Address: 56 Heytesbury Lane, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Price: €2,300,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
In her essay Ghosts of Heytesbury Lane, writer and poet Maryalicia Post describes her time living on Heytesbury Lane, as “unlit, unremarked and home to a horse and a handful of people”. She refers to 50 years ago, when the lane was home to a panel beater, a creamery, a boat captain and an artist – and much has changed since then.
This stretch of narrow laneway, where the bulk of homes are hidden behind tall walls and gates, is now one of the most desirable places to live for those in search of a more modest-sized Ballsbridge home in comparison to the grandes dames on the wide tree-lined Wellington and Waterloo Roads, which flank the lane on either side.
The bulk of homes here were once coach houses and stables for those grander residences on Waterloo and Wellington and have since been turned into mews properties, interspersed with newly built architecturally designed homes. Desirability of the area is reflected in recent prices achieved such as for the sale of number 2: a 191sq m (2,056sq ft), D2-rated, three-bedroom mews that sold for €2.08 million in 2025, according to the Property Price Register.
In Post’s essay, she refers to part of the lane as being a former orchard, and the garden of number 56 Heytesbury Lane, a charming, detached cut-stone mews, continues this theme as its current owner, a passionate gardener, designed a bountiful edible garden. It bears pears, plums and apples, and a crab apple gracefully arches over a smart Lambstongue conservatory to the rear of this most interesting house.
Having matured beautifully since it was planted 30 years ago, it is the owners’ favourite part of his home, which is why his office not only overlooks the garden but also feels intrinsically part of it.
From the front door – also by historical glazing specialists Lambstongue – the line of sight stretches 60ft through to the garden, such is the drama it commands, with eight different specimen acers alone, interspersed with wisterias, jasmines and year-round colour.
While the garden was planted 30 years ago, its owner decided to upgrade the 202sq m (2,175sq ft) house in recent times. Now with an open-plan approach, every inch of space has been thoughtfully considered, with elegant furniture demarcating functional areas within.
A smart Arena kitchen has a waterfall island and high-end Miele appliances, but really the standout feature here is the placement of an Aga in an old hearth lying opposite. Not only does the owner “throw a pot on the stove on cold mornings on the way out to work”, but placing two superb mid-century chairs (a Le Corbusier LC3 and a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair) at either side provides a wonderful space to sit in the evenings and read the paper while being warmed by its radiant heat.
Moving into the dining space, which has a glazed atrium-style ceiling (with solar-powered remote-controlled blinds so the room never overheats), the owner engaged Kinsale-based Modet Furniture to custom design a dining table and chairs for the space. It works beautifully, as does another piece by Modet, in the form of an office table in the conservatory office to the rear.
Arena kitchen 
Dining space 
Living area 
The rear garden, planted 30 years ago, is now a city oasis 
Conservatory is used as a home office
At the centre is a living area warmed by a guillotine fire by Fenton Fireplaces, and this space leads into the cool industrial vibe of the conservatory, with walls of reclaimed Dolphin’s Barn brick.
Flooring throughout the ground floor was sourced from the Historic Flooring Company in Wexford. Underfloor heating, an air-to-water heat pump and high levels of insulation in the attic have seen theBer rating of the property – which is 150 year old – rise to an excellent B2.
Upstairs are three fine-sized double bedrooms, the principal of which is en suite with a separate walk-in wardrobe.
Number 56 is a showstopper of a mews that will tick many boxes for house-hunters seeking an energy-efficient, turnkey home with off-street parking, where privacy and security are paramount. This well-thought-out home, with timeless design details and an all-important edible oasis, is for now sale through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2.3 million.