A home beneath the dome

RANELAGH: €750,000:An end-of-terrace period house behind Rathmines church

NUMBER 16 Bessborough Parade is a three-bedroom, end-of-terrace period home situated on the border of the boroughs of Ranelagh and Rathmines. Its address says Ranelagh but its location is right behind one of Rathmines most enduring landmarks, the Church of Mary Immaculate Refuge of Sinners.

The church’s Russian Orthodox dome is said to have been bought at a bargain price from a foundry in Russia when demand for church domes fell as a result of the Russian Revolution.

The location is devoid of sin. It is very quiet and residential – ideal for a family who want to live centrally.

The house measures 135sq m (1,453sq ft) and is for sale, with an asking price of €750,000, through agents Felicity Fox.

Opening off the oak-floored hall are two reception rooms, both with open fireplaces. The sitting room is to the front, the dining room to the rear. Both have lovely Georgian fireplaces.

The kitchen is galley in style with laminated counter-tops and lots of light. It also has an open fireplace, which is unusual, and an interesting addition to the room especially in winter.

Out back is a raised and paved patio with a wall of bamboo and views up to the dome of the church above. A door leads to the rear- access garage, with room for two cars, that opens onto Fortescue Lane. For Ranelagh’s parking obsessed residents this is a godsend as the lane tends to fill up with residents’ cars.

Upstairs, on the return there is a domed-roof bathroom, the property’s real scene-stealing space. Double doors open onto a free-standing roll-top bath, a pared-down fireplace and a separate shower. Now that we can no longer afford weekends in spas, bathing at home is being rediscovered as a form of relaxation. And this is a room to relax in.

On the first floor there are three double bedrooms with original floorboards. Only one has any form of built-in storage. The two front rooms have church views. The noise-phobic might like to note that the church bells ring every day a quarter of an hour before service. There are daily services at 7.30am, 10am and 5.45pm. The bells also ring at noon and six o’clock for the Angelus.

16 Bessborough Parade, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

A three-bedroom home of 1,453sq ft, with luxurious domed-roof bathroom and raised, paved patio in the back.

Agent: Felicity Fox