Address: Willow Lodge, 5 Richmond Hill, Monkstown, Co Dublin
Price: €3,795,000
Agent: Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty
View this property on MyHome.ie
On Richmond Hill in Monkstown, away from the bustle of the village, Willow Lodge is the kind of house that quietly carries two centuries of stories. Built in 1824, the Regency-style residence was designed by the prolific architect George Papworth, whose work left a lasting imprint on Ireland’s built landscape – from grand country houses like Kilcornan House in Co Galway to Dublin landmarks like the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street.
Yet for all its pedigree, Willow Lodge has never been about grandeur for grandeur’s sake. Successive owners have preserved its character and warmth, ensuring the house has remained what it was always intended to be: a home.
“It’s not gilded – we never wanted that,” say the owners. “It has always been for family and friends. It feels like it gives you a big hug when you come in.”
The sense of the history attached to the property is instant: the metal post at the front gate would have once been connected to a bell to signal a visitor’s arrival. The front garden is centred on the most beautiful myrtle tree with cinnamon-coloured bark, with a stone path leading up to the granite steps.
Inside, the entrance hall has a marble-tiled floor and ornate plasterwork across the ceilings, doors and archways.
There is a reception room on either side of the hallway. To the left is the drawingroom with shuttered sash windows to the front and rear, original wide-plank floorboards and a marble fireplace. Despite its proportions and past use as a formal room, the owners say it is one of their favourite places to sit in the evening and listen to music.
On the opposite side is the large diningroom, which comes into its own on special occasions, with a large sash window overlooking the front garden and a marble Adam-style fireplace.
Behind the diningroom is a study with panelled walls and bespoke shelving. From here, the view extends across the rear garden towards the spires of the two village churches and, on clear days, the sea.
At the back of the house, three wide steps lead down to French doors opening to the garden. The owners say they often keep these open during gatherings so guests can move easily between the house and the garden.
Entrance hall 
Drawingroom 
Study
The kitchen is at garden level. It has fitted units with leathered marble worktops, a large island with a mounted Belfast sink and a four-oven Aga in British Racing Green. The owners added a banquette seating area beside the doors to the garden.
Off the kitchen, the utility room retains stone cubbyholes built into the walls, now used for wine storage.
Across from the kitchen is a family room with a door to the front driveway, making it convenient when arriving home with shopping. Also on this level is a bedroom currently used as a home gym, a recently renovated shower room and a large storage room.
The bedroom accommodation is arranged across the upper floors. On the first-floor return there is a dual-aspect bedroom and a bathroom.
On the main first floor, two bedrooms with en suites sit to one side of the landing. The principal bedroom spans the length of the house on the opposite side. Its en suite has dual sinks, a double shower and a bath positioned at the window, with the myrtle tree providing a screen from the outside world.
A final bedroom is located on the top floor, where the elevated position provides some of the best views from the house. It also has its own bathroom.
Diningroom 
Kitchen
The rear garden has evolved with the needs of the household. When the owners’ children were younger it served largely as space for football, rugby and basketball games, and for parties it was filled with inflatables and turned into an Irish version of Total Wipeout.
More recently the layout has been adapted for outdoor entertaining. An Indian sandstone patio now extends across the width of the house, with a lawn still at the centre. The former trampoline area has been replaced with a sunken patio bordered by olive trees.
It may have a floor area of 372sq m (4,004sq ft) but it never feels vast or intimidating. It’s a house that you can potter around in, with stairs leading here and there, and always a place to sit and admire the work of the great Papworth. It is Ber-exempt, and on the market with Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty for €3.795 million.
It is an interesting week for house hunters in the South County Dublin region as Willow Lodge is not the only house in the area that is new to the market. Cliftonville, a detached Victorian home at 60 Monkstown Road, is also for sale with Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty for €3.95 million.
It is set out over four floors and extends to 366sq m (3,940sq ft), with private and mature gardens. All original features have been preserved or restored and the house, while elegant and refined, is perfect for a growing family.
There is a drawingroom, diningroom and family room at entrance level. At garden level is a sittingroom at the front and a kitchen at the back, with a sunken lounge area and a long orangery-style breakfastroom with French doors out to the landscaped garden. There are five bedrooms on the upper levels, including an impressive principal suite.
Family room 
Principal bedroom 
En suite bathroom 
Indian sandstone patio 
Sunken patio in the rear garden 
Cliftonville, 60 Monkstown Road