Tucked away off Tivoli Rd in D·n Laoghaire is Eglinton Park, a terrace of eight large semi-detached Victorian houses overlooking D·n Laoghaire Golf Club. Eglinton House is at the end of this short road and is the only detached house on the terrace. It is for sale through Lisney by auction on the 3rd October, with a guide price of £900,000 (€1.14 million).
A four-bedroomed, double- fronted two-storey over basement house built in 1861, it has a magical old world atmosphere. Unlike the other houses on the terrace which open on to the road, it has the advantage of a secluded, walled front garden entered by old wrought iron gates at the side. The front of the house is covered with Virginia creeper, which winds its way across the granite steps.
Inside, there are two beautiful reception rooms opening off opposite sides of the hall, with windows at both ends and fine Georgian soft white marble fireplaces. Lovely plasterwork, hall door, fanlight and wide polished wooden floorboards, as well as windows and shutters, are all original. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and a dressingroom-cum-bathroom off the main bedroom. Three of the bedrooms have windows to the front of the house, which faces south, and the fourth faces the back garden.
Downstairs, at garden level, is a long kitchen which runs the depth of the house and has a white Aga and built-in units, an electric hob and oven and a dining area at one end. Across the hall is a comfortable square sitting room with a large fireplace - most likely from one of the bedrooms - and a window to the front, a utility room and a large shower room. There is a small return which spans the three floors and which houses a bathroom, a shower room and a cloakroom respectively.
Outside, the gardens are very charming. The front has a round sundial plinth in the centre surrounded by imaginative planting and lawn and with views over the golf course. At the side of the house is another set of old wrought iron gates leading to the large back garden. There is a coach-house to one side with strong wooden doors: this could be used as a garage or converted into a separate guesthouse, subject to planning. There is a small yard with outhouses off the kitchen.
This lovely old house retains a secluded sense of being in the country and gives a feeling of security with high walls all around. While it is large and well proportioned, it gives the impression of being manageable and a great house for a family to grow up in.