They’re a bit of a mystery.

Long settled into the foundations of one of Cork’s oldest suburbs, most of the handsome homes in Sunday’s Well are hidden behind huge doors set into the walls along the winding street.

You can walk by, but the closest you’ll get to a proper property snoop is from across the river in the Mardyke.

Now there’s a rare chance to find out what one of these private period properties looks like inside: The Hollies (No. 71A)  is for sale and even if you don’t have the funds to cover the €800k price tag, you can still have a little peek.

The two-storey split level home, built around 1850, is accessed off the Sunday’s Well Road, through a doorway that’s impressive but doesn’t reveal much. At the back, however, it’s a different story: the property faces onto the River Lee, just a short stroll from UCC, the Bon Secours and Cork University Hospitals and the city centre.

Not that you’d ever want to leave; the gorgeous gardens at the front laid are out in lawns with flower beds, shrubs, a fish pond and mature trees. Inside the period features have been carefully preserved, from the pine wall panelling to the stained glass windows and fanlight and parquet floor.

Naturally, anyone who chooses to live in this type of property will be requiring a drawing-room to host guests and catch up on correspondence and such. At The Hollies, this space is anchored by a white marble mantelpiece, flooded with light from a bay window and a door to the garden.

There’s another white marble mantelpiece in the dining room – ideal for cosy dinners in front of a roaring fire in the winter.

The kitchen needs an upgrade, but it does have yet another period mantelpiece, as well as built-in bookshelves for displaying your cookbook collection and fitted oak kitchen units and a ceramic tiled floor.

A playroom with a brick fireplace could easily be turned into a movie screening room or an office. The utility room is fully plumbed with a Belfast sink and wall shelving, ready to be turned into a mudroom for wellies and wet raincoats. There’s also a storeroom off the hall.

There are five generous bedrooms, all with their own unique features, including period mantelpieces, beautiful windows, built-in wardrobes, bookshelves and ornate cornicing.

An ensuite bathroom has a panelled bath, bidet and hand basin.

In the tiled conservatory at the side of the house, you’ll find French doors leading to the patio and front garden and a spiral staircase leading back to the entrance hall.

If you’re green-of-thumb, this is a garden to get lost in and there’s a loo in the garden shed so you don’t have to traipse all the way back to the house when you’re in planting or pruning mode. The boiler house and fuel house can also be found out here and there’s a separate pedestrian entrance from Sunday’s Well Road.

Once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted you can organise a private viewing with Marshs Auctioneers Valuers & Estate Agents (021 427 0347) or check out the full listing and more photos here.