Victorian transformation in Dún Laoghaire for €2.295m

Set over four floors with a substantial 400sq m (4,306sq ft) of floor space, 21 Cambridge Terrace has been meticulously restored by its current owner, artist Steve Bradbury, who purchased the property in 2014 for €1million when the family moved to Ireland from the UK.

At the time it was laid out as four separate flats and was in need of a complete overhaul.

The works took more than a year to complete, and besides the usual upgrades of insulation, electrics and décor, every floorboard in the house was removed, stripped, sealed and hand painted. It’s an indicator to the precise level of detail that went into every element of this restoration.

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21 Cambridge Terrace, York Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin

In its new incarnation Bradbury located the kitchen to the front of the house. This would have been a reception room when the house was originally constructed. It overlooks the Victorian style garden through large bay windows and opens into the formal dining room. A small cosy sitting room is also located on this floor.

At garden level there is a huge playroom – Bradbury’s “atelier” – and a lovely living room which opens out onto the rear garden. And the garden really is oneof the major selling points of the property – apart that is from its generous size, period features, five bedrooms, and immaculate condition.

It has a country cottage feel, with climbing roses, fruit trees and an abundance of colour. Culinary enthusiasts will enjoy the outdoor cooking area – which Bradbury designed and built himself.

“We had a pizza oven in the garden when I lived in Cambridge [he is originally from the UK] and I designed this oven to sit over a period fireplace which in turn heats the oven. Later in the evenings we can sit around the fireplace and drink wine – it’s a lovely setting.”

Outdoor space

Besides the pizza oven, Bradbury purchased a barbeque, took it apart and rebuilt the components into a brick base – which sits beside the oven. It is all very cleverly done and creates a very social outdoor space.

The former aeronautical engineer turned business consultant (he worked as general manager of Dublin’s Blackrock Clinic until recently) decided in late 2017 to throw in the towel on corporate life to become a stay-at-home dad and concentrate his efforts on painting.

Robert Moore of Woodwork was commissioned to create wooden installations for the children in the garden, including a tree house – which has echoes of the cliff house in the film Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events – and a clinker-built boat that will happily accommodate 10 children.

The property has five bedrooms – plus the atelier which would work as a sixth, and four reception rooms – counting the large playroom.

Besides the kitchen and utility, Christoff, a Dublin company specialising in bespoke cabinetry did all the internal carpentry, from building the kitchen to installing the wall panelling and designing the built-in units and wardrobes in the bedrooms.

The property has off street parking accessed via Knapton Lane and is on the market through Savills with an asking price of €2.295 million.