House of the week: Blackrock Road, Cork
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Ardmore is one of those Munster locations that Corkonians like to colonise, and pretend to call home, even if just for holidays.
The West Waterford spot is a prime example, and also falling into the same trap are Kerry’s Kenmare, and Derrynane. A small bit of sunshine, and Cork accents of many shades and pitches abound. Dominate, perhaps, if you’re a retiring local.
Well, here’s an Ardmore any proud Corkonian would be happy to call home, and that’s what its current occupants - who are ‘downsizing’ have done, for the best part of 30 years.
A proud, upstanding Edwardian semi-detached home, on the rather salubrious Blackrock Road and Blackrock village side of Ballintemple, in leafy surrounds of period homes and some modern, multi-million euro mansions, it has lovely, original feature-endowed living quarters, lots of architectural trim, and nearly 2,100 sq ft over its three floors, thanks to a side garage conversion.
Ardmore got a gentle going over some years ago, with a new gas combi boiler helping it to get a very respectable D1 BER, and its gable end wall, has been rendered resplendent, with exposed brick all the way up to the on-high roof apex and freshly re-pointed. Even if it’s only barely glimpsed in passing by, it’s a glory of craftsmanship.
Ardmore has lots more in its favour, apart from period roots and a prime location. South-facing in front, it has off-street parking and mature gardens, front and rear. The back garden is a classical suburban oasis, with lush greenery, lavish planting, fruit garden, fig tree, lots of colour, a pergola in brick and timber, draped bower and ‘secret garden’ almost out of sight.
Internally, its best assets are its many, many retained original Edwardian features, from flooring to fireplaces, gas lamp fittings, and plasterwork, to patina and polished brasses. It has interconnecting reception rooms at ground, right of the tiled hall, linked with part-glazed connecting double doors, and each room has a fireplace of note.
On a side wall in the rear dining/living room is a serving hatch, and the room also has a pull bell for summoning servants. The owners say that ‘back in the day’ the cook might pass food through the hatch, but was granted permission to enter the room when called for by by the bell. Different days? Today, it might be a child, texting a parent for ‘service’. Across the hall is a play room/guest bedroom, next to a shower room, and the main, family bathroom is up on the first floor return, next to what estate agent, Timothy Sullivan, reckons might be Ardmore’s best sales card, “the best hot-press in Ireland, a walk-in job, fully shelved, it’s wonderful”.
Up on the first floor, the master bedroom is a decent 17’ by 13’, the same size as the ground floor’s main, front room with bay window, and has retained the original small fireplace. Bedrooms 2 is about 11’ square, and the top floor has two further bedrooms, the best at 17’ by 14’, with exposed rafters.
Back at ground, and out the back, the kitchen has kept some lovely features also, including the two-way hatch and bell, and red and black tiling to match that in the hall, plus there’s a scullery.
Wander outdoors, and past the patio, the gardens are a delight with arbutus, cyclamen, camellias, passion flowers and many other shrubs and trees for privacy and birdlife.
Ardmore is part of run of Edwardian semi-ds in this stretch where the most recent resale was right next door, over the boundary fence on the city side. Called El Dorado, and dating to 1904, the home next door had a modern extension, and was one of several semis on this stretch built for a Cork builder’s daughters, after he got a small windfall. El Dorado went for sale over a year ago, guiding €775,000, and is on the Price Register as having made €755,000.
So, coming for sale at €760,000, Ardmore appears right in the local ballpark, price-wise, and the Blackrock Road neighbourhood has some very well-heeled buyers indeed. Directly facing Ardmore, across the road, is Mosely Villa, an exception detached Georgian home with modern extension, which sold in absolutely top order last year. Mosely Villas’ buyers Dan and Linda Kiely, Voxpro’s founders, currently have the builders in, making changes.
Ardmore Sur Lee.
196 sq m (2,085 sq ft)
4
2
D1
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