Former government minister and EU commissioner Michael O'Kennedy is selling his large Victorian semi-detached house at 58 Eglinton Road, Dublin 4. The property is expected to fetch more than £1.3 million at a Lisney auction next month.
Milverton, an imposing two-storey over garden level house, has been the O'Kennedys' home since the 1970s, but they are now planning to move to a smaller property in the area. Eglington Road is one of the most sought-after addresses in Dublin 4 and few of its large period houses have appeared on the market in recent years.
Values are almost on a par with nearby Ailesbury Road, particularly since the sale earlier this year, of Glaunsharoon, a 1940s detached house on two-thirds of an acre at 29 Eglinton Road that fetched £2.3 million under the hammer. Dating from the 1870s, Milverton is a prime Dublin 4 residence with generously proportioned reception rooms, four principal bedrooms and potential for a two-bedroom self-contained apartment on the ground floor. It is on the sunny side of the road and has a long, south-facing back garden bounded by high, granite walls. There is good off-street parking in front of the house. Granite steps lead up to an ornate entrance porch. Through the front door is a superb hallway decorated in a tasteful shade of yellow with cornices picked out in brilliant white.
There are two very good interconnecting reception rooms - a drawing room with a front-facing bay window and double doors leading to a larger formal dining room overlooking the back garden. Both rooms have original fireplaces - white marble in the drawing room and the traditional dark marble fireplace in the dining room - and are carpeted in neutral pale wool carpets that will be included in the sale along with the curtains. The kitchen is also at this level, which is handy for entertaining, and there is also a delightful family room with a glazed door opening on to a deck with steps leading down to the garden.
The first landing leads to a large bathroom complete with linen cupboard.
There are three bedrooms on the first floor, with the main bedroom at the front of the house. It has an en suite bathroom with both bath and shower. The fourth bedroom on the top floor of the house is a lovely, light room with views over the surrounding gardens and towards the Dublin mountains.
The ground floor would convert readily to a separate apartment. It has two bedrooms - one with an en suite shower room - a living room, galley-style kitchen and a bathroom. The living room has parquet flooring and French doors to the garden. Peter Kieran is handling the sale and the auction is set for July 15th.
