Despite its façade, which would lead you to think it is a Victorian house, Park House on Silchester Park in Glenageary was constructed in 2000. It was built in the grounds of Selskar, the Victorian pile next door, as a downsizer for the owners, the late Martin and Betty Rafferty. On the planning application submitted by the architect, Stephen Manina of Manina Designs in Bray, Park House was intended to match its neighbour as far as possible, and this has been achieved to a great extent.
The use of old brick, sash windows and deep bay windows gives the property a period feel, but this four-bedroom house is just 21 years old and has all the modern conveniences such as underfloor heating and not a draught throughout its 294sq m (3,164sq ft) of living space. The Ber is C1.
The late Martin Rafferty, who died in November 2021 was a leading figure in Irish business, and played a significant role in public and private sectors. The Galway native, who became chair of the IDA, served on several boards in a non-executive capacity including Ulster Bank, Allianz, Greencore, Readymix, Lombard and Ulster along with Jefferson Smurfit and Aer Lingus.
He married Betty Walsh in 1961 and they raised their five sons in Selskar next door, and the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage until her death in June last year.
"Park House was my mother's dream home, and really it was all her vision. Stephen Manina and [builder] Tommy Durran had an outstanding relationship with her and they enabled her to fulfil the vision she had for Park House," recalls their son Kevin Rafferty.
Its sympathetic design “was something that my parents were really proud of” and the property really fits in with the old period piles along the leafy Silchester Park, so much so that you would think it had been there for a century or more.
A lovely feature in the garden, along with a raised sun deck off the kitchen, is the outside fireplace, which also looks as if it was always there, as it is set into what resembles a gable wall.
“There are tremendous memories here for all my family, and Mum really knitted it all together,” says Rafferty. “But I really think it will be the grandchildren that will miss Park House the most – as they got the best use of it”.
The area remains a highly desirable address in the capital. Its proximity to recreational facilities such as tennis and yacht clubs and excellent schools coupled with the fact that it is close to the Forty Foot for swimming means properties are always in demand.
Park House is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2.85 million.
