Tiny €235k Cork home has enough room to swing not just one, but two, cats

Stylish 535 sq ft No 6 Goldsmiths Avenue is the cats' pajamas

Thu, 23 Feb, 2023 - 18:15

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports

Richmond hill, Cork City
€235,000
Size	50 sq m (535 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

THE owners of 6 Goldsmiths Avenue might not be very well known – but their cat, Oliver, has quite the local fan base.

The Persian puss has a favourite perch, sitting inside the sunny window sill of the compact artisan dwelling on the top of Richmond Hill in Cork city, and he may – or may not - deign to bid the time of day with passers-by who know him for the pet he is.

He’s one of two cats who have called No 6 home for a while: the other, Chloe, is more aloof, though, and has no time to spare on such pleasantries on the public.

Interior of 6 Goldsmiths Avenue, on the top of Richmond Hill, Cork city

Oliver, however, is a cat of the world: he’s been known to go for walk on a lead around the area every now with his women walkers.

There, he got the fright of his life (well, one of the nine?) when taken to view a scene of Young Offenders being filmed at “the shifting bench” at nearby Bells Field.

The shooting called for a madcap chase among the characters, but it was wily Oliver who made the best bolt for freedom, getting away from his, eh, lead role in a blind panic.

Cool cats...but not the foggiest! The Young Offenders' original movie and subsequent TV series had scenes shot at Bells Field

Precious in more ways than one, Oliver was even kidnapped, catnapped or otherwise went missing at one stage, gone AWOL for month: a neighbour spotted his distinctive image on a ‘Missing Cat’ poster, matched it to a cat they’d seen in another property and put his grateful owners in touch with his whereabouts. Happy days.

Now, the women of the house are on the move themselves, kitty cats Oliver, Chloe, kit and caboodle.

They have been here since 2017, when the Price Register records they paid €165,000 for the so-convenient city pad. The Register in fact shows 12 resales at Goldsmiths Avenue since 2011, the latest being No 10 which fetched €232,000 in mid 2022.

And, a few others with the same particular ‘goldie’ Richmond Hill address also came to market in the past year or so, not yet all on the Price Register, while the G BER-rated No 20 appeared in these pages as recently aslast Saturday, guided at €195,000.

No 6 had been privately owned before its 2023 vendors bought and they did further work to it in the five-plus years they’ve enjoyed it. “It was a bit dated: we did the windows, some drylining, a kitchen and put in an en suite,” they say.

Giving it a style makeover, they also matched some decorative glass blocks that had already been used as a dividing wall insert down at ground level, installing them as a screen in an upstairs, back bedroom, but in this case they used tinted blocks for a bit more visual oomph.

It’s got heaps of character and lots of art, prints and tapestries on the walls: one of the owners is fan of car boot fairs and vintage shops, so it’s visually rich and, yes, quite a few of the items on walls and floor have animal themes, including cats, unsurprisingly enough.

They’ve loved been living so close to the city centre in their first home together, and - just as Oliver the Persian cat has his favoured downstairs window sill ‘red dot’ spot - they savour the view from their first floor dormer bedroom window overlooking the Blackpool valley to the North Cathedral and St Anne’s Shandon steeple and the ‘Goldie Fish’ up top, lit up at night for a catnip golden glow in the ether.

Having appreciated being within a walk of so many amenities, they hope to trade up the property ladder now after nearly six years here, but without moving too far.

City convenience is on their radar, they just want and need a bit more space than this c 1880s artisan dwelling can provide: it’s got just over 530 sq ft in all, with an open living area, neat galley kitchen, open tread stairs, bathroom which doubles as utility with washing machine, and above are two bedrooms, en suite and space off one bedroom useful as a home office, walk-in dressing room or other, with access to an outdoor, elevated sitting spot, plus there’s a tiny yard for bike storage (there’s a car parking space just facing No 6 on Goldsmiths Avenue.)

Selling agent is Megan Forde of Sherry FitzGerald, and she says it’s attractive, in very good order, and should be of interest to first-time buyers and even investors given the convenient setting.