Old meets new in extended Ranelagh redbrick mere metres from Luas stop

Address: 9 Beechwood Avenue Lower, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Price: €1,375,000

Agent: Mullery O'Gara

Less than 200 years ago, much of what we now know as Ranelagh was little more than a semi-rural village − as opposed to the leafy suburb filled with period redbrick houses that make it such a sought-after residential location today. The opening in 1854 of the Harcourt Street Railway line from Dublin city centre to Bray in Co Wicklow and the later addition of the Rathmines and Ranelagh station in 1896 made it a particularly attractive place to live for those seeking a home convenient to both the city and the countryside.

Land that was formerly a plant nursery was sold and houses were built in the ensuing decades near what is now the Luas Green Line and Beechwood Luas stop.

One of these, number 9 Beechwood Avenue Lower, a Victorian redbrick villa-style home, was built about 1890. Although from the outside it retains an old-world appearance, the split-level semidetached house has been extended and renovated in a thoroughly modern fashion.

Behind its slate-grey front door, accessed via stone steps, is a hallway with a door to the main sittingroom.

With its high ceiling, coving and ceiling rose, this room has a distinctly period feel. The floorboards and the Victorian fireplace are original and there’s an oval-shaped Victorian-style mirror on the wall above the mantelpiece.

Stairs leading to the ground floor from the hallway reveal a modern extension, in complete contrast to the old part of the house. Here, there’s another sittingroom, which is book-lined; a bedroom that could also be used as an office; and an open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom with sliding glass doors that open to the back garden.

The kitchen is secreted behind stainless steel cupboards; the floors are tiled in dark grey; and the walls are painted in a calm beige tone, giving it something of a futuristic look. A substantial American-style stainless steel fridge adds to the room’s 21st-century vibe.

Upstairs, the two double bedrooms, which have white walls and the family bathroom, tiled in beige with modern fittings, are equally contemporary in style.

The landscaped, west-facing back garden has a paved patio, a small lawn with a neat, gravel border and fencing on either side.

The house sits within metres of the Luas stop, with regular services taking about 10 minutes to reach St Stephen’s Green in the city centre. Ranelagh, with its wide selection of chichi restaurants, cafes and boutiques, is about a five-minute walk away.

Extending to 124sq m (1,335sq ft), with C1 Ber rating, number 9 Beechwood Avenue Lower is now for sale through agent Mullery O’Gara, seeking €1.375 million.