Swish city hideaway in former stable yard off Cork's Blackrock Road for €995,000
Citadella, Bull's Lane, Blackrock Road
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Blackrock Road, Cork City |
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€995,000 |
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Size |
149 sq m (1600 sq ft) |
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Bedrooms |
4 |
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Bathrooms |
4 |
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BER |
A3 |
YOU’D be inclined to think that countrified Bull’s Lane off Blackrock Road was once a throughway along which livestock might have been herded to the former working farm at the end of the narrow cul-de-sac.
The farmhouse — nicely restored — is still there and so is the adjoining stable yard, where one of two decorative horses’ heads remains in place at the entrance.
A browse of the planning files though indicates there’s a good chance the laneway got its name from what was known as Bull’s Asylum, aka the Citadella, a private asylum that opened in 1799.
These days, with not a bovine in sight and only the sagging remains of the 18th century Citadella standing, the laneway is a different kind of throughway, providing access to a latter-day Citadella, a niche development of four faux-Victorian homes, developed inside the walls of the original stable yard.
Latter-day Citadella, invisible from the laneway, is reached via two gorgeous archways, with visitors buzzing their way in through the electronic wrought iron gates of the inner arch. As residential settings go, it’s hard to imagine anything as singular as this one so close to the city centre: surrounded by stone boundary walls, studded with ancient iron rings used to tether animals. It’s as secluded as you will get this close to two busy roads (Boreenmanna Road and Blackrock Road).
When Citadella homes first sold in 2014, No 2 fetched the top price of c€590,000. It’s back in the spotlight now, the first re-sale in a scheme by Citidwell, also the developers of exclusive Botanika on Blackrock Road’s Cleve Hill.
No 2’s guide price is €995,000, almost 70% higher than what it sold for nine years ago, with year-on-year increases in house prices since. Lots of money was pumped into No 2 too; a sleek, fitted kitchen by Ballincollig’s Maglin Kitchens; quartz splashback and countertops by O’Callaghans in Ballinhassig; a Seán Russell landscaped south-facing rear garden, over two tiers, with patio.
There’s lots of birdsong too, thanks to handmade bird-boxes made by the owner’s father. Family heirlooms are important to her – tastefully re-upholstered rocking chairs owned by her mother are in the bay window of her striking navy front room.
In the same room is a display unit which houses a series of stunning, limited-edition, gilt-edged, hand-painted plates, depicting scenes from the fairytales of Hans Christian Anderson, dating to 1975.
A tall, narrowish home, the ground floor of No 2 consists of the deluxe living room inside the front door and, down the hallway, a large and beautifully wallpapered guest WC.
The back of the house opens up into a bright and airy open-plan kitchen diner and split-level lounge area with cathedral ceiling, from where doors lead to outside.
The kitchen is very well equipped for entertaining and includes a wine fridge. There’s a separate utility off the kitchen with a door to outside.
“Between the kitchen/diner, the lounge and the garden, I’ve had plenty of room for entertaining and BBQs,” the owner says.
There’s plenty of room too for guests to stay over, with four bedrooms spread equally over two floors.
The first floor main bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and a bluetooth vanity cabinet in the ensuite for listening to the radio.
Across the landing is another en suite double bedroom. In fact all four bedrooms are doubles, with the top floor two sharing a large and luxurious bathroom.
Décor is handsome throughout, and the owner’s goddaughter is particularly pleased with the playful choice of wallpaper in a top floor bedroom, where hot air balloons float across the walls and ceiling.
The owner bought No 2 off the plans in 2014, having moved to Cork for work in 2011.
“I rented in Rochestown for a while, but I had been on the lookout for something closer to work in the city and I got a tip-off from an auctioneer about a new-build off the Blackrock Road.
“When I bought it off the plans, the land it was to be built on was literally a field,” she says.
She moved in in 2015 and all four houses were filled by owner/occupiers within a matter of weeks, “and have been great neighbours since”, she says.
She’s moving on now because the call of the West is stronger, and she’s returning closer to her roots, having lived variously in Toronto, Limerick, Dublin, Galway and Cork.
Selling c150 sq m No 2 is Trevor O’Sullivan of Lisney Sothebys and he says the house will have broad appeal “especially to those looking to trade up in the area”.
Apart from its superb location at the top of Bull’s Lane — which is itself undergoing regeneration with the conversion of dilapidated Springville House into smart “right-size” apartments — No 2 also has a superb A3 energy rating. The heating system is air-to-water and there’s underfloor heating at ground level.
Mr O’Sullivan says No 2, in a leafy enclave between Blackrock Road and Boreenmanna Road (visible, but not accessible, from the latter) is “turnkey” and in a location second-to-none: close to Cork City centre, near Kennedy Park and the Marina Market, surrounded by solid schools and public transport options.
It's no bull to say that style, convenience and privacy are at a premium in Citadella. Tremendous trade-up home.
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