Arts and Crafts property had been in the Parker family since it was built in 1910. The previous owner, Peggy Parker, who passed away aged 89 in 2013, was a fan of Arts and Crafts, and old photographs now framed for posterity on the kitchen walls show her love of the movement – down to the William Morris wallpaper used in the hallway.
The house, which is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage for its artistic merit, is now on the market again, though it bears little resemblance to its former self, as it was completely gutted over the past couple of years.
A new roof was installed, along with triple-glazed windows, insulation and new flooring. Unusually the property is not listed, but the works carried out are sympathetic to the Arts and Craft era, and have been meticulously executed by the owner.
Inside the front hallway is a kitchen and dining area, and immediately the selling point is clear – the sweeping views across Dublin Bay, taking in Bray Head and the maritime traffic en route to Dublin Port.
Maximising views
A livingroom, with a new stove in the old fireplace, sits adjacent and opens out to a patio – again maximising the views. To the rear is a further livingroom where the old range and quarry tiles have been retained, and there is further access to the gardens from here. New owners may want to amalgamate both rooms to create an even larger room spanning the entire length of the house.
Upstairs are four bedrooms – the fourth, a single, has been converted to a dressingroom, but two of the rooms are particularly sizeable to the extent that either would make a fine principal bedroom.
A further option would be to convert the attic for an even larger bedroom with more dramatic sea views. This could easily be facilitated, as there is ample room on the landing to install a staircase up to this level, and the owner had the foresight to install two dormer windows in the attic space – which extends to 40sq m (431sq ft) in addition to the 180sq m (1,938 sq ft) of existing living space.
The grounds are on half an acre, and have enjoyed the same care as the house. They include a fine restored double garage and a potting shed.
The property is on the market through Lisney with an asking price of €1.9 million.
