Grand period investment opportunity in Rochestown

RELATIVELY ordinary family homes in the busy Rochestown/Douglas suburbs now can sell for €1 to €2 million, so one of the few remaining period homes in this wealthy hinterland should carry a sizeable premium.

That’s according to estate agent Liam Lynch, who is charged with the sale of Woodville, a Georgian original on almost an acre and a half, right next door to the Rochestown Inn.

Initially offered via public auction last year on behalf of vendor Tim O’Shea who has had it in his family for decades, it is now a private treaty offering via Lynch & Co, who seek €4 million.

They say it could as easily be bought for private family use as for commercial usages, and for the latter suggest it could suit as a medical centre/nursing home, corporate HQ or restaurant, as the site gives a good amount of car parking, although most of the greenery is all to the front.

Georgian Woodville was built two centuries ago for the affluent merchant shipping family, the Hartys, on what was then a country stretch overlooking the Mahon Estuary.

In the interim, new housing has poured into the hinterland, which could provide custom for any commercial venture here, and in fact an acre-plus bit of green behind Woodville has been hived off and sold for housing: by coincidence, its purchaser was developer Dan Mulvilhill, who is actively building out another up-market scheme across the Lee in Glanmire, also centred around a period house called Woodville.

Rochestown’s Woodville is two-storey over basement, with a virtual moat built around the basement level to hold damp at bay and to allow light to penetrate the tall lower level windows.’

The residence has around 4,300 sq ft of space, with three fine reception rooms with Rosewood doors, window shutters, and some good fireplaces. There are five first floor bedrooms, along with a five-roomed basement which gives further bedroom scope or other use options.

The house is in quite good overall condition, but hasn’t been invested in to any extent in recent years, which may now be to its advantage, given the depth of conservation experience and appropriate restoration materials now available.