Grand old house in a city high point that’s climbing the property ladder

BACK 15 to 20 years ago, Alexandra Place, like most of the grand old houses in St Luke’s, Cork, were hacked into bedsits and the area, along with its elegant rows of Victorian houses, was in a downward spiral.

Now, thanks to a booming economy and an awareness of the value of location, the area is in the process of gentrification. St Luke’s is fashionable once more and has become a place where sash windows gleam and original artwork hangs on off-white walls. The occasional overflowing wheelie-bin marks an unkempt property, but these are diminishing sight in this up-and-coming, arty quarter of the city.

Number 2, Alexandra Place has been a work in progress for the last two years: it’s a conversion of the three-storey property into apartments by its architect owner.