Remuera: Grand landmark

Gracious old properties that remind us of a bygone age are a rare treat.

VICKI HOLDER grabs the chance to take a closer look at this exceptional example of old-school city living.
Opportunities to own a grand old homestead on a large estate close to the city are becoming few and far between. One of the last of its kind, the Hellaby House - owned by the late Sir Alan Hellaby and his wife Lady Hellaby - remains an elevated landmark on a large property in the heart of Remuera.

A magnificent chapter of history, it still boasts expansive park-like grounds with a huge protected oak tree sheltering the driveway. The panoramic views stretch as far as Bucklands Beach and north to the city. A modern swimming pool is sheltered by ivy-covered walls on one corner of the property. A haven of calm on the boundary, below a pool house and garaging, you can imagine the summer fun it has provided for the family and guests in recent years.

As a five-unit site without heritage protection, it now seems only a matter of time before the property falls into the hands of a developer with a view to building luxury townhouses offering convenient city living in great school zones. But it would be a stroke of luck if someone looking for a big, character family home falls in love with it - and has the funds required for its ongoing maintenance and possible refurbishment.

For those clamouring for a sense of history, the property is a fabulous private sanctuary. Built of kauri in the days when you were assured of quality, the house has been in the one family for around 83 years. Lady Hellaby recalls that Sir Alan lived in the home from when he was a baby. She says its grand spaces were redesigned by Gummer and Ford just after the First World War. And they have been kept beautifully, furnished in a quiet, traditional style befitting such a home.

The interiors allow for elegant entertaining as well as superbly comfortable, versatile family living. The Hellabys brought up their four children in the home, adapting it to their changing needs.

Early on, the verandas in front, which looked north, were built-in to provide more space inside. The library, which Lady Hellaby says the family always referred to as "the smoking room", is completely lined in oak book shelves with a corner fire that was converted to gas. It once stepped out to the veranda, but now french doors lead to a conservatory-like space with oak parquet flooring.

On the opposite side of a grand entry foyer, the drawing room has hosted many a splendid occasion. A restful room with pale green silk-covered walls and coved ceilings, it bathes in sun most of the year. In winter, a fire in the large, elegant, white timber fireplace keeps everyone cosy.

Sir Alan's office gets the morning sun across a window seat in a bay window. And the dining room next door opens through french doors to a viewing platform for the tennis court, no longer belonging to this property. Sculpted pelmets frame drapes and roman blinds in a pretty floral fabric. With a grand dining table - used to accommodate many guests as well as family for lavish dinners - the room is also a beautiful place to have breakfast in, asserts Lady Hellaby.

Now incorporating the maids' area, the kitchen has not been updated for years. But it offers a big space beside the laundry, which could be incorporated into one big family room opening to the garden in a modern design.

Broad stairs rise to six bedrooms, or five and a study. The big master bedroom looks through small-paned windows out to the harbour. The second bedroom, or study, was once the dressing room. But it was separated off as the family grew. Once an upstairs veranda, the third bedroom features ivy-patterned wallpaper and drapes to match the bed linen. There are superb views from the very original tiled bathroom.

While the city has gained pace, this serene character home has stood its ground as testament to a more enduring, gracious age. Merging convenient city living with a delightful sense of history, this grand estate awaits its future calling.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 519 Remuera Rd, Remuera.

FEATURES: Large city estate with grand old home circa 1915; large grounds with circular drive; five-unit site; five-six-bedroom home with study; library; drawing room; formal dining room; sun room; two bathrooms; swimming pool; pool house; garaging; ample room for tennis court.

SIZE: Land area 2683 sq m.

TENDER CLOSES: November 27.

AGENT: Stanley Armon, Barfoot & Thompson, Remuera. Ph 524 0149 bus, 025 723 377 mob.