Ballyfoyle is set well back from the road, which has little through traffic since the ban on turning right from Merrion Road, about 100m away, was implemented. The wide front garden is lined with trees and flower beds, and at the centre of the lawn is a monkey puzzle with huge, prickly storm-defying fruit. There is space for a few cars on the gravelled drive, secured by electric gates. “There used to be tarmac here,” says one daughter. “It was ideal for playing tennis against the house wall.
To the right of the gallery-style hall, papered in a soft grey marigold pattern, is a cosy front livingroom. Next to this, with stained-glass panels in the bay window, is a more formal drawingroom with a mahogany fireplace and pocket doors to the diningroom. A glass door opens from here to the back garden, and it’s easy to imagine new owners extending from here to capitalise on the southerly light; the current floor area is 348 sq m .
Upstairs, the stairs turn twice and the generous landing is lit by a decorative window. There are five double bedrooms at this level; two at the front and three at the rear, and most have built-in wardrobes and painted cast-iron fireplaces. There are also two bathrooms.At the top of the house is a sixth bedroom with a 2.4m-high ceiling giving heaps of headroom; beside this, a case room and attic space have potential for a further bedroom with en suite.