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In times when so many families are living on top of each other in lockdown, it’s a pipe dream to have a magnificent seaside period house all to yourself.
Back in 1901 Mary Jane Newton (then 57) lived at the three-storey home at 10 Tivoli Terrace in Dun Laoghaire, with just her servant Elizabeth Stannus for company. In that year’s census, Newton lists her occupation simply as ‘dividends,’ which would make her the Victorian equivalent of a ‘trustafarian.’
With atypical financial independence for a single lady of the era, Mary Jane opted to enjoy her magnificent house on her own, without the need to take in lodgers for cash (a common practice at the time) or indeed a husband. In contrast, sister Fanny got hitched to an upstanding member of local society by the name of Fullwood.
Mary Jane’s is one of just two three-storey town house homes on Tivoli Terrace East, themselves among the oldest homes in Dun Laoghaire. Work started on Tivoli Terrace in the 1830s as Ireland’s first railway line arrived here (1834) closely followed by the construction of the two piers.
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The atrium-lit kitchen dining area which looks out on to the garden
As these homes were being constructed, the new queen Victoria’s enthusiasm for sea air and bathing as a cure-all for the health woes of city living caused Dublin’s wealthy set to move in droves to Kingstown (as it had then recently been rechristened) while commuting daily to the city on the new railway.
An 1890’s travel guide described Kingstown as: “The Royal Mail packet station of the Metropolis and one of the most populous and wealthy townships in the Kingdom.”
Miss Newton’s life might well have been a charmed one with a sea promenade and two piers to walk daily, department stores and tea rooms on George’s Street and magnificent hotels like the Royal Marine with their elaborate lounges in which to meet local society. Most of these still attract buyers to Dun Laoghaire today.
How the English-born Newton ended up here remains a mystery but perhaps her father was the renowned English artist Henry Newton who moved to the area in the 1840s, around the time of her birth. Newton’s works, including those of local scenes, are included in the National Gallery’s collection.
Prior to Miss Newton, No10 had been divided into seven apartments, advertised in 1882 for a substantial rent of £45. Mary Jane died in 1922, just after the town returned its original name of Dun Laoghaire and by 1932 No10 was home to the O’Connell family.
In 1941, ‘The House Finder’ Albert McArthur listed it for sale simply as a “large vacant house”. By the 1970s it had passed to the McGuigan family before being placed for sale again in 1985, (now subdivided into three large apartments). Fully furnished, the entire costed £48,500.
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The garden which is 105 foot long
The current owners acquired the property almost 20 years ago and in 2004 called on the well-known conservation architect Cathal Crimmins to revive and extend it. Two years ago the entire lower floor was redone again, including the addition of a top-end new kitchen.
We can only wonder what Mary Jane and her kitchen-based servant Elizabeth would have made of Crimmin’s extraordinary atrium-lit kitchen/living space which washes natural light into the activity hub of the house today.
The kitchen and dining area runs right out under an extensive glazed roof and looks into a garden which is 105 feet long.
The kitchen itself is by Newcastle Design and includes an L-shaped island block with a six-ring gas range with two ovens, a grill, hot plate and an integrated extractor. There’s also a larder cupboard and the surfaces here are Silestone. Accordion folding doors entirely open the rear to the garden patio. There’s also a private family room at this level.
Upstairs a bright hall at the main entrance takes you into the characteristic dual receptions with original broad-board floors, marble chimney pieces and interlinking doors.
Two of the three double bedrooms on the first floor are extra large and there’s a wet room tiled family bathroom plus two guest bathrooms. There’s a garage, rear access and off-street parking. For a near 200-year-old home it has a C BER rating. The price for this example of restored high-end seaside Victoriana is €1.295m.
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Original floorboards and a marble fireplace in another reception room
Indo Property
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