Dublin 7: €675,000: A townhouse in a pretty city centre neighbourhood has many of its original features intact. Orna Mulcahy reports
House hunters with an entrepreneurial streak will be interested in the sale of a terraced Victorian house at 26 Royal Canal Bank West in Broadstone, Dublin 7. The three-bedroom house is home to Brody Sweeney, owner of the O'Briens sandwich bar chain and his wife, Lulu O'Sullivan, who runs 4 Gifts, one of the most successful hamper companies in the country. With space in the front garden to park a couple of SUVs and easy access to the city centre and transport routes, it's an ideal location for business minded folk, particularly those who like to keep a low profile.
Royal Canal Bank is one of the prettiest terraces in the city overlooking a linear park and just a short stroll from the Royal Canal Bank Basin. O'Connell Street is within walking distance as is the Four Courts and the Mater Hospital. The Sweeneys have lived here for over 14 years, but with four children the house is decidedly crowded, hence the move to a larger home that's equally close to the city centre. Colliers Jackson-Stops is asking €675,000 by private treaty for their three-storey house which has a small walled garden to the rear.
It's a typical Victorian townhouse with two interconnecting reception rooms at hall level, three bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper floor, and a kitchen cum family room on the lower ground floor. This is where the family congregates, using an entrance at this level as the front door. It opens directly into the family room which has a terracotta tiled floor and an open fireplace. The spacious kitchen makes use of every inch of space, and there is also a cloakroom at this level as well as a door to the garden.
There are some lovely original features, such as the fanlight over the front door, the ceiling cornices in the hallway and reception rooms and the tall arched window between the hall and upper floors.
New owners will almost certainly redecorate parts of the house to their own taste, but this is unlikely to deter buyers in a neighbourhood where houses are slow to come on the market and sell extremely fast.