Belter of a bungalow for €850,000 in Blackrock, Cork City
Blackrock Road, Cork City, €850,000
There aren’t too many suburban Cork locations where a three-bed bungalow like Ashgrove can come to market with a €850,000 asking price. But, Blackrock clearly is one of the very select few, and even apart from ‘the address’, it has a few other things in its sales favour.
Set a five minute walk from the pier at Blackrock village, Ashgrove isn’t by any stretch of the imagination a mean property. Essentially built in two wings, or sections, front for living, back for sleeping, it covers very close to 2,500 sq ft all at ground level, and is on a very private site of 0.3 of an acre.
And, it’s not just any old third of an acre: it’s right next door to the period classic Dundanion House, surely by now a contender for the title of Cork’s most valuable home after a no-expense spared investment and conversion from offices back to graceful home on acres of ground?
It shares the same, high screening limestone wall along the Blackrock Road with Dundanion House itself (locals say the wall had its height raised at one stage, a century or so ago, so that Dundanion House would not be overlooked by passengers passing by on the top floor of the trams).
Built in the mid 1900s, after the tram lines came up, and architect-designed, south-facing Ashgrove has very mature, pleasant private gardens and sit-out areas, 100-year-old beech trees, vegetable gardens and BBQ area, along with parking for several cars.
It has a distinctive, internal layout, with a big, main, L-shaped lounge/dining room, smaller reading room, compact kitchen and linked halls, including one slender, L-shaped glazed corridor running on both of the house’s north and west sides.
Two of its three bedrooms look into this glass-lined corridor, all three have a double aspect, one has lots of built-ins and an en suite bathroom, adding to a guest WC and a main family bathroom with pale green sanitary ware, plus there’s a utility room.
Ceiling heights are 9’, and overall condition is good, but dated, whilst the BER’s an E2, and it has gas central heating. Selling agent is Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzaGerald, who says it’s bright and welcoming, in a prized setting close to the rejuvenated Blackrock village, the Atlantic Pond, Marina and old railway walk, and is on a good bus route, near schools and sports amenities and clubs.
VERDICT:
Good as it stands, but likely to be updated ... and, might it even be enlarged further, or made two-storey?
