Strawberry Beds lives up to its name by being one of the most delightfully rural neighbourhoods in Dublin. Located beyond Chapelizod village, within a quick drive of the city centre, its houses stretch along one side of a winding country road overlooking the Liffey. One of these houses, Bridge Cottage is scheduled for auction on March 10th through Gunne. The guide price is £220,000-plus. The sale is expected to arouse great interest since properties in the area rarely come on the market. Strict planning controls also apply and there is little or no new development envisaged in this idyllic setting.
Bridge Cottage was originally two cottages that were, until the 1960s, part of the Moyne Estate. The current owners bought one of the cottages in 1988 and the one next door in 1990.
They have extensively renovated and extended them, creating a beautiful detached double-fronted residence with two bedrooms and three large reception rooms.
The total floor area is around 1,300 sq ft.
The owners were careful to maintain the original atmosphere in the house; so, for example, the floors are reclaimed pine, the walls in some of the rooms are exposed stone and the utility room features an old Belfast sink.
Beyond the porch and hallway is a spacious livingroom which opens into a very impressive large diningroom. It has a green Stanley range, a high, pitched ceiling and Liscannor flags on the floor.
A very attractive feature of all the rooms on ground level is that they are the width of the house, with windows looking out on the river on one side, and in the case of the diningroom, out on to a patio at the back of the house. Off the diningroom is a galley-style kitchen.
On the other side of the house at ground level are two bedrooms, both with en suites. The main bedroom is particularly attractive - a large room, it has its original cast-iron fireplace and its en suite is a full sized bathroom.
Upstairs is a new addition to the house, a large mostly glazed room currently used as a livingroom. It features extensive use of pine and opens out on to a raised patio.
Also on this level is a small bathroom and a mezzanine, which works as a home office area.
A nice touch is the mezzanine's cast-iron railing. It mirrors the design of the nearby Guinness Bridge, which gives the cottage its name.
A most unusual feature of the house is the extra strip of land on the opposite side of the river bank, which is to be included in the sale. This may once have been the kitchen garden for both cottages and would probably have been used to grow vegetables and soft fruits. It is now overgrown but could, subject to planning permission, become a useful parking area for Bridge Cottage.
