Sweet smell of success

WHEN you stand at the very top of the garden of Woodbine Lodge, you understand its title.

On a warm August afternoon, the scent of honeysuckle wafts around this still, private spot.

Secluded and south-facing, the garden offers views out over the harbour channel to Ballynoe in Cobh.

Auctioneer Malcolm Tyrrell calls the property “charming”. And it is. A double-fronted, double-bay house, it sits on the end of a terrace in Glenbrook and is bounded by tall trees.

Woodbine lodge is very much lived- in and that’s its attraction.

Eclectic and practical touches go hand in hand making it very user-friendly

Also, it’s very well finished, with a new roof, re-wiring, new flues for its lovely period fireplaces, and all of the other work a house of this age and size would need.

Rooms are spread over three floors and the layout hasn’t changed considerably since it was built two centuries ago.

The formal lounge is on the left hand side of the entrance hall and the living room is on the other. This in turn runs through to the fitted kitchen and there is access via a scullery to the rear yard.

The elevated garden rises up above this space and is accessed via a steel balcony from the first floor office.

The master bedroom is to the front of the house and very spacious, as is the guest room next door. The smallest bedroom is the nursery and this faces to the rear. The office occupies what would have been the fourth bedroom.

Up the next flight of stairs is the attic, which would make a great teenagers’ space or children’s playroom.

This room is under the eaves and runs the full length of the house. Because it has velux windows to the back and dormers to the front, it’s a well-lit space. At one end the sleeping area is separated by a bannister effect and a seating area, with working fireplace at the other end.

Old pine boards are sanded and pine wainscotting is fitted to dormer level. Because the roof has been re-done, the room is clean and smoothly plastered and, with modern insulation, it is protected from the temperature swing normally associated with attics.

The house is south-facing to the front and has a little paved area to one side. The rest of the garden is a lawn with a small ornamental pond.

Cohalan Downing are the estate agents in charge of the sale of Woodbine Lodge, which is on offer at 320,000 euro.

In an area where period properties are commonplace, and where buyers usually get to do the reconstruction work, this house offers a rare finished product.