One of the most sought-after locations in Dublin 14, Stoney Road in Dundrum, which connects Taney and Upper Kilmacud roads, was originally called Drummartin Avenue. Only three houses, Altamont, Belmont and Monte Vista, appear on maps of the area dating from the 1870s.
Its name change to Stoney Road was not due to an uneven surface but to celebrate the Stoney family; engineer Bindon Blood Stoney was involved in the development of Dublin Port, while his elder brother, George Johnstone Stoney, was a physicist known for introducing the term “electron” as the “fundamental unit quantity of electricity”. Besides the coveted road in Dundrum bearing his name, craters on both Mars and the moon are named in his honour.
One of the original period properties on the road, Monte Vista, which translates as mountain view, also saw a name change. Now called Cullenagh, it still has wonderful views to the Dublin Mountains from first-floor bedrooms.
Its evergreen leafy setting on a third-of-an-acre site gives much privacy, which is one of the reasons the current owners fell for the 318sq m (3,427sq ft) pile when it last came to the market in 2014. It sold for €2.085 million, according to the Property Price Register (the asking price was €2.15 million).
Located a five-minute walk from Airfield House, with its 38-acre working farm and gardens, the detached Victorian house initially had six bedrooms, which has since been changed to five.
When the current owners purchased the property on the secluded, elevated site, they engaged Dublin-based interior designer Ciara Brandon to give their new home an overhaul. One, of what were five en suite bathrooms, was changed to allow a spacious dressingroom for the dual-aspect main bedroom. Concurrently, the house was redecorated from top to bottom into what it is today: a walk-in five-bedroom period pile on a spacious secluded site.
Inside its elegant facade of dun-coloured Dolphin’s Barn brick peculiar to its period and accessed by granite steps, are a host of original features including ceiling roses, ornate fireplaces and 11ft-high ceilings in reception rooms that add to its overall period charm.
Off a most impressive reception hallway, illuminated by dappled light from stained-glass windows, lies a formal drawingroom with a feature marble fireplace and bay window that connects with an equally notable diningroom. Here too a fine bay window allows views to the front garden, which has parking for four cars.
From the main hallway, stairs lead to a lower hall, where a new open-plan kitchen by Tracey Kitchens of Termonfeckin was installed in 2023. It has solid-oak Trunk flooring and an extensive range of appliances including an electric Aga along with Bosch, Liebherr and Miele appliances overlooking a large quartz-topped island.
To the rear of the kitchen, solid oak continues into a breakfastroom that opens to the rear gardens via double French doors. Also on this level are a well-serviced utility, a guest loo and a study, which also has access to the gardens.
The attic, accessed by a staircase now offers a well-lit study/home office, thanks to overhead Velux windows.
The gardens are one of the real delights here, with a most impressive monkey puzzle tree marking the front cobblelock driveway. The grounds have three distinct divisions, one of which was a small orchard. This has been replaced with a purpose-built garden room. Now housing a games room incorporating a Trackman virtual golf simulator, it could make a stunning home gym or indeed a teenage den.
Alongside an Indian sandstone patio – set out for summer dining – are a series of original stone sheds incorporating a loo and storage facilities. Surrounded by well-stocked beds, mature trees and herbaceous borders enhance the property’s overall privacy.
In terms of access, the house is a few minutes’ stroll from two of the stops on the Luas green line and from Dundrum Town Centre, while a 20-minute drive will have you at St Stephen’s Green.
Back when Cullenagh was first built in 1870, Dundrum was considered a health resort, based on the fact that it was alleged to have healing powers from clean mountain air and goats milk – due to the abundance of goats in the area – remembered in the name of the local Goatstown townland.
Though today the area is Ireland’s shopping mecca housing one of Europe’s largest capital-city shopping centres, the charm and allure of the country lives on in the secluded and most private Cullenagh.
Houses coming up for sale on Stoney Road are as rare as hen’s teeth, as a quick search on the Property Price Register indicates. Cullenagh is Ber exempt as it is on the Record of Protected Structures, and has now been launched to the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2.95 million.
