SCHOOL ZONES:
Newmarket School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, double grammar.
CONTACT:
Robert Thompson and Shirley Shen, 021 737 949 (Robert) or 021 0283 7912 (Shirley).
AUCTION:
March 27 at 2pm at 280 Manukau Rd, Epsom.
It's not often that the opportunity arises to own a home that has been described as one of the best houses ever built in Auckland.
Jane Roskruge and Alan Ferguson snapped up Stoneways when it was last on the market 19 years ago; now the time has come to hand it over to someone else who appreciates what a truly unique home it is.
The Epsom house, which was number three in a 2009 list compiled by Metro magazine of the top eight Auckland houses, was built by renowned architect William Gummer as his family home in 1926.
Gummer was the creative talent behind iconic buildings like the Wintergardens at the Domain, the Dilworth building in Queen St and the Auckland Railway Station. He only designed 14 private homes, so living in one has been a real privilege says Jane.
"The houses he did are really something special," she says. "Everyone who walks in here goes, 'Wow'. You just don't see places like this."
It's hard to classify the three-level home - which has a Historic Places Trust category 1 listing - because Gummer meshed together many different architectural styles.
Features typically seen in Spanish mission or art deco homes sit comfortably alongside those of Arts & Crafts or Moroccan abodes.
The striking white home would not look out of place on a boulevard in the South of France or the Hollywood hills.
"He blended lots of different styles but somehow it just works," says Jane.
The combination of ornate steel windows, wooden paneling, shutters, barrel-vaulted ceilings in some rooms, lattice panels and quirky elements such as a ceramic painting above the fireplace in the den give the house character and charm.
Stoneways, which is across the road from Auckland Grammar, has a reinforced concrete frame and double cavity brick with a plastered finish.
It is built on solid lava, hence the name, and consists of two oblique wings fanning out from the central portico entrance.
Downstairs, most of the rooms have been cleverly laid out to flow from one to another.
There's a cosy den and a large, gracious living room, along with a huge loggia that makes an ideal entertaining space. Jane and Alan have had up to 150 guests there, and the Gummers used to hold soirees with a chamber orchestra.
Built-in furniture designed by Gummer graces several rooms, including the dining room and an ante-room off it. The elegant dining room has been used in filming the TV show Filthy Rich.
A former butler's pantry between the dining room and kitchen is now an office, and there is still another pantry off the kitchen.
The wood-panelled staircase features one of the highlights of the house - a large oriel window that spans two floors.
The first floor comprises four bedrooms and a family bathroom that includes an original bath so heavy it had to be craned in.
A balcony was enclosed in 1934 to create a large sunroom accessed from the master bedroom.
There's also a small balcony off the master bedroom, and another larger one off one of the other bedrooms.
The staircase continues up to yet another unique feature of the house - a flat roof that has 360-degree views beyond its parapets.
Jane explains that early in his career Gummer travelled to the UK and worked with acclaimed British architect Edwin Lutyens, particularly on Castle Drogo, a mansion in Devon.
"This place feels like it is Gummer's castle, especially from up here on the roof."
A laundry and bathroom were added in the 1950s, and an area underneath the house was converted to a bedsit. Other space on this lower level is used as a garage, workshop and storage room that could become a wine cellar.
The property used to include a formal garden and woodlands to the rear of the house.
These were sold off in the 1960s and the remaining outdoor space at the back of the site is divided into three separate zones - a utility area, a large courtyard and a plant-filled space Jane calls her "secret garden".
Now that Jane and Alan's sons William and Max are growing up and the family is heading in different directions, it's time for someone else to experience living in Stoneways.
"It does feel a little like being the custodian of a piece of history, but at the same time it has been a great family home in a great location," says Jane.
Stoneways is starting to show its age, and could do with some TLC, she adds.
"I'd love it if whoever buys it has the time, resources and passion to restore it and make it fabulous again."
