Bathed in bluestone beauty in Mt Eden

1a Watling St, Mt Eden, Auckland. Photo / Supplied

1A WATLING ST MT EDEN

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SIZE: Land 1335sq m, house 315sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.51 million. Auction August 17.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1.15-2pm.

ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/350941

SCHOOL ZONES: Maungawhau School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar, Mt Albert Grammar.

CONTACT: Mike Mattson and Donna McMillan, Bayleys, ph 021 666 171 (Mike) or 021 781 008 (Donna).

FEATURES: A lovingly maintained and comfortable two-storey character home with swimming pool. Located in several sought-after central Auckland school zones.

Philip Blair's Mt Eden home may have been built in the same era as the local prison, however, it is very much his castle - and a surprisingly warm one at that.

The two-storey villa on the corner of Watling St and Mt Eden Rd was built in 1865 out of bluestone, nine years after Mt Eden's fortress-style prison was constructed out of the same sturdy rock, which is also used for kerbstones in the area.

"The exterior walls are about three quarters of a metre thick. Two-storey bluestone homes like this are quite rare," says Philip, who has lived in the house for two-and-a-half years with wife Viniece.

The couple, who have seven adult children between them, were living on a beachfront property at Onetangi on Waiheke Island when they decided to move to Auckland - partly to be closer to their youngest children's secondary schools. After selling their Waiheke house they spent obligatory hours at open homes - always kicking themselves that they had forgotten to bring a compass to determine the exact direction of the houses they viewed.

"We were struck by this house as soon as we saw it, and for once we had our compass," jokes Philip.

The front of the house was aligned due north towards Mt Eden.

Philip says that in a major renovation in the 1970s, previous owners had invested some serious money in the house, reconfiguring its original layout to maximise sun and create more of a family home with usable spaces.

Their alterations included shifting the front entrance from the busy Mt Eden Rd side of the property to Watling St and installing an 80,000-litre, rectangular swimming pool and spa on the northwest side of the house.

A sauna, shower and pool room that open onto the paved, walled pool area were also added to the western end of the house.

On the south side of the house, they added a study which also adjoins the kitchen and dining room and looks out over the private back garden.

The original kauri floorboards, and a parquet floor in the downstairs living room, are in excellent order as is all of the joinery in the house, which has either been restored or replaced.

Other beautiful features include diamond-shaped leadlights in deeply recessed windows, two elegant French crystal chandeliers in the living room, and a claw-footed bath in the main upstairs bathroom.

Central heating and an open fireplace in the light-filled, north-facing drawing room downstairs ensure the house is warm in winter while its bluestone walls keep it cool in summer. A staircase in the entrance hall leads to four roomy bedrooms upstairs including the master which has generous wardrobe space and looks out over mature pohutukawa in the front garden towards Mt Eden.

The Blairs have not had to do anything structural to Upper Hampton Villa, which still bears its original plaque, but they have had all of the plumbing and wiring reviewed and recertified, and have renovated the swimming pool. Now that they have only one child at home they are looking to move into a smaller home but want to stay in the same area as they have strong ties to the Mt Eden/Epsom community as well as to nearby St Andrews Church.