Parnell: Pioneering spirit

Emerald Lodge, 46 Tohunga Crescent, Parnell. Picture/Geoff Dale

This Parnell home that has links to Auckland's first settlers.

The oldest pockets of settler Auckland are tucked around the edges of Parnell, abutting the bay. In the 1850s, Brighton Road and the crescents off it were on the edge of urban Auckland surrounded by farmland and paddocks, with ancient Maori walking tracks leading from the beach to the freshwater springs.

Emerald Lodge, on Tohunga Crescent, is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in the area: others, like Ewelme Cottage, have been preserved by the Historic Places Trust. After 55 years in the same family, Emerald Lodge is on the market for only the third time.

Built in 1857 for Captain Francis Lodge and his wife Anna, the home and farm originally spread over hectares of paddocks, with stables and orchards. Captain Lodge eventually became registrar of the Supreme Court, living in the house until 1938 when it was briefly used by the Melanesian Mission.

It was bought by Rhoda Lillie in 1950, on a whirlwind trip to Auckland to find a house when her husband, Professor of geology Arnold Lillie, was transferred from Victoria University.

Days of house hunting had proved fruitless, until Mrs Lillie told the agent: "Show me something no-one else would buy." So he drove her past Emerald Lodge. She bought it on the spot, falling in love with its clean, Georgian lines and fine garden. Daughter Claire Sutton and her family are now selling the home after Mrs Lillie's death earlier this year.

The Lillies' eye for history and design was remarkable: the only changes made in the 1950s were the modernising of the bathrooms and kitchen, and the addition of gas heating. Professor Lillie added a pretty bay window to the sitting room, hunting demolition yards to find the correct vintage sash windows and French doors. Mrs Lillie sent for wallpapers from France, which today are fashionably colourful and edgy on the original scrim walls.

The smell of beeswax (the floors are still original, never succumbing to plastic coatings), flowers and books permeates the gracious home.

The three spacious reception rooms (currently used as dining room, sitting room and library) all have working fireplaces, two of which have their original mantelpieces. They open to a gracious, deep verandah looking over the bay, with roses and a picket fence in the foreground.

The sitting room's French doors open to a sweep of lawn and old trees. Claire recalls many afternoon tea parties as a child, and later, with her own grandchildren. Large lawns, a swing, ancient climbing trees, a croquet set and many nooks and crannies make this a perfect garden for children to explore. It's like something from a Victorian picture book. A rowboat at the bottom of the Bentley steps opposite the house kept the Lillie children amused, rowing to visit friends in nearby Victoria Avenue.

The garden even boasts a well, found by accident when Professor Lillie and daughter Anna were gardening. Around it, Professor Lillie built a well house, which is perfect for a summer snooze or evening drink. The original outbuildings by the kitchen door speak of a time when kitchen gardens supplied the household with fruit and veges, with shelves for the preserves in the wash house, a cold frame and herb beds. This sheltered courtyard was a favourite spot for summer meals, Claire says, while the front verandah was for taking tea and entertaining.

The roomy farmhouse kitchen still boasts a meat safe and the chimney for the original range, with cabinets added in the 1950s. It is large enough for a family table. The neighbouring larder was converted to a small bedroom so elderly folk did not have to manage the stairs.

Upstairs, three of the four gracious bedrooms have views of the sea. The master bedroom has a rarely seen set of double sash and pane windows. Again, the wood floors are remarkably even. Gas heaters keep the house warm.

With its Category 1 listing, this house will be available to new owners to preserve and restore for the next generation of Aucklanders to live in and enjoy.

Category 1 buildings can be renovated, but the work must be in character with the original house. Generally this means original windows and trims remain, particularly those facing the street. Councils are keen to work with people to ensure houses like Emerald Lodge are liveable in the 21st century.

SIZE: Land 954sq m, house 264sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Upwards of $1.9 million. Tender closes May 31.

INSPECT: Phone for viewing times.

CONTACT: Ian Griffiths, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 366 0015, mob 021 960 231.

FEATURES: 1857 Heritage category 1 listed two-storey house; three reception rooms; farmhouse kitchen; full-length verandah; sea views across Hobson Bay; original condition (last renovated in 1951) with scrim walls, vintage wallpaper, beeswax finished floors, sash windows and French doors; original laundry and outbuildings, including well; lawn garden with fruit trees, kitchen garden and roses; paved courtyard.