St Luke’s townhouse offers turnkey living steps from Cork’s most vibrant neighbourhood spots

ALEXANDER Court, a niche terrace of smart-looking redbricks on Alexandra Road, looks tailor-made for downsizers. In the heart of lively St Luke’s Cross — where you can shop, dine, and socialise on your doorstep — homes in the row come with parking, security (the terrace is gated), and low-maintenance outdoor spaces.

Moreover, St Luke’s Cross is well served by public transport, and the city centre is easily reached on foot in less than 15 minutes.

The current owners, a young family, are upsizing rather than downsizing, and the house has worked well for them thanks to its convenient location and the range of schools in the neighbourhood. They’ve kept No 8 ship-shape, carrying out various upgrades over the years.

“It’s like a showhouse,” says selling agent Katie Fennessy of Sherry FitzGerald. She’s not wrong. The presentation is crisp and rooms are tastefully decorated.

A big bay window ensures the front sitting room is a bright space, and light comes in at the opposite end too through glazed double doors to the open-plan kitchen/dining room.

A glass sliding door between the dining area and the rear courtyard garden adds even more light, as does the staircase, which has a glass panel below the handrail.

The townhouses in Alexandra Court are spread over three floors, but it wasn’t always so. Built as two-storey homes in 2005, each now has a third floor after Cork City Council granted consent in 2017 to conservation architect Declan Tyner to convert the attic space in all nine homes on the row.

As part of the conversion, dormer windows were installed at the front and Velux windows to the rear. Even with the new dormer, they’re a sensitive fit for the many period townhouses scattered around the St Luke’s neighbourhood.

No 8 is a three-bed home, with two bedrooms on the middle floor and one up top.

Each has an en suite. A small landing between the two floors “could be ideal as a study area or reading nook”, says Ms Fennessy.

For those for whom gardening is a chore, the outdoor space at No 8 will not tax you. Out front, a cobble-lock driveway can accommodate two cars. The rear is primarily patio, with some tiered beds rising up along an old stone wall.

High above the wall, but not visible from the patio, is the Ambassador Hotel.

The central location is a key attraction at Alexandra Court, which is just around the corner from a butcher’s shop, an artisan grocery store, Henchy’s pub, a post office, a pharmacy, a couple of restaurants, and a Cork Coffee Roasters outlet, not to mention Live at St Luke’s music venue where English folktronica specialist Beth Orton is due to play next weekend, as well as Irish rock band Bell X1.

Kent Station and bustling MacCurtain Street can be reached on foot in 10 minutes.

Ms Fennessy is seeing lots of interest in No 8 — all three days of viewing this week were fully booked — and leading the charge are first-time buyers and downsizers. 

With a B2 energy rating, buyers can avail of green mortgage rates and look forward to a warm, comfortable home.

The guide price for No 8 is €470,000, which is what No 3 sold for in October, while neighbouring No 7 is currently sale agreed via Mark Gosling of BIG Property for well in excess of €500,000.

“It’s a really private little complex, and so accessible, so I’m not surprised that it’s proving popular,” Ms Fennessy says.

VERDICT: Ready-to-go, convenient cityside living in a neighbourhood enjoying significant regeneration.