Perhaps it is the red and green ivy climbing up the brickwork, or the five sash windows framing the front door with original stained-glass fanlight, but there is no doubt number 22 Upper Mountpleasant Avenue is in the running for best-dressed house on the street. With the driveway lined with gravel and the sills filled with flowers in antique boxes, this is a lesson in how to present a Victorian home in the present day.
The house, on the upper end of the avenue, benefits from the one-way traffic system out front, putting a stop to any rat-running from the busy roads of Rathmines or Ranelagh. Busy streets in the surrounding area are a small price to pay for this Dublin 6 location, however, with both villages equidistant from the property making life very easy for residents who have every amenity you could think of within short walking distance.
On the market with a guide price of €1.475 million through Sherry FitzGerald, the 181sq m (1,948sq ft) house has a contemporary interior while it also retains and respects original features such as window shutters, coving and fireplaces.
The hallway in the C3-rated home showcases the ceiling coving and centre rose, and also has panelling and an exposed-bulb chandelier. The reception rooms are on each side of the hall. The tone of both rooms is set by the large sash windows with the shutters. The drawingroom has the original open fireplace with cast-iron inset and hearth with bookshelves on both sides.
The diningroom is also at the front with shuttered window and moodily lit alcove. This would be a fantastic room for a home office, with passersby providing a brief distraction from your computer screen.
The back of the property has been opened up to house one large kitchen space with enough room for an L-shaped sofa in front of the gas fire, an island that comfortably seats four and a dining table looking out to the garden. There is also a utility room and guest toilet off the hallway.
Sliding doors in the kitchen open all the way back to let the outside in. The garden is laid with flagstones and bordered by the original granite walls. At the back is a cute garden room that is fully wired and sure to be popular with teens looking for a den to escape to.
On the first-floor return is the first of four double bedrooms, with two sash windows and fitted wardrobes as well as a shower room and storeroom.
The first-floor landing is lit by a skylight with two double bedrooms and the family bathroom to one side, and the main bedroom with en suite to the other.
There is space for at least two cars in the front driveway, which is where they will most likely stay for the majority of time. The canal is at one end of the road, and Ranelagh and Rathmines villages are a five-minute walk from the door, with restaurants, cafes and shops galore. A local pint is literally to be found across the road in Corrigan’s, as is Leinster Cricket Club.
A stroll into Leeson Street will take about 15 minutes, and schools within walking distance include Gonzaga College, Sandford Park, St Marys College, Ranelagh Multidenominational, Scoil Bhríde and Kildare Place.
