Herne Bay estate of grace

A sensitively restored stately home on a picturesque Herne Bay estate is still turning heads. VICKI HOLDER reports.

For years, Herne Bay locals assumed that this prominent Curran St home was the American ambassador's residence because the United States flag was raised there every July 4.

They were wrong. The owners were not ambassadors, but they were passionate about America. The large estate first belonged to Sir Noel Cole, who established a construction company in the 1920s. As Lady Cole was born on July 4, American Independence Day, the United States flag was always raised at their home on that day.

After Lady Cole died in 1988, the solidly constructed home, built in an attractive New England-style, was sold and the estate was subdivided. All the original 1930s decorative features of the house were intact - the crystal chandeliers, ornate plastered cornices and ceilings, bronze balustrading and panelled walls - but the house needed some work.

It was upgraded without compromise, and modern features were added - zoned under-floor, gas-fired heating, central vacuum, security systems, modern lighting systems, and new country-style kitchen and bathrooms.

Complementing the high-quality building work of Sir Noel, sympathetic additions include a two-bedroom apartment with bathroom and kitchenette above a large double garage. The apartment has harbour views, a balcony and internal access to the house through the casual dining and kitchen area.

An entertainment complex features a 14-metre, tiled swimming pool with gas heating. A tiled patio with a built-in barbecue and spa pool surrounds the pool. An entertainment pavilion and changing complex with a bathroom opens through french doors along the northern wall of the pool.

The immaculately restored home sits proudly on a rise, bathed in the sun, near the end of a long, hedge-lined drive. Two tall phoenix palms stand guard on the front lawn and although the taller portion of the house is visible from the road, the home enjoys harbour views while offering privacy to those who live here.

A porte cochere extends across marble steps edged with a copper balustrade that leads to the front door. Light floods across the timber floors of the foyer through a fanlight window. Exquisite iron detailing on the curved stairway has been restored.

The entry steps into an elegant formal lounge with an open fire at one end and an adjoining billiard room. Cedar plantation shutters control the light that glows across the timber-panelled walls.

The walls in the formal dining room are highlighted with a soft green-blue paint finish. Echoing the same style as the elegant arched timber and glazed doors, a crockery cabinet can be accessed through a storage cupboard in the kitchen.

The tongue-and-groove-style kitchen, which is painted lemon, leads to an enormous courtyard. A toilet and second laundry that are accessed from outside are a leftover from the days when the Coles had gardeners. A second guest bathroom sits to the rear of the foyer.

In the large master bedroom, the ornate ceilings drop to window height at one end of the room, focusing the eye on the view. Honey-coloured marble in the huge en suite flows from the floor up the walls.

Next door, a small bedroom/study has a fun space theme. Further down the hall there are three large bedrooms.

An original bathroom has been doubled in size. Modernised in a timeless design, it features fossilstone floors and designer porcelain fittings and tapware. A cavity door divides the toilet, shower and claw-foot bath from a large, softly lit vanity area. Storage cupboards are concealed behind mirrored cabinets above the bench.

This sensitively modernised home, suiting the needs of a growing family, is a rare find.

Vital Statistics

Address: 42 Curran St, Herne Bay.

Features: 1930s home extensively restored; five bedrooms; new self-contained, two-bedroom apartment above double garage; new country-style kitchen; six bathrooms; billiard room; formal lounge and separate dining room; service and storage rooms; entertainment complex with bathroom and 14-metre, gas-heated pool and spa; built-in barbecue; harbour views; central heating; central vacuum; open fires; two laundries.

Size: Land 1796 sq m; floor area 374 sq m.

Auction: At 2 pm on August 1 at Bayleys Maritime Square auction rooms.

Agent: Iain Rankine, Bayleys. Ph 309 6020 bus; 360 1711 ah; 021 935 778 mob.