Straight out of a John Hinde postcard, this cottage is in a surprisingly urban Dublin setting
Situated just a five-minute walk from the coast in Dublin 5, well within the city limits of our capital, this thatched cottage is as unexpected as it is charming.
Built circa 1800, number 557 Howth Road is a rare sight in any metropolitan area.
The three-bay, single-story vernacular house is listed on Buildings of Ireland as being of architectural importance for this very reason.
Like many such properties, number 557 sits at a level that is lower than the road from which it is accessed.
This is designed to give it shelter from prevailing winds, Buildings of Ireland explains.
"Although it has lost some of its original fabric, it retains its form and character to a large degree. Modest in scale, it exhibits the simple and functional form of vernacular buildings in Ireland.”
The original part of the house has a pitched thatched roof, hipped to the east and a rendered and painted brick chimneystack.
It is difficult to get insurance on a house with a thatched roof.
There are timber bargeboards on its western gable, and its rendered exterior walls could feature in any classic Irish film.
Buildings of Ireland says that this house “contributes significantly to the architectural heritage of Raheny”.
Its pretty vernacular exterior is somewhat spoiled by the flat-roofed extension to its east, but it also gives the house two potential front entrances.
Currently, the one in everyday use opens into the kitchen, which is in the extension. Off it is the bathroom.
The kitchen leads through to a dining room where there is a large chimney breast that is closed up and painted in an ochre colour to flag the feature.
From here onwards, throughout the house are tongue-and-groove-panelled ceilings.
Through a timber-panelled door is the living room, where the focal point of the room is a stove set into the inglenook fireplace. The original front door to the house is in this room.
Access to the bedroom is off the living room.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom property extends to just 42 square metres and is Ber-exempt.
One of the main features of the photogenically pretty property is its gardens, which extend to about 0.1 of an acre.
The detached residence is a few minutes from the seafront in Raheny, where there is an off-road cycleway that can take you all the way to Sutton Cross or the city centre.
There is tidal swimming at the nearby Bull Wall and kite surfing on Dollymount Strand, as well as the whole of Bull Island to explore.
Before you picture yourself playing house here, you should know that this home has a six-figure sum catch.
Agents DNG, which is seeking €395,000 for the property, is looking for cash buyers only.
