You might think 1930s-built houses are a bit twee, redolent of cosy, curtain-twitching English suburbia. But you might be wrong. They may lack the grandeur of their Victorian predecessors, but they often have high ceilings, coving and solid doors and architraves. And one thing these houses do very well is adapt adroitly to modern living. Number 52 St Helen’s Road in Booterstown, Co Dublin is a fine example of a home that effortlessly caters to the needs of a growing family, and has a style and personality of its own.
The house was built by Crampton around 1933, and when the current owners bought it in 2016, it had already been extensively refurbished, with a kitchen-breakfast-livingroom extension added, and the private, secluded back garden beautifully landscaped. All the owners had to do was put in new Carlson windows, renovate the bathrooms and add a few of their own individual touches. They are clearly lovers of travel; world maps adorn the kids’ bedrooms, and the house is filled with stunning pieces of furniture bought in different parts of the world – including a drinks cabinet made from a large luggage trunk.
Now this young family are moving on to their next adventure, and number 52 St Helen’s Road, extending to 187sq m (2,012sq ft) with a C1 Ber rating, is for sale through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, seeking €1.6 million.
The reception hall hints at the sense of comfort and luxury within, with its gorgeous timber flooring and ceiling coving. There’s a guest toilet off to the right, with tiled floor, part-tiled walls and lovely feature radiator. To the left is the livingroom, which the owners have decorated in a luxurious style, with deep green walls accentuating the ceiling coving, chandelier and stone fireplace with marble surround and hearth and wood-burning stove. A big bay window looks out the front. Sliding doors lead to the diningroom, which has timber flooring, ceiling coving, cast-iron fireplace with timber surround and open fire, and double doors leading out to the back garden.
The kitchen-breakfast-livingroom certainly has the wow factor, with feature vaulted ceiling, atrium rooflights and doors leading out to the back garden. It has a fully tiled floor and a large centre island with undercounter sink unit, and granite worktops. A large gas Aga, Neff oven with five-ring gas hob and an integrated microwave look after the cooking, while an integrated fridge freezer looks after the perishables.
Off the kitchen, part of the garage has been converted to a spacious utility room and a shower room-wetroom with tiled floor and walls. This leaves plenty of handy storage space for bikes, buggies and sports gear.
Upstairs are four bedrooms with built-in fitted wardrobes, two doubles and two singles; the main bedroom has a bay window looking out to the front. The main family bathroom is fully tiled, and has bath with shower over, cabinet wash-hand basin and heated towel rail. There’s a hot press off the landing, and a Stira gives access to the attic, which is insulated and floored for easy storage, and has potential to convert to an attic room.
One great original feature is the large stained-glass picture window on the stairs going up to the landing – instead of the usual curlicues and floral patterns, this window has simple, amber rectangles, rendering it timeless.
The back garden features a wonderful wraparound patio leading down to a long, sweeping lawn; toward the end is a small patch of artificial grass for small kids to play on, and there’s also a shed at the end of the garden. St Helen’s Road is a quiet, safe street off the Rock Road, and the owners say they have enjoyed the family street parties organised there every Halloween. The Booterstown Dart station is just a short walk away, and there are bus routes in to the city centre, plus the Aircoach. Blackrock College, Willow Park, St Mary’s, Booterstown National School, Sion Hill and St Andrew’s schools are all close by, and UCD is also within easy reach.
