What are now two of the most-sought-after roads on the southside of the city were once just simple avenues built by the Fitzwilliam family to give access to Mount Merrion House. Cross Avenue and Mount Merrion Avenue in Blackrock were a small part of the landscaping of the 100-acre estate owned by the wealthy landowners.
Mount Merrion, which is a mile long, was created by Richard Fitzwilliam, the fifth Viscount, so that the residents at the big house could have direct access to the sea.
Tree-lined Cross Avenue was also used to approach the estate and stayed largely untouched by development until the early 1800s. Valuable sites were then bought up, and houses began to appear along the road as the seaside village began to evolve.
One of the early houses to be built was Summerville. Constructed in 1807, it remains one of the landmark and most beautiful homes on Cross Avenue, as it come to the market with an asking price of €5 million through Sherry FitzGerald.
The imposing pink property sits on half an acre of mature gardens, which include remnants of the original estate orchard, still delivering a healthy crop of apples each year. With a floor area of 515sq m (5,540sq ft), the two-storey-over-garden-level detached property has a unique facade with elaborate ironwork and canopies on the porch and first-floor windows, as well as a wind vane on top of a turret in the centre of the house.
One of the challenges with these three-storey properties is that the kitchen is traditionally at garden level. That was all well and good when there was staff to cart dinner up and down the stairs, but in modern times, entertaining across two floors is a bit of an inconvenience.
The current owners renovated the house to overcome this issue and now all livingrooms are on the first floor. The garden can still be accessed at this level by the cast-iron balcony and staircase that wraps around the back of the property.
Inside the pillared porch is the front door with original stained-glass panels. Off the hallway is the dual-aspect drawingroom with a meticulously preserved papier-maché ceiling. An intact ceiling motif in this form is a rarity and is immediately apparent thanks to the light that pours in from the bow window with a glazed door that leads out to the balcony.
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On the other side of the hall is the diningroom with original marble fireplace and ornate plasterwork. At the back of the house is the kitchen with units by Clive Nunn and Kilkenny limestone worktops. There is a gas Aga as well as a gas and electric hob and Neff oven. Off the kitchen is a walk-in pantry and a bathroom.
Down at garden level there is a more casual livingroom that leads into a double-glazed Hampton conservatory. From here there are double doors out to a garden office with fitted shelves. Beyond this is a games room and two bedrooms.
Up on the first floor is the main bedroom with extensive built-in wardrobes and bow windows overlooking the back garden. The second bedroom has an en-suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. There are two more bedrooms upstairs and a family bathroom.
There is another staircase that leads up to the top of the house, where there is a roof terrace that is enclosed by wrought-iron railings.
To the side of the house is an annex that has been taken into the main accommodation by the current owners. It would be quite easy to make this a self-contained unit again if it was needed for an elderly parent, independent young adult or childminder.
Double stained-glass doors from the front garden lead into the annex where there is a hallway with a cloakroom and laundry room. A library with wall-to-wall bookshelves is the main room in this area, with a variety of storage rooms and a separate bathroom.
Summerville is set back from the road and is completely secluded due to the many mature trees that surround it both front and back. It is a protected building therefore exempt from a Ber rating but has recently had two new Viessman boilers installed.
New owners will no doubt want to upgrade and reconfigure, but Summerville has such soul and character in its bones that it will always remain one of Blackrock’s best.
