Hold court in this Killiney Victorian villa penthouse for €1.25m

Vico is a penthouse apartment in the chateau-esque Victorian villa that was once the heart of the Killiney Court Hotel, the scene of many a debs night in the 1980s and 1990s.

The site was developed by Ellen Construction and comprises 46 apartments in total. Vico is one of just three units in the original villa and it extends across all of the top floor and the attic space above.

Named after one of the best addresses in the neighbourhood, Vico commands the crowning spot and has an unusual layout. The property, which is seeking €1.25 million through agents Kelly Walsh, is a high-end walk-up, the Americanism for apartments above ground floor without a lift to service them.

The entrance to the apartments in the Victorian villa is to the rear of the house. The front door to Vico opens into a triple-height space where a marble staircase climbs through the building to a black-and-white tiled landing at the top.

A staircase leads up from the tiled landing to the attic floor so the property being offered for sale could be considered two separate units where the next owner might use the attic floor as a home office, for example.

The main unit has 2.7m ceiling heights in its hall and two double bedrooms. One has an arched window while the main has a bay window with shutters facing south to Bray Head. It has a large ensuite bathroom with a shower in the bath.

But the real selling point here is its interconnecting rooms which span 13m in width and 3m in height, with glazing on three sides. The views include Sorrento Terrace, Dalkey Island and Bray Head to the south.

The kitchen has painted timber units and a deeply architraved opening leading through to the living room where a bow window in the turret offers the best sea-viewing seat in the house. This would also make a great spot to put the dining table. Across from it is a fireplace with a gas-fired inset.

This floor extends to 174sq m (1,872sq ft) but there is more than 69sq m (742sq ft) of attic space above it. In total Vico, which is BER-exempt extends to 243sq m (2,615sq ft).

At attic level there are four interconnecting rooms, two of which only have a tiny round window on each of their gable walls. The other two have roof lights only. As there are no windows, they cannot be called rooms under building regulations, but the space up here is sizeable.

The location and setting are both first class but it will take a certain kind of deep-pocketed buyer to be swayed. The lack of a lift will deter many traders-down but for a family in search of a fairytale abode with stellar sea views, and where the kids could live semi-independently above, this could be a dream home.