Goldie adds mystique to 'magic' Coatesville home

The 19th century house at Coatesville, believed to have been occupied by the artist C.F. Goldie, has been restored and modernised.

A Coatesville villa that may have once been home to artist Charles Frederick Goldie is on the market for nearly $2.7 million.

The five-bedroom house, built in the 1880s, was moved to Wake Rd from Remuera about 30 years ago and now has a capital value of $1.75 million.

Its owner, Deborah Doak, said she believed it had belonged to the artist famous for his portraits of Maori, or his family, and its weatherboards had been made in a mill owned by the artist's father.

In its current state, the home is likely to be quite different from how it was during the artist's lifetime - he was born in 1870 and died in 1947.

The house has been restored and modernised, with three bathrooms, an original-style kitchen, a large outdoor decked area and a swimming pool.

Charles Frederick Goldie.

There is a second, separate dwelling on the property of one room, plus a living and kitchen area. The villa sits on 2.15ha of land, with stables.

Ms Doak said she and her family had lived there for 11 years, but had managed to accumulate five horses over that time, so needed more space.

"It's a magic family home," the mother of two said, "we have lots of happy memories here."

Real estate agent Deborah Wallace, of Harcourts, said buyers with $2.695 million were welcome to view the home.

Goldie was born in Auckland on October 20, 1870.

He studied painting in Paris for more than four years until 1898 and was married in Sydney in 1920, aged 50, according to his biographer, associate professor of art history at Victoria University, Roger Blackley.

In the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Dr Blackley wrote that the artist was rumoured to be an alcoholic, but this might have been the result of lead poisoning from his paintings' undercoats - indicated by symptoms he suffered such as memory loss and delusion.

Last year a Goldie painting sold at auction for $732,800.

Charles Frederick Goldie

• Born in Auckland on October 20, 1870.

• His father was a timber merchant and his maternal grandfather built the famous Auckland windmill.

• Studied painting in Paris from 1893 to 1898.

• First presented a range of portraits of Maori and Pakeha at the Auckland Society of Arts in 1900.

• Was awarded an OBE in 1935.

• Died in Auckland on July 11, 1947.

• Last year, the 1892 Goldie painting Kawhena sold at auction for $732,800.
Source: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Roger Blackley.