Paddocks ex-showhouse has Cork property pedigree

Tirol still showing well

NUMBER 1 Tirol Close was sort of the talk of the town back just 30 years ago, among certain classes of Cork society: It was one of the showhouses for The Paddocks, hitting the upper end of the city’s house market, at the foot of Maryborough Hill.

The early 1990s launch of The Paddocks had, in fact, several show units: Might it have been the first-ever locally to have more than one house to display its finery?

And, the show put on at No 1 Tirol Close was for one of the largest types in the mix, which included four- and five-bed detacheds, some two-storeys, others three, down to townhouses, the latter in runs of four in a section called The Orchards.

The showhouse must have done its work, because the development, which was built by the Horgan family, sold very well in what was, at the time, a stable house market. The Horgans had owned the land here, had lived in Douglas House, and had grazed horses where now there are houses. They were known as cattle breeders and successful breeders of racehorses, too.

By the time the Irish property market had started to ratchet up, strong early price inflation, from about 1995 onwards and often in double digits, too, for almost the next decade, The Paddocks was well-bedded down.

It was the mid-2000s before resales became anything like a feature for those who still hankered after a home here, in what for years has been an ‘aspirational’ address.

Today, some 30+ years on, there have been lots and lots of resales: when No 12 The Paddocks came to market in September of this year (guiding €945,000 for a 1,820 sq ft four-bed) we remarked that it seemed that the majority of the big detacheds had changed hands at least once, some more than that.

Well, No 1 never came to market after day one, and has been in the same family’s hands since 1993, since it served it’s time as a show home, getting admiring glances and possibly no small measure of envy from those for whom it was out of their price reach.

Chat GPT says new builds around Maryborough Hill at the time would have been £80,000 to £120,000, back in pre-Price Register days.

Well done Chat GPT! It sold then for £127,000, reveal selling agents Malcolm Tyrrell and John Corbett, of Cohalan Downing, with a quoted €980,000 AMV, so under the €1m mark and not too far off the AMV the same agent quoted for No 12 back in September (No 1’s 600 sq ft larger, for an extra €35k in the asking price, but the gap will surely widen more than this when both get bidders and buyers).

Bounding Maryborough Hill, on mature gardens, No 1’s a five-bed of 2,500 sq ft, with its rooms over two levels: Other Paddocks five-beds can be three storeys, such as no 18 Tirol Avenue, which had 1,800 sq ft and sold recently for its €750,000 AMV.

Most homes at The Paddocks have been getting a C BER, when assessed, varying from C3s to C1, which would be entirely typical of 1990s builds.

No 1 here, however, has secured a B3 BER, and that was despite not getting major energy insulation upgrades, such as pumped wall cavities.

Its owners, however, have recently installed a new gas boiler for the central heating, floored and upgraded the attic’s insulation, and put a solid-fuel stove in the wood-floored family room, which has glazed double doors to a rear sun room.

Maybe as a former show house it had cosying, thicker wool carpets in other rooms?!

Accommodation here includes three reception rooms, sun room, kitchen/diner, utility, guest WC, family bathroom with bath, and five carpeted bedrooms, one with en suite and bay window, and several with built-ins.

Carpets?

Veterans who viewed the show units here over 30 years ago will recall being asked to don plastic protective covers on their shoes, a novelty at the time (common place since).... whether well-heeled or not.

VERDICT: No 1 shows well still.