Beautiful Homes Whanganui: Property a 'custodial' honour for couple

Gillian and Alan Cruise-Johnston lovingly care for their original 1920s home in Whanganui East. Photo / Bevan Conley

Ray White Whanganui has partnered with the Whanganui Chronicle to find the city's most beautiful home. Each day this week we will profile one of the six finalists of the Beautiful Homes Whanganui competition. Public voting is now open.

In real estate terminology, Alan and Gillian Cruise-Johnston's house would be described as an "Art Deco charmer" although it is not likely to be on the market any time soon.

The 1925 RG Talboys-designed home is in Boydfield St, Whanganui East.

Alan recently completed repainting the exterior of the house which retains all its original features, apart from a large, sunny extension added by the previous owners.

"It is beautifully done and fits in with the rest of the house," Gillian said.

"We love the way previous owners have cared for the house and when we bought it 12 years ago, we didn't need to do much because all the hard work had been done."

The rough-cast exterior of the house is original and constructed with Konka board - a New Zealand invention patented in 1915 and used as a backing board for a stucco plaster finish.

"They used pumice in the mix and I've been told that horsehair was mixed in to strengthen the corners," Alan said.

"I enjoyed painting it but I really had to dab the brush in hard in some areas."

He has matched the previous buttermilk with blue trim colours and called in a tradesman to reach the high roof arches.

"I didn't want to climb a ladder that high," he said.

The home was designed by prolific Art Deco architect Robert Talboys. Photo / Bevan Conley

Above the lovingly preserved front porch of the house is a sign with the word "Cherilee" carved on it.

Gillian said that was something she had brought with her and related to her family history.

"My parents had it over the front porch of their house in Springvale and they had brought it with them from England," she said.

"The name originally came from a family home in Kent which was in the lee of a cherry orchard."

While the house still has a large section, Gillian said she was surprised there were no mature fruit trees.

"It seems the property was subdivided at some time and there was an orchard on the part which now belongs to our neighbours."

Their own small orchard now boasts a number of established fruit trees including a Monty's Surprise apple laden with big, heavy fruit.

Also in this series

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Beautiful Homes Whanganui: 1910 Whanganui East villa gets modern twist
Beautiful Homes Whanganui: 1990s home designed to fit in with neighbouring properties
Beautiful Homes Whanganui: Property a 'custodial' honour for couple
Beautiful Homes Whanganui: Aramoho new-build inspired by Whanganui River
Beautiful Homes Whanganui: Levin couple find what they're looking for in Whanganui

The couple said they had planned and planted the garden around the design of the house.

"We see ourselves as custodians of the house and we would never do anything to alter its original design.

"Talboys designed so many beautiful buildings and houses in Whanganui during that era and we feel privileged to live in this one and look after it."