Bringing Some Greystones History Back To Life

Flying high…

rying to figure out just when the cottages Helena and Mentone were built on the corner of Church Road and Bow Lane is tricky.

An 1876 map shows they were not yet built, and the Ordnance Survey sheet of 1883 frustratingly stops a few houses short, at Mountview.

What we do know is that by the time a 1908 electricity map was drawn up, Helena Cottage is sitting pretty, but alone, none of its neighbour all the way down to the train station appearing.

When it comes to those who lived there, that has also proven tricky to trace, with the great Kevin and Kathleen Scuffil believed to resided there when they ran Greystones’ finest ever one-stop-shop, situated where Greystones Antiques is today.

Bess Homan was in touch about her grandfather having built the three cottages (the third later becoming Beth-Nell, an antique shop run by, yep, sisters Beth and Nell). After the laws changed to a fixed rent, the family soon realised that they couldn’t afford to even keep them in repair, and eventually had to sell them on.

Of course, the town has a long history of family homes becoming part of an ever-growing main street meeting bigger and bigger population demands. Just as before there was The Shopping Basket, there was Verdella, before O’Brien’s, there was Weston House, before there was Camile, there was Mountview, before The Happy Pear and Sonny’s, West View House 1 and West View 2, before there was Holohan’s SuperValu, there was Pretoria House, and before there was Rise At The Cove, there was a Carraig Eden garden shed.

Slowly but surely, over the decades, the main stretch of Church Road has been turning into Grafton Street.

And with each change, the history of Greystones deepens. Victor Edmonds got in touch as well, to say that Helena Cottage has a slight historic connection to Michael Collins, given that Emmet Dalton rented it out during the summer months of the mid-1940s, as he helped set up Ardmore Studios in Bray.

The latest change on Church Road was a very big undertaking indeed, as the shy and happily retired couple Barry and Eibhin set about restoring Helena and Mentone to some future glories, brick by brick creating some new shops at the front (including a much-wished-for corner wine bar), and some swanky accommodation out back.

Just how this cunning 3-year plan came together, hey, we decided to find out…

Just what exactly was developed here…?
The former homes, Helena Cottage, Mentone Cottage, the commercial building, Beth-Nell, and no.1 Bow Lane.

And what inspired you to throw a great big chunk of change into such a project?
We just saw a need in Greystones and had the desire to do something for the town in which we had lived for several decades.

Helena Cottage and 1 Bow Lane were unoccupied for approximately 20 years and Mentone Cottage for approximately 10 years. Internally, both buildings were disintegrating into the ground. There were cracks in the walls, allowing water ingress with dry and wet wood rot throughout. Beth-Nell had been occupied by The Stone Gallery and more recently by Sherry Fitzgerald, being in slightly better condition.

Passing by the renovation over the past two years, there was plainly a lot here to chew through…
It was a very challenging development for many reasons, including the fact that the initial start date was delayed for almost 2 years due to problems in An Bord Pleanala. Plus, working on the main street on a very tight site was never going to be easy. There was also the issue that many in Greystones would have preferred the homes to be restored to their original state, however the council favoured development with a mix of commercial and residential units. There were numerous limitations on how the site could be redeveloped.

Which begs the question – what drove you on…?
This was a chance for us to solve a local problem. The buildings had been derelict for up to 20 years and although many other developers looked at the project, they all walked away. They could see no way to make this development profitable.

We knew well before starting that there was no profit to be made, but we were aiming to break even. Unfortunately, with the cost of development escalating and other issues, we realised that even breaking even was not achievable. Luckily, that was not the reason we undertook the project.

So, given that you’re keen to avoid the spotlight and the glory, what rewards have you gained from this restoration project?
We have received numerous positive comments on the quality of the buildings and the contribution these have made to the look of the main street. The opportunity to deal with exceptional builders and local tradesmen was inspiring too. The quality of the project is totally attributed to them.

It feels good too to be able to offer eight accommodations in the centre of the town, in what was formerly a derelict site. Also, being able to facilitate premises for three commercial units in the middle of the town; one of which will, hopefully, be a wine bar – fingers crossed.

Given the trials agus tribulations, would you have undertaken the project if you had known all the challenges beforehand?
From where we stand now, yes, absolutely. However, there were times during the development when we were not too sure. This was a difficult, challenging and expensive project.

Boom! You can jump back through the development of Helena and Mentone here, and check out Greystones’ shops over the decades here, and the homes over here.

You can find out more about Mentone Cottages Units 1 and 2 here, Helena Cottage apartments here, and Bethnell House here.