€40,000 off asking price goes in favour of 19th century Cork home

Kingsville, an elegant 1880s terraced property on Wellington Road, Cork gets a price drop, Catherine Shanahan reports.

Sun, 26 Apr, 2020 - 14:52

Catherine Shanahan

Five floors, six bedrooms, over 2,000 sq ft and €40,000 off the original asking price: Kingsville on Wellington Road has a whole lot of figures in its favour writes Catherine Shanahan

When this elegant 1880s terraced property featured in these pages last October, the asking price was €575,000, now trimmed back to €535,000.

Selling agent Gillian McDonnell of Sherry FitzGerald said Kingsville is “in turnkey condition” with “wonderfully proportioned” principal rooms, high ceilings and large windows to capitalise on the enviable south-facing views out over the city.

"It’s been a fine family home for many decades, Ms McDonnell says, “but the woman of the house is now selling up after 40 years, as she is looking to downsize”.

In an area of gated gentrification, close to the foot of Military Hill and within whistling distance of St Luke’s Cross, the houses in this terrace were built for members of the merchant classes in the 1880s.

While the front entrance is off Wellington Road behind a high wall, the “rear” of the house is the real revelation. A rolling south-facing garden, elevated well above the level of its southern boundary on Summerhill North stretches out before you.

As previously highlighted in these pages, the garden is vast for any city address, but the lower section, as Ms McDonnell points out, will need a bit of work, including, more than likely, the unblocking of the original pedestrian entrance leading straight onto Summerhill.

From the Wellington Road entrance, eye-catching encaustic tiles lead down a long, narrow walkway, bounded on the left by an annexe, the former servants’ quarters, currently unfit for habitation but could, with a bit of investment, make a fine granny flat or au pair accommodation or even a garage if the boundary wall was taken down, as others in the neighbour have done.

Unlike some of its surrounding companions, Kingsville is not listed, which leaves leeway for reconfiguring — the kitchen, which overlooks a small courtyard, would benefit from a degree of modernisation and additional cupboards and worktop space.

Or it could be relocated to the basement, which leads straight on into that 476 sq m of “split-level” garden, which includes a patio in the upper section.

The above-basement first floor at Kingsville has a fine, elegant sitting room, the width of the house, with two large windows capitalising on those panoramic city views.

Up to the first landing is a bathroom and two double bedrooms with original fireplaces and plasterwork. On the third floor are two more bedrooms and a small kitchen/diner (bedroom five if you prefer) set up for student rental during term time.

A bedroom and bathroom in the roof-space are in good order. Other notable features of Kingsville include a modern gas boiler and zoned central heating.