Like it leafy? Think Jalna

MAZO de la ROCHE wrote 16 Jalna books and while forgotten now, her Whiteoaks series was a huge success in its day.

And it probably explains why this Blackrock Road, Cork house has been given the name Jalna.

It fits the period of the property which is on offer at a knockdown, €600,000 – which could mean literally knockdown because Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing and Associates feels that at his guide, buyers may see the logic of a new build.

And while that ostentatious demolition derby was symptomatic of the Tiger excesses, in this case, there’s a toss-up as to whether the house should stay or go.

The facade, which is close to the road, is a dormer add-on to a simple, two-storey house which served as a surgery and waiting room for a number of years.

Jalna’s owner, a Dr Ryan was the builder and he also ran an antique and curio business on Oliver Plunkett Street.

His former home has come down substantially in price, based on the reaction at initial viewings and the property is now fully on the market at what could be considered a good price.

Shrouded by high trees and shrubs, (there’s a magnificent bay tree on the back boundary), it has a fine, rectangular site, facing full south at the rear where it bounds Menloe House. Being utterly private might explain the reason why there could be the impulse to re-build – almost to justify the location.

On the other hand, the house is perfectly liveable at present, even if there’s a timepiece kitchen and a turquoise bathroom.

It’s sunny, bright and comes with four bedrooms. A buyer could just fix it up and move in.

The sitting room is a good rectangle of 12’ by 18’ and there’s a south-facing breakfast room of 10’ by 16’ with a narrow kitchen and what was once a formal dining room in the old surgery area.

Even if this addition were knocked, the house would function quite nicely on its own and it would expose the original facade.

Building on to south or west, would make all the difference and could also be cost efficient.

Either way, this is very interesting house, but one with a lovely setting in a location that’s close to the city, but settled, quiet and oh so leafy.