Character and class

A piece of history is part of the package with this fabulous family homestead, as VICKI HOLDER discovers.

Uprooting your family to travel to a new country for career purposes can be exasperating, what with all the decisions that need to be made. However, one lucky couple moving to New Zealand were able to purchase the home of the employee the husband was replacing.

The couple had always wanted to live in an old character home with a bit of land, and here was one of the few old villas left in the area, on a large section with well-established gardens.

But this is not just any old villa. It was superbly built and positioned for the sun, so it's particularly warm and comfortable.

To top it off, everything they wanted in a new community was close at hand. Howick Village is a few minutes' walk away, the tennis club is just down the road, it's in the sought-after MacLeans College zone and Owairoa Primary School is nearby.

It's so well-hidden behind trees and tall fencing that few people are aware it exists. However, it has stood opposite Stockade Hill, on what was once Howick's main street, for a lot longer than most houses in the area.

It was originally built on half an acre in 1863 for Captain John Charles Irvine, who became a magistrate at Howick Court. He named the property Prospect Hill after his family home in Ireland.

In the 1970s, architect John Gummer was commissioned to renovate the home. It was re-piled, re-wired and re-roofed. The walls were re-lined and the kauri floors were re-sanded. A lean-to at the back was pulled down and a new extension added to the back, containing a new kitchen, family area and laundry plus three children's bedrooms and a bathroom.

At the same time, a cottage about 500m away was saved from demolition and moved to the section to be used as a double garage.

The house is protected by the Historic Places Trust, so nothing can be done to the exterior without approval. Therefore, its delightful character has been preserved during subsequent renovations.

The previous owners pulled up the carpets to show off the lovely, wide, kauri floorboards. They refreshed the exterior paint and re-wallpapered, so the old house has a pristine feel.

The English country garden has been nurtured to splendid maturity. Terraced on several levels, it is dotted with a variety of big trees, which are underplanted with shrubs and perennials. A pool surrounded by paving has been added at the back.

The entry to the house is off a sweeping driveway. A wrap-around porch in front opens to a long hallway, which bypasses the master bedroom suite and the formal entertaining rooms on its way to the family rooms.

The master bedroom connects to a big bathroom via a walk-through wardrobe. Pressed steel panels to dado height give the bathroom character. A clawfoot bath, timber washstand and brass fittings, including a towel rack and extension mirror, are in keeping with the Victorian ambience.

The formal entertaining area next door is divided into a dining room/library and sitting area by back-to-back fireplaces, one of which is a Jetmaster and heats the house in winter. Books are stacked almost to roof height in the dining area, where enormous sash windows open like doors to a porch that captures afternoon sun.

A large, sunny family area extends through two sets of french doors to the garden, which is adjacent to a large, renovated kitchen with a spacious storage loft above. The kitchen floors, as well as the laundry and bathrooms, feature Italian tessellated tiles in brown, green and cream tones.

Historic buildings are always of interest, but this one is so much more than just a building. It's a big family home that allows you to entertain in style.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: 40 Ridge Rd, Howick.

FEATURES: Renovated historic homestead close to Howick Village, tennis club and schools; MacLeans College zone; four bedrooms; two bathrooms; family living plus formal entertaining in separate sitting room and dining/library; double garage; swimming pool.

SIZE: Land area 1821sq m.

TENDER: Closes 21 June at 4pm.

AGENT: Julie Parmenter, Barfoot & Thompson, Whitford. Ph 530 8292 bus; 021 982 210 mob.