Just off Appian Way, Winton Road is a special spot. Overlooking the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, number 11 was built by Crampton's in the 1930s for the great uncle of the current owner, in what had been his vegetable garden. He had it built as a 21st birthday present for his daughter, although when he died, she apparently found that her "present" still had a mortgage attached . . .
On a long, wide site, the 186sq m (2,000sq ft) house is detached and double fronted. The current owner has added a large bright contemporary kitchen/breakfast room to the right and a sunny conservatory to the left, which he uses as one of the most idyllic home offices I have come across.
Each of these opens to patio areas. The garden includes a small lawn, as well as a lovely tall olive tree, a mature oak and 200-year-old walnut tree. “You get huge walnuts,” the owner says. “The squirrels take them and bury them for the winter. Some grow and I have had lots of new walnut trees as a result.” There are also plenty of camellias, gorgeously pink just now.
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Inside, there is an elegant dining room off the kitchen, a utility and a large living room with nice proportions and an open fire. There is also a downstairs bathroom. The kitchen is huge, and has a solid fuel stove to make the double-height space feel cosy, as well as bright and airy.
Upstairs are four bedrooms, three of which are doubles, and the principal bedroom is also en suite. There is another bathroom at this level too. The guest room has a balcony and the owner remembers his mother sitting out with friends to watch the tennis “until the screen of trees grew up to block the view”, he says.
It is a lovely peaceful house with a rambling feel and manages to pack plenty of accommodation into its footprint. The road is quiet, yet you’re minutes from Ranelagh and the city centre. There is off-street parking and residents’ permits are available as well, but you would seldom need to take your car out in a location as convenient as this.
A pleasant mix of old-style charm, with contemporary touches, you don't have to play tennis to love it, but if you did, you couldn't be in a better spot. Number 11 is unique in terms of site, style and charm and is for sale with Sherry FitzGerald at a guide of €1.495 million.
