For much of the 1990s, Dalkey was known as Bel Eire, a handy shorthand to describe the suburb which had become a celebrity magnet. The likes of the then hugely popular singers Jim Kerr and Lisa Stansfield bought large Victorian seaside villas in the neighbourhood that was already home to homegrown stars Bono and Enya.
So when Strawberry Hill, on the sea-side of Vico Road, came on the market in 2001, it wasn’t surprising to learn that it was the home of Rick Savage from Def Leppard. He and his bandmate Joe Elliot had bought the house when it was divided vertically into three units of varying sizes. Savage bought out Elliot and joined the two largest units together to create a rambling home with spectacular and uninterrupted sea views from most rooms.
That was the last time Strawberry Hill was publicly offered for sale. It went to auction in 2001 with a guide price of €3.5 million, but failed to find a buyer until a couple of years later when aviation tycoon Declan Ryan bought the house. He quickly moved on selling it “off market” in 2005, to its current owner, architect David Murphy and his family.
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They are now downsizing. In their decade there the house has grown to 702sq m (7,560sq ft) and is laid out with five bedrooms, although new owners could easily repurpose several other rooms to create more bedrooms should they need them.
In its rock star days, it had a recording studio and a bar, but these have become more family-friendly accommodation. There’s a tennis court, a gym, a snooker room, and in the 0.75 acres of lusciously planted terraced garden with fruit trees and flowers, there’s a pond, and several sunny spots to sit and enjoy the view.
Little of this is obvious driving by. Strawberry Hill has a relatively modest road frontage, from where it looks like a quaint, doublefronted period house. An original stained-glass bay window and fanlight-topped front door add to the impression.
The drama is at the back where it has three storeys, with several rooms opening out onto their own wide terraces. The main living areas are at hall level: a formal dining room and home office to the front and to the rear, the kitchen, which has sleek Alno contemporary units, an informal living/dining room and what is perhaps the finest room in the house – although there are many that could win that prize – the living room. Large square windows have been installed to fully appreciate the view and the room opens into a large terrace.
Everything on this floor is bright and airy, helped in part by the high ceilings, the French limestone floors and the pale wall colours, but largely because of the light pouring in from all angles.
Down a flight of stairs is the vast main bedroom with its walk-in wardrobe and full-ensuite. Also on this level are two more rooms, a snooker room and a tv room, and a guest bathroom. A sunroom to the side opens out on to the house’s largest terrace.
Down another flight are four more bedrooms, two with ensuites,all facing seaward. There are also several storage rooms, a cellar and a utility room
A significant addition during the current owners’ time is the gym built into the original granite walled arched walkway to the side. Directly above this is the parking area, accessed via an electric sliding gate, and the double garage.
New owners might consider doing something with the lower garden – the only part of the property left untouched by its green-fingered owners. It’s a rectangular strip of land, unseen from the house, that seems the ideal location for a swimming pool.
An apartment, from the days when the house was divided in three, is underneath the terrace off the livingroom and is entirely separate and not part of the sale. However its owner shares the parking area with the owners of Strawberry Hill. At this price range, Strawberry Hill is for sale for €6.5 million, it’s not surprising that it is being marketed overseas. Sherry FitzGerald is the Irish sales agent.
