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THE Catholic church may have fallen out of favour, but its architecture remains as fashionable as ever, if sales at Park House, a development at a former Christian Brothers retirement home in the Baldoyle, are anything to go by.
Of the 17 newly-built townhouses that make up the first phase of Park House and are situated on the landscaped grounds of the protected structure,
15 have been sold or have gone sale agreed. This is manna from heaven for Homeland Projects, which is developing Park House on what is known as the St Mary’s site, just off the Dublin Road in the northeast suburb.
The company, led by husband-andwife team Neil and Aoife Collins, specialises in blending the old with the new. The pair restored Bolton Hall House, a
19th-century building in Rathfarnham, and surrounded it with a contemporary development of four-bed new-builds with design elements echoing those of the main house. At Park House (so named after the nearby Baldoyle Park), the ecclesiastical twist will become even more evident in the second phase. Called The Rectory at Park House, that phase will comprise five own-door townhouses and three large apartments.
For now, there are still two properties for sale from the initial tranche of two and three-storey townhouses, which were given a contemporary design by Ferreira Architects. The showhouse, Number 10 Park House, has just been put on the market. It was fitted out by Ventura Design, one of the country’s leading firms of interior designers, and is selling for €575,000 — a price that includes its furnishings and fittings.
The showhouse, which spans 1,410 sq ft, is from the Newcomen style at Park House. Indeed, all the townhouse styles from the first phase are all named after thoroughbred horses that raced at nearby Baldoyle Racecourse in the late 19th century.
The area was famed for its racecourse for most of the 20th century, until it shut down due to financial difficulties in 1972. The racecourse was later sold to developers and became a hub for a large house-building programme.
At the two-storey showhouse at Park House, there is a double carport to one side of the main entrance. The hallway leads to a kitchen/diner/lounge that spans the rear width of the house. Glass doors open from this space to a landscaped west-facing garden and a paved patio. A utility room with storage completes the ground floor accommodation. On the first floor, there is a living room that opens onto a balcony, a master ensuite, a family bathroom, and two further bedrooms.
Also on the market at Park House is number 9, a one-off house from the Cardinal style that sits on a large site fronting directly onto Dublin Street. The home, which has 1,426 sq of living space, a west-facing garden, and a double driveway, is selling for €575,000.
Both houses have stonework, monocouche render and UPVC high-performance double-glazed windows to the exterior. Inside are contemporary-style kitchen units with quartz worktop and upstands from Cawley’s Furniture, builtin wardrobes from Cawley’s in all the bedrooms, and bathrooms fitted with contemporary white sanitary ware.
Other interior finishes tinclude painted shaker-style doors and brushed chrome ironmongery. The houses have an A3 BER rating.
Commuters with small families will likely be attracted to Park House — it is close to local schools and the development is a five-minute walk from Sutton Dart station. Viewings of number nine and 10 Park House are by appointment.