House of the Week on Millionaire's Row in Douglas

Kilbrin needs work but the payback is its size, garden and location

Kilbrin, Woodview, Douglas

Douglas, Cork
€1.25m
Size	254 sq m (2734 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	E2

ANYONE curious about what a millionaire’s row in Cork City might look like need only divert off the Main Douglas Road into Woodview.

In the dozen years since the Property Price Register (PPR) has allowed us unearth the price of our neighbours' homes, each of the four sales that took place in Woodview was north of €1m.

One, Currabeg, was so far north as to have reached polar extremes. The buyers paid €2.4m for a house on 1.5 acres, and then proceeded to level it. What’s there now, hidden behind high walls, is reputed to extend to around 10,000 sq ft, making it a serious contender for the title of Largest House in the general Douglas area.

Woodview, which pivots towards the Well Road, is a terrific mix of architectural styles. The overarching characteristics of its homes are size (very large), status (detached), location (leafy and extremely near Douglas village), style (classy) site-size (exceedingly generous). 

It's an expensive location to buy into for all of the reasons given, so buyers should not be surprised that its newest market arrival, is, once again, skyward of €1m. Kilbrin, built in 1975, is the house in question and selling agent Shane Finn of DNG Creedon, who is guiding at €1.25m, says it’s attracting a fair bit of attention.

At more than 2,700 sq ft Kilbrin is a large home, although not as large as Jasminton across the road, which sold at the end of 2021 for €1.45m, having gone to market for €1.35m. Neither is Kilbrin in the excellent condition that Jasminton was in, but there’s no doubting its potential, once the buyers have the financial wherewithal to invest further. This will include new flooring, replacement of sanitary ware, possibly some re-plumbing and improvements to insulation to boost the E2 energy rating.

So while it requires work inside and out (the gardens are lovely, but need to be tamed) you can see that Kilbrin is nonetheless handsome with features very much worth retaining, such as marble fireplaces in the two front reception rooms.

Built in bookcases and marble fireplace

Marble fireplace in main reception room

Other features include curved (Norman-shaped) windows in the kitchen and on the way up the stairs; built-in bespoke bookcases in the living room and not just one, but three sets of patio doors, from the kitchen; from a very spacious 27ftx14 ft lounge and from an extended family room, sandwiched between the kitchen and the rear hallway.

Family room off hallway

The extended family room was one of three big undertakings at Kilbrin. When the house last appeared in Property 20 years ago, the kitchen was described as “quite small” but it’s now a fine open-plan, brightly-lit space, with a large centre island and a sizable wine rack and units with granite counter tops that a new owner may or may not jettison.

Kitchen with doors to the rear patio

 The other big job was an attic conversion, so there are strong options for playroom/home-office/kids' den across two extra attic rooms.

Converted attic space

 

Downstairs, a small room separate to the utility and guest WC could be used as a pantry/cloakroom/study.

Overhead, the main bedroom has an ensuite and roomy walk-in wardrobe. One of three remaining bedrooms is also ensuite.

Kilbrin, cloaked in vivid red Virginia creeper, is on 0.4 acres, which attracts a very high premium in this part of the city.

Rear garden 

 The gardens, littered with homegrown apples this time of year, are utterly private to the rear. Running behind the end of the garden is a tucked-away laneway (could new owners add rear access to Kilbrin?), from where you can see a second home built in a neighbouring garden, such is the site size. In Kilbrin’s back garden, an external home office with WC (in need of a clean-up) barely makes an impact on the site and a wooden shed at the bottom of the garden can’t even be seen.

Mr Finn says the property is “brimming with potential” and among prospective buyers are London-based home-hunters looking to return to their native city. He adds that the location is failsafe, near schools, retail, services, amenities and within a short stroll of Douglas village and minutes by car to the south ring road network.

VERDICT: The bones of a very handsome home on a glorious site in a cracking location. Ideal for a family prepared to invest further.