Classic Victorian gem

HOW high will the high house go? A slender and elegant three-storey Victorian house, Trefusis, on the Victoria Road in Cork city, has caused a flurry of viewings since the For Sale sign hit the front pillars last week — 45 viewers in an hour at open viewing on day one, and a couple of dozen more on day two.

And it continues, with a surge of surveyors probably next to swamp the place that's in a covetable spot. It is set on the city route out towards Blackrock and Ballintemple, within a 10-minute trot to the city centre, and on the edge of the docklands, which has an ambitious blueprint mapped out for urban redevelopment.

But while waiting for the property market and economy to pick up enough for such a macro plan, there's more than enough amenity value to be had at Trefusis: Kennedy Park is a green area across the suburban road, the Marina beckons beyond, and the 100' long back garden is a sheltered and private retreat, complete with stand-alone conservatory, three fountains and a back-wall trickling water feature.