Herne Bay: Forget Me Not

Tales of love and loss have grown around a much loved family home.

17 Curran Street, Herne Bay.

Before you enter the gate at 17 Curran Street you pass an old wooden double-sided tram seat, painted red.

Look closer and you'll notice two people's names painted amid forget-me-nots - Peter on one end of the seat, Russell on the other.

They were neighbours here - Russell passed away 15 years ago, and Peter last year.

The seat had become a neighbourhood landmark since Peter Brenton and his wife Tid installed it on the verge shortly after they moved in 20 years ago.

"There used to be several homes at the bottom of the street, and people would get puffed climbing up the hill, so we put the seat there as a kind of tram stop," recalls Tid.

Their daughter Nicola continues: "Dad got to know all the people who used it and a real loyalty grew up.

If we went away they'd keep an eye on the place and bring in the papers."

Peter's death, and the fact that the six children they had between them have now grown up, are why Tid is selling the home that has meant so much to the family for so long.

Nicola's children, Olive, 14 months, and Bruno, 3, are now the same age as Tid's two youngest children when she and Peter moved in.

"We liked this house because it was totally original, although it was a student flat at the time and needed a lot of work," says Tid. "The garden was so overgrown we didn't realise how far back it went. But I could see the potential."

The potential Tid has realised, particularly in the garden, is breathtaking. Inspired by Monet's garden, which she visited while living in France, she has created a European country-style treasure, with a sprinkling of New Zealand natives.

A rose-covered archway shelters you as you climb the steps to the front of the house, pass tall foxgloves to the generous front verandah fringed with white wisteria.

Three pohukukawa, planted by Tid as seedlings, edge the front of the section. A gas streetlamp by the verandah steps casts a soft yellow glow at night.

Another wide verandah along the northfacing rear of the house is also laced with wisteria, and gazes across a lawn framed by a pin oak on one side and a liquidambar on the other, to a garden filled with roses and cottage flowers. Behind this garden towers a huge pear tree, looking glorious in spring blossom.

Past a large magnolia and a towering Phoenix palm is another arched walkway taking you to the back part of the section.

Here there are square vegetable gardens separated by brick pathways, a playhouse built by Tid's son, and trees bearing lemons, olives and guavas.

An enormous weeping willow in the back corner began life there as a small sapling.

There are a couple of implement sheds, including one that was Peter's "gun room" where he prepared his shotguns and ammunition for clay bird shooting and duck hunting.

"Dad used to like sitting on the back verandah with his coffee just looking out at the garden," says Nicola. "He always felt peaceful here."

He and Tid restored the early 20th century villa to its former glory, uncovering three fireplaces and discovering their original tiled hearths.

"It was liking finding hidden treasure," smiles Tid. There is still a covered one in a front bedroom, waiting to be revealed by a future owner.

The huge rooms, with their 3.2m stud, have lush curtains and some have French wallpaper picked up by Tid on trips to that country.

Two of the bedrooms have sweet, child-sized doors that open into a shared bathroom. There are leadlight windows, carved arches in the lounge and hallways, and beautiful glass doors. It's a house that embraces you with its lived-in feel.

Tid is looking for somewhere smaller and more manageable, "as long as I can have all my animals there - my three cats and my dog Billy." It's a sad move for her and the family, but one that Tid feels she needs to make, both on a practical level, and emotionally.

But whenever they pass down Curran Street, they'll still be able to stop and rest on Peter's seat.

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 1+

GARAGE: 1

SIZE: Land 1619sq m, house 215sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2002) $1.36 million. Auction December 1.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun/Wed 12-12.45pm.

CONTACT: Ann McDonald or Simon Damerell, Ray White Ponsonby ph 376 2186, 021 650 900 (Ann), 021 661 304 (Simon).

FEATURES: Victorian north-facing villa restored in traditional style. Large, rambling country garden with deciduous, native and fruit trees, flowers, vegetable beds and rose-covered archways. Three fireplaces and gas heating. Generous verandahs front and rear provide extra living rooms.