From guesthouse to embassy to family home on Northumberland Road, for €2.5m

In the time it takes to boil a kettle, you could be at the Dart station, Baggot Street, and half way to town or the Aviva Stadium on foot from 31 Northumberland Road in Ballsbridge.

The two-storey over basement pile lies just before the junction of Haddington and Northumberland Roads making it a central location for both work and leisure.

It was purchased by its current owners for €2.075 million in 2017, according to the Property Price Register, when they worked in the US. “We were looking for a long-term home in Ireland back then and thought it would be ideal for when we came home. We rented it to the Peruvian embassy until we planned to return.”

Covid threw things into disarray, and by the time the couple planned to return to Ireland the pandemic had taken hold and life dictated they had to move to London for work. What ensued meant they could not travel over and back from London at weekends and now, two children later, family roots have been firmly planted across the Irish Sea.

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“We had so many plans for the house. We had intended to host a wine club; as the reception rooms are just perfect for gatherings of about 20 persons and as it’s so close to Dublin’s Silicon Docks we thought of hosting team-building events here”.

But having only spent two months in the house, they have placed the property on the market through Knight Frank seeking €2.5 million.

It operated as a 13-bedroom guest house until 2005, when it was sold at auction for €3 million, and subsequently underwent a significant renovation before its purchase in 2017.

A double-height extension was added to the rear of the house, where a kitchen now resides, and this is overlooked by a well-lit mezzanine. Interconnecting drawing and diningrooms to the front of the property open to the rear garden, as do three sets of French doors from the kitchen.

The 408 sq m (4,391 sq ft) house has five bedrooms in total, the principal of which takes up the entire width of the first floor, and has the benefit of an open fireplace, en suite bathroom and a sizeable walk-in wardrobe.

Accommodation at hall level also includes a study, sittingroom and separate entertainment room.

There is off-street parking for a few cars at the front, and anyone who has had to pay hourly charges in this location can testify to the benefit of this — especially on match days in the Aviva Stadium.

Recreational facilities in the area include Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and Herbert Park, along with the RDS and a saltwater pool at the West Wood Club in Sandymount.

As the property has been rented out, it is somewhat staged for sale, so the rear garden has more potential than the photographs show. But it will be the condition, size and location of this Victorian home that will appeal to well-heeled buyers in search for a sizeable property in Dublin 4.