Lafayette's snapshot of Edwardian arts & crafts

Arundel at No 1 Burrow Road in Sutton was born of a global photography fortune. Lafayette, the renowned photography brand, which first specialised in daguerreotypes, was at the forefront of opening up the then fledgling medium to the masses in the 19th century, at the same time becoming high society's prestige snapper of choice.

Lafayette was the official photography house for Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V and by the 1890s had branches in Dublin, London, Belfast, Manchester and Glasgow. At the head of the company was its founder 'Monsieur Lafayette', whose family lived at Burrow Road.

His real name was James (Jack) Stack Lauder and he was the son of the successful Dublin photographer and businessman Edmond Stanley Lauder. Edmond had set up a photography studio very early on in 1853 in Dublin's Capel Street and involved his family in the emerging world of commercial photography portraiture. His success saw them moving to Carramore, an ornate detached beach home on Burrow Road in Sutton.

Jack Stack had a good commercial head: when he set out on his own in 1880, he magicked himself into the altogether more alluring Monsieur Lafayette.

In part this may have been to set himself out from his family's business, which was doing a roaring trade. In part he surely had an eye on a wealthy society niche. In Britain at the time, the aristocrats adored all things French. The newly named Monsieur Lafayette went on to cultivate society subjects, but truly hit paydirt when Queen Victoria requested him personally to photograph her for her 50th Jubilee in 1887. He subsequently became the appointed royal photographer. The newly invented telephone was hopping off the hook.

In 1887 Jack took America by storm with early special effects. At the 1893 Chicago Exhibition his photo of an angel in flight stole the show. Monsieur Lafayette achieved it by lying a lady dressed as an angel on a glass surface suspended some distance above a scenic background placed below her for perspective. Jack shot straight down from a ladder above.

By now European royalty, big businessmen and famous entertainers were falling over one another to be shot by Monsieur Lafayette. His company was floated on the stock exchange, with the extended Lauder family taking shares and making their own stack.

To understand the potential of Lafayette's commercial earnings, consider that aside from formal portraiture, they had photo postcards, which were hugely popular at the time. One Lafayette of Queen Alexandra sold more than 80,000 copies. In these times mailed post was like text messaging and there were 12 collections and deliveries per day. It would not be unusual for correspondents to send 20 postcards back and forth to one another from 9 to 5. Jack the Stack also had dibs to photograph all the big society balls and social events.

Brother Edmond Jnr, a photographer with the Lauder wing, also diversified as a property developer. It is likely that he built two houses for his daughters Rhoda and Georgina at 1 and 2 Burrow Road in 1902. The Lauder sisters, and in particular, Rhoda, became social stars.

Rhoda, who made Arundel her home, was a scratch golfer who played with the Mountbattens. The well-known high-society party queen married the Australian professional punter, gambler and scoundrel Fred McIntyre. As the photographers to the stars and royals, the girls were lauded and courted wherever they went.

Arundel is one of two extremely grand semis (the other being Suncroft) built for the Lauders in 1902. It stands at Lauder Lane at the start of the Burrow Road. Its rooms look at nothing but the Sutton Golf Course, the beach and the sea.

The houses on Burrow Road have direct access to the famous sandy Burrow Beach, and in the 1920s these beach houses were the Gatsby-like focal point of the Lauder/McIntyre party set who loved their golf and their sailing. After Rhoda's death in 1947, Arundel was owned by the Ryan family (Suncroft next door was home to the famous amateur golfer JB Carr) and in 1985 Arundel was acquired by shoe businessman Aubrey Wolfson and his wife Maria.

While it was in good condition, Arundel needed some renovations. So the couple got stuck in with re-wiring and re-plumbing as well as embarking on a redecoration programme. Over 35 years, the couple, who are antiques aficionados, have done much to add to the property's high-end arts and crafts catalogue. This has included recycling antique panel doors to provide a jaw-dropping panel ceiling in their TV lounge, along with an imported antique hand-carved period chimney-piece. There is an array of added antique chandeliers and ceiling lights. Golf enthusiasts, the Wolfsons also installed their own 19th hole - the Arundel Bar.

"It's been a real home for gatherings and parties over the years," says Aubrey. "With all those open reception spaces on the ground floor, this house was built for entertaining. We got the bar counter and much of the panelling we used from Mount Juliet."

Now with their adult children long flown from the family nest, the couple are on the look-out for a more manageable trade-down in the area.

Arundel was placed on the market in 2018 seeking €2m. Now in order to speed a sale along, the price has been slashed by an eye-watering €500,000.

Constructed by a society family at a time when Arts and Crafts was at its zenith, Arundel has some especially unique stained-glass work. There's an elaborate carved staircase, intricate joinery and the additional arts and crafts fittings added by the Wolfsons.

The reception hall has original joinery and floor tiles. It has three reception rooms with wide bay windows and timber panelling.

There's the timber-panelled bar and a handcrafted kitchen and breakfast room. The drawing room and the dining room all have high ceilings typical of the era. The TV lounge has its ceiling panelled in antique doors.

Upstairs are five double bedrooms, one en-suite, and a family bathroom. The second bedroom has a terrace with views to Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island.

The garden has a gazebo, a sunken patio and a raised pond, as well as flower beds and lawn; it borders the links golf course. Other nearby sports clubs include Sutton tennis club, rugby club and dingy club. Burrow beach is three minutes' walk away, and there is a local designated nature conservation area.

Sutton Cross and Howth village are nearby, and the DART station is a short walk away. Gallagher Quigley will snap an offer of €1.495m.

Indo Property