With its commanding location on the corner of Carysfort Avenue and Brookfield Terrace in Blackrock, Co Dublin, number 1 Prince Edward Terrace Lower cuts an imposing figure. This end-of-terrace early Victorian house has good reason to lord it over this crossroads: it was fully restored and refurbished in 2020 by conservation architects Studio And, and the result is a magnificent family home of 318sq m (3,423sq ft) that wears its old features and new designs very elegantly indeed. Ber-exempt, it is now on the market through Sherry Fitzgerald, seeking €2.5 million.
The period details of the house have been lovingly brought back to life, including the intricate cornicing plasterwork and centre roses, and the original joinery – including skirting boards, architraves, dado rails, picture frames and doors – have also been restored. Even the stained-glass fanlight above the hall door has been brought back to dazzling glory.
Granite steps lead up to the hall door of this double-fronted home, and when you step inside you notice that the wooden floorboards have been restored and finished in a beautiful pale matt lacquer. All the floors on the ground and first floor have been done in this striking colour, creating a sense of lightness underfoot.
There are two huge interconnecting reception rooms to the left of the hall, both with matching marble fireplaces that have been brought back to full functionality. To the right of the hall is a fine study with dual aspect, a fireplace and bespoke bookshelves.
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You pass under a gorgeous decorative archway to access the rest of the house, just one of the many period details that have been restored to their original glory. At the hall-level return is a glazed door with side windows opening on to stone steps leading down to the back garden. The stairs down to the kitchen/dining area have luxurious fabric runners made by Sinclair Till, providing a soft welcome as you descend. All the floors at garden level are done in polished concrete with underfloor heating, and the effect is one of solid, warm comfort.
The interconnected kitchen/dining area mirrors the interconnecting reception rooms above, running from the front to the back of the house. The bespoke kitchen to the back is created by Porter & Jones and is a chef’s delight, equipped with large centre island with a sink unit, oak wall and floor cupboards with brass fittings and Donegal tweed-lined drawers, and a Smeg six-plate gas hob with two ovens for rustling up big family meals.
During the refurbishment, the owners uncovered a lovely original granite chimney breast in the front room, and this has been fully restored, with a solid-fuel stove and elegant tiling. While the room currently has a large dining table and chairs, you could easily move the dining area closer to the kitchen and add a few large couches to create a lounge area, thus completing a formidable family hub.
A utility area has been cleverly tucked under the stairs in the corridor, fitted with storage cupboards and a Belfast sink, with a door opening out to the garden. To the front, where the coal bunker would have been, is a large walk-in storage room with fitted shelving. Also at garden level is a double bedroom looking out to the front garden, with built-in wardrobes and a fireplace, as well as a wet room.
An elegant staircase brings you up to the other three bedrooms, with a full-length Georgian-style window on the return, with views out to the enormous back garden. There are two large double bedrooms, each with a tiled-inset fireplace, sash windows and built-in wardrobes, and a large single with built-in wardrobes. The main bathroom is pure Victorian elegance, with high-quality white sanitary ware, a bath with shower attachment, a large shower with Burlington fittings and a diamond pattern tiled floor.
The back garden runs a good way down the length of Brookfield Terrace and is superbly landscaped, with a manicured lawn, herbaceous border and flowering shrubs and plants, with one or two specimen plants in evidence. At the end of the garden is a gravelled area for parking two cars, with electric gates leading out to Brookfield Terrace. Closer to the house is a sheltered patio area for all-weather almost-outdoor dining, and an outdoor kitchen area with a sink for those barbecue nights during the summer.
What will seal the deal for many is the house’s proximity to Blackrock village, with its many shopping, dining and public transport options. Carysfort Park is nearby, and it’s a short distance down to the seafront and to Seapoint and Dún Laoghaire’s east and west piers. Schools are plentiful, including Carysfort National School, Sion Hill, St Andrew’s, CBC Monkstown, Willow Park and Blackrock College, and UCD Smurfit graduate business school is just across the road.
