Pteridomania was the term used for the Victorian craze for ferns. From the 1840s to the 1890s, fern fever took hold with the motif appearing in everything from pottery to plasterwork. The fondness for fronds was evident, with the pattern appearing in many homes, on garden benches in parks and even on the custard cream biscuit.
This love affair soon spread from Britain to Ireland. In 1875 master builder Thomas Conolly of William Conolly & Son was working on a terrace of redbricks in Glasnevin. The builder decided to keep number 8 St David’s Terrace, at the end of the row, for himself. He called this Fernville and ran with the theme throughout the house, with the motif appearing on cornicing, woodwork and fireplaces.
This large house was eventually split in two with Conolly holding on to the end-terrace, which is now number 9. A grand new entrance was created with marble columns, and, you guessed it, an elaborate fern design above the front door.
Following the split down the middle of the large home, number 8 fared quite well, retaining a floor space of 134sq m (1,442sq ft). It is behind the Met Office, and is now on the market seeking €895,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.
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When the owners bought the house in 2015, it was in a sorry state and far removed from its glory days. They undertook a full renovation with special care taken to preserve the integrity of the Victorian property.
The house was stripped back and put back together again. Anything that could not be salvaged was replicated. The building was upgraded to a C2 rating after the external walls and floors were insulated, and new windows and doors installed. It was also rewired throughout.
Attention to detail meant everything to the owners, and this is evident in the new front door. While they were reluctant to get rid of anything original, they paid homage to the theme of the house when designing the door by putting lead in the new fanlight with a fern design etched into it.
Outside, the property also remained faithful to fern fever when it won RTÉ’s competition Super Garden in 2016. The 40ft garden was designed by Alex Hollingsworth with a “Glasnevin meets Morocco” theme that included a few large ferns, and went on to be replicated at Bloom, where it earned a silver medal.
It could also be said that the owners became pteridomaniacs themselves, as their daughter was born during the filming of the show, and they named her Ferne, of course.
Behind the new black front door at number 8 is the hallway with a fern-adorned centre rose and coving. The livingroom to the right has the original cast-iron fireplace and new period-style radiators from the Radiator Shop in Donegal.
The diningroom is at the back of the house, overlooking the garden, and also has an original fireplace. The kitchen has been fitted with modern units and has a door out to the back garden.
Upstairs there are four bedrooms, two with fireplaces, and the bathroom. The attic has been floored and is big enough for conversion, with many neighbours setting a precedence for this.
The house is in the heart of Glasnevin village with the Washerwoman restaurant and their new cafe, Little Washer, just across the road. The Botanic Gardens and Bon Secours Hospital are a five-minute walk away, while Dublin City University is 10 minutes away on foot.
