Killiney villa with mature gardens – and a banana tree – for €1.785m

“When the [now grown-up] children’s friends come back and visit, they all say they have really great memories of our home,” say the owners of Maryvale, a delightful Regency-style villa which they have called home for 50 years.

When they purchased the property: “It was all very sad, we had no idea what the gardens looked like as they were so overgrown and the house was in bad condition.”

Lots of work and investment brought Maryvale back to its original form as when it was constructed in 1850, as a dower house for Moore Field Estate. At that time, development of the area had commenced just a short time before, in 1811 to be precise, when Sir Compton Domvile leased land to developers called Moore and Oxley.

Interestingly, Domvile, whose family had been granted the lands in the area by King Charles II in 1663, insisted that the lands on which he leased to developers consist of quality housing and banned thatched roofs and mud-walled cabins. A further condition was that for every tree removed, 10 three-year-old trees were to be planted as replacement.

This helps explain why Maryvale – which was linked to the original developers of the area – has an avenue with so many trees and mature shrubs that the house itself is not visible from the road. It also goes to explain why, until recently, Church Road had so many mature trees.

Double-fronted

The double-fronted house has four bedrooms and oozes charm and character. Two reception rooms flank either side of the hall, and each has handsome marble fireplaces and great views to the gardens. The principal bedroom lies on a half-return and benefits from a dressing room and en suite. Exposed beams in the dining room add a huge amount of interest, while they might be better served in a brighter colour in the kitchen, which comes over as a little dark.

Renovating an old house, though tiresome and challenging at the best of times, can give you nice surprises along the way. When the couple began converting an old cut-stone coach house – that lies in a small courtyard to the rear of the house – they found old original Dublin street lights which they incorporated into the renovation, as they now hang on the walls of the former stable lodgings. Over the years this building has been a moveable feast: “The kids used it first of all for skating, then came table tennis and after that came the parties – especially the ones at Halloween.” Today it is laid out as an office and art studio, with a large room in between.

Old trees

Besides the captivating house and coach house, the gardens are what will really attract a buyer. Standing on 0.8 of an acre they have smart box hedging, herbaceous borders and some lovely old trees.

An old apple tree has been a popular source of autumnal bounty for neighbours while interest comes from a spectacular oak tree – hats off to Sir Domvile all those years ago. Interestingly enough, it also has something you just don't see very often – a banana tree. It was never planted for its fruit. Rather, the owner, who loves barbequing, planted it for the leaves "and we use them for nearly everything we put on the barbeque".

Maryvale is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €1.785 million.