Bloomfield House

In 2017 Edward Holdings began the restoration of the central part of the listed house, by Paul Tyndall Architecture and Design with conservation architect Robin Mandal. Meticulous work included repairing windows, some of which retain original glass; repairing ceilings and covings with lime plaster; re-roofing with natural slate; and restoring two massive marble fireplaces at a cost of €60,000. Other necessary but now invisible projects included rewiring, replumbing, underpinning and damp-proofing.

The house, with 414sq m (4,456sq ft) is on Bloomfield Avenue, a cul-de-sac off Morehampton Road that leads to the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. Through security gates and up granite steps, the heavy front door opens into a gracious square hall lit by four windows. The doors and their wooden surrounds are deep and solid, and the rooms on this level are floored in herringbone parquet.