This quiet residential corner of Phibsborough is not one street but two, as halfway up Middle Mountjoy Street turns into Palmerston Place. The latter came to be following the establishment of the terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway at Broadstone in 1845, but Middle Mountjoy Street predated this by about 20 years.
From the back garden of number 10 Middle Mountjoy Street, the dividing wall between the Palmerston and Mountjoy estates is still visible. Number 10 is one of the oldest houses on the road, dating from 1826. More houses were built as different periods came along – some Edwardian, some Regency – creating a street that showcases the various stages of Dublin architecture.
The road, less than a kilometre from O’Connell Street, is surprisingly quiet, with most houses brought back from flats and restored for family living.
The owners of number 10, which is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald seeking €885,000, have lived here for 30 years, during which time they raised their children. When they moved in, they changed the configuration of the house to make it more conducive to a growing family and have kept the renovations going over the intervening years, with the downstairs bathroom and heating system upgraded only last year.
The yellow-brick, three-storey-over-garden-level property has a floor area of 189sq m (2,034sq ft) and an E1 energy rating, which may need to be addressed. Behind the red front door with spoked fanlight is the hallway with tiled floor and high ceilings. The dado rail, coving and ceiling rose set the tone for what lies ahead. The home, painted in colours that reflect the era of the property, feels instantly welcoming.
At entrance level is the kitchen with fitted units and a large, shuttered window looking out to the garden. The sittingroom at the front of the house has the original tiled fireplace and is in use as a study.
Upstairs on the first floor is the livingroom painted in red with white coving and wide-plank polished timber floor, with the light flooding in from the two square-headed windows offsetting the beautiful period features. This connects to the diningroom at the back of the house, which also has a fireplace with bookshelves on each side.
On the top floor are two double rooms and a family bathroom. Down at garden level there is another double bedroom and bathroom, and a store room that is large enough to use as an extra bedroom or home gym.
At the front of the house, the garden level is enclosed by wrought-iron railings. At the back is a wonderfully private city garden with a patio area and mature trees and shrubs. The owners love to sit out here at the weekend and listen to the singing that comes from the Romanian Orthodox Church, behind the property.
“The only sound we hear from them is on a Sunday morning when everyone sings the service,” says the owner. “It’s the most lovely sound. It’s a really beautiful thing to sit out and listen to it.”
It’s time for them to move on, however, and leave the road they’ve loved so well, as their children flee the nest.
“We couldn’t think of nicer neighbours. It’s the major regret of leaving, but both of our kids have grown up now and are on their way, so it’s a big old house for us to be rattling around in.”
