A Cobh home fit for admiralty
A sturdy house in a mature residential area in picturesque Cobh could be an ideal family home, writes Catherine Shanahan.
Cobh, Co Cork
260.1 sq m/2,800 sq ft Bedrooms: 6
2
Exempt
It’s the sign of a socially cohesive neighbourhood when people feel secure enough to leave their front doors open, and that’s pretty much how it is at The Park in Cobh, according to selling agent Johanna Murphy of Johanna Murphy and Son Estate Agents.
The genesis of this impressive terrace of houses lies in the mid-19th century, when Cobh was being developed as a British naval port, and suitable dwellings were required for members of the Royal Admiralty.
The Park was created with plenty of communal green space in front of these three and four-storey homes, which also have long, sunlit back gardens.
When Ms Murphy, ofJohanna Murphy and Son Estate Agents, last sold one of these properties, it didn’t even make it to market, such was the demand.
“I handled the sale of No 5 back in 2016, and it sold before it went on the market,” she says.
“These are good, solid homes.
No 5 sold for €480,000. Now No 2, a six-bed, two-bathroom property, comes to market with a guide price of €450,000.
Ms Murphy describes it as “a fine, sturdy house in a mature residential area”.
“It’s in good structural order, albeit it needs a bit of modernising,” she says.
No 2 has two front doors — the first opens into a small porch, the second onto a plus-size hallway with a series of gorgeous curves, including the wall, the original staircase, and the arch that frames it.
“For me, the most charismatic part of the house is the entrance and staircase,” says Ms Murphy.
She loves that its period features are intact such as original fireplaces, and pitch pine floors and doors, not to mention the recessed double doors between the two ground-floor reception rooms.
The rooms have “nice dimensions” says Ms Murphy, “not so big that you would find them difficult to heat”. (The BER-exempt house has gas central heating and double-glazed windows).
One of the ground-floor reception rooms has a stove.
The kitchen/dining area is to the rear, with a door leading to the yard from where steps stretch up to that fine elevated garden. Residents of the terrace have pedestrian access to their gardens from the rear.
The garden can also be accessed from a sunroom on the return of the stairs in No 2. Bedrooms are spread across the first floor and the attic, with three on each level.
Ms Murphy says it is an ideal family home, and has always functioned as such.
You have the lovely communal private garden to the front for kids to play safely outside. A lot of residents leave their front doors open regularly, it’s that kind of place.
It’s a picturesque spot — the striking Gothic Revival spire of StColeman’s Cathedral rises nearby into the skyline, and the front lawns are immaculate. The residents pitch in for the upkeep, there is no management company.
Location-wise, the terrace of 11 houses is within walking distance of shops, the train station and the town itself, while the bus stop is “literally across the road”.
The Selling agent says “the minute you walk in the door, you feel at home. No 2 is so bright, the light pours in, even on a dull day.
“All that it really needs is a new kitchen and a bit of modernising.”
Knocks your typical terraced townhouse out of The Park.
