A starter home launch that aims to recreate Sandymount Green
8 STRADBROOK LAWN, Blackrock, Co Dublin €995,000 Era: 1970s Size: 219sqm Agent: Lisney (01) 280 6820 Viewing: By appointment
The vendors of 8 Stradbrook Lawn grew up in the house, a detached dormer bungalow located just off Stradbrook Road in Blackrock. One remembers moving there from what he perceived as ‘remote and inaccessible’ Killiney in 1989, “and a whole vista of social opportunity just opened up”.
It’s true that there are few better locations for a family than Blackrock — it’s right on the sea, close to town as well as to Monkstown and Dun Laoghaire, and very well served by public transport.
Older children and teenagers can foster their independence with forays out into the world from a house that is literally within a couple of minutes’ walk of several bus routes and the Dart station at Seapoint, and with sailing and tennis clubs close by.
Stradbrook Lawn is a small estate of houses in different architectural styles, most of them dating, like No 8, from the 1970s, with a green area that comes into its own in the summer months and a friendly cohort of neighbours.
No 8 could do with upgrading in terms of decor, but it is laid out in a way that will appeal to those looking for a home with generously proportioned rooms and an open-plan family-friendly layout, with the kitchen to the back overlooking the garden an obvious target for refurbishment and possible extension, with improved access to outside.
There are two entrances — one from Stradbrook Road and another from Stradbrook Lawn itself — and the house is well-hidden from the road by tall hedges, with off-street parking for several cars and a garage.
The split-level drawing/dining room is to the right of the large entrance hall, and it’s a fine room, with huge picture windows. Double doors lead on to the family room, which in turn opens on to the kitchen and back on to the dining room. Also on the ground floor are two bedrooms, a shower room and a utility room, while upstairs are three further bedrooms, a family bathroom and separate lavatory. Upstairs again is a generously sized attic with plenty of storage space.
The garden measures 16m x 22m, providing plenty of room for trampolines and goalposts and all the paraphernalia that a family could need. The patio is a sunny spot in the late afternoon and early evening, and is ideal for open air dining.
One of the reasons that Blackrock is so popular with families is, of course, the choice of schools in the area. Hollypark and Carysfort are two of the national schools that everyone wants to get their children into, while Scoil Lorcáin appeals to the Gaeilgeoirí. In terms of secondary options, Newpark Comprehensive, Blackrock College, Sion Hill and Rockfort Manor are all within walking distance, and UCD, Trinity and IADT are all easily accessible.
The vendors remember summer evenings on the beach at Seapoint as one of the highlights of growing up in the area.
“We would go rock-fishing for crabs when the tide was in, and swim in the sea, where the water always seemed to be warm — or is that just a rose-tinted memory?”
Whatever about the water temperature, the ice creams at The Midway — now sadly closed — were a freezing cold treat on the way home.