Pearse Square provides a tranquil oasis from the comings and goings of Pearse Street on the south side of Dublin city. On a sunny April day, the park attracts a handful of people including students, probably studying at nearby Trinity College, and a few office workers who’ve strolled a bit further away from their building in search of some peace on their lunch break.
According to the National Built Heritage Service, the houses on the square were first built in 1837 and it was one of many contemporary developments named in honour of Queen Victoria (1819-1901); the etching of “Queen Square West” is still discernible on the facade of the house closest to the street.
The garden at its centre, once reserved for the exclusive use of the residents of the square, was later purchased by Dublin Corporation, which had it relandscaped as a pleasure garden, and opened it to the public in 1889. The square was renamed in honour of Irish revolutionary leader Patrick Pearse in 1926; the street on to which it fronts, previously Great Brunswick Street, had been similarly renamed two years earlier.
Nestled in the rear corner on the west side of the square is number 23, a Georgian gem fully modernised inside, and 23a, a separate one-bedroom-plus-study unit on the basement level.
Housing in Ireland is among the most expensive and most affordable in the EU. How does that happen?
One in five people expect to pay mortgage in retirement, survey finds
Irish architectural great Ronnie Tallon built a home far superior to Mies van der Rohe’s original. Time to protect it
Sherry FitzGerald CEO Steven McKenna to leave firm to ‘explore new opportunities’
The main house is accessed at the top of the stairway shared with its neighbour. Entering through the arched doorway, the airy hallway with high ceilings introduces you to the fresh white walls and grey carpet that continue through most of the property.
The front reception room is the first room off the hallway and gets lots of light from the large sash window to the front. It features an elaborately designed cast-iron fireplace, retaining some original charm. The second reception room is used as an office and has built-in storage on one wall and an original fireplace. There is also a guest loo on the ground floor.
[ Bright and airy Regency villa near Monkstown seafront for €3.75mOpens in new window ]
The kitchen-diner to the rear is rather small for what you might expect in such a substantial home (extending to approximately 174sq m/1,873sq ft over the two floors and converted attic of the main house) but is fully fit for purpose with grey, wooden units, a white metro-tile splashback and plenty of cabinet space. The kitchen opens out to the stairway down to the west-facing garden. The garden is paved, and ideal for entertaining; it features a high trellis for privacy from the apartments behind it and an old stone shed providing storage space.
The first of two bedrooms in the main house sits on the first-floor return, complete with an en suite shower room with marble tiling. Upstairs, the main bedroom is spacious (5.69m x 4.64m) occupying the front of the property with built-in wardrobes and a fireplace that makes a lovely focal point for a seating area, as has been laid out for the sale. Next to that is a spacious bathroom with a big built-in cupboard and shelving unit; it also features a claw-foot bath and marble tiling.
Up another flight of stairs, the attic has been converted to create two rooms, both with built-in wardrobes and skylights, and a shower room. Although the rooms have been dressed as double bedrooms for the sale, they cannot be classed as such due to fire-safety regulations.
The apartment unit on the basement level, 23a, extending to approximately 66sq m (710sq ft) is accessed down steps to the front of the property. As with the main house, it is presented in walk-in, contemporary condition. You enter the apartment into a spacious porch that has built-in shelving under the stairs to the main building, doubling as a utility area.
The open-plan living/kitchen/diningroom is airy with 8ft-high ceilings. The living area to the front has an ornate white fireplace with a wood-burning stove. The kitchen occupies a corner with white wooden units and grey metro tiles.
The double bedroom is off the hall with a built-in wardrobe and the nook where there was once a fireplace now features exposed brick. The large, hinged window opens out to the rear patio which is private, separated by a wall from the garden of the main house.
[ Vibrant, double-fronted detached home in Donnybrook for €2.95mOpens in new window ]
To the rear of the apartment is a shower room and a study – although it is dressed as a double bedroom for sale, it does not have the required ceiling height to be classed as such.
A prospective buyer of this property could potentially rent the apartment for a sum in the region of €2,000 per month, based on advertisements for similar offerings in the area.
Number 23 Pearse Square is likely to appeal to buyers who want to have the city on their doorstep while also living in a quiet, comfortable tranche of old, Georgian Dublin. Ber-exempt, it is on the market through Felicity Fox Estate Agents, seeking €1.095 million.
