Fit for a king and queen in Epsom

9 Quentin Avenue, Epsom. Photo /Ted Baghurst

PORTAFERRY 9 QUENTIN AVE EPSOM

4

2

3

SIZE: Land 817sq m, house 472sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected over CV of $1.71 million. Auction March 27 at 2.30pm on site.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm.

ON THE WEB: harcourts.co.nz/ES836

SCHOOL ZONES: Three Kings School, Mt Roskill Intermediate, Onehunga High School.

CONTACT: James Marshall, Harcourts, ph 021 404 788 or 632 1290.

FEATURES: Stately four-bedroom house on private, fully fenced section with generous indoor and outdoor living spaces in quiet tree-lined street. Gas central heating, including two gas fireplaces and one wood fireplace.

The past three owners of this landmark Epsom home have all bought the property within a week of it going on sale - a testimony to its instant and enduring appeal.

Current owners Leigh and her London-born husband, Charles Hay, were looking for a large home in Auckland "with an English feel to it" when they moved back to New Zealand in 2003 after living and working in Dubai for nine years.

"I came across the house the day before it went on the market and immediately fell for it," says Leigh, who loved the elegant scale of the three-storey home, which has several living and entertaining spaces, but still feels intimate and welcoming. Built in 1917 for Hugh Caughey, whose aunt and father founded the Smith & Caughey department store in Queen St, the house was originally named Portaferry after their birthplace, a small town on Ireland's northeast coast.

The meticulously maintained brick-and-stucco home, originally surrounded by several acres of land, sits on a private, elevated site in Quentin Ave off St Andrew's Rd, overlooking canopies of mature trees on surrounding properties.

Despite being less than 20 minutes' drive to the airport or central city and less than 10 minutes to popular Mt Eden Village, the house feels so private and quiet you could be in the country - if it weren't for the home's magnificent, wooded views over some of Auckland's greenest suburbs to One Tree Hill and the Manukau Harbour.

Rumour has it that in 1953 the young Earl Spencer, father of the late Princess Diana, was hosted at Portaferry when he came to play tennis there, while equerry to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to New Zealand. The house has been known in Auckland's social circles for its memorable parties and the Hays have kept up that tradition of hospitality. "It is a perfect house for guests and we have loved having friends and the children of friends to stay ... it's been like a bed and breakfast at times," jokes Leigh, who recalls having as many as 14 guests at once to stay. "It doesn't seem to matter how many people are in the house because there are so many different spaces, both inside and outside."

Those spaces include a huge rumpus/media room on the lower ground level of the house, with its own toilet, kitchenette and access to a private, paved courtyard, complete with fish pond and fountain, on the level below the main garden. As well as having direct access to the triple internal garage and a small workshop, this space, which accommodates a large bed, lounge suite and bar, could be used as a self-contained flat for long-term visitors. A grand, cedar-panelled entranceway on the ground level of the house opens on to a large study, the formal dining room, lounge and a French provincial-style kitchen designed by Morgan Cronin to complement the era of the house.

The kitchen flows effortlessly to a north-facing deck, which steps down to a barbecue area and manicured garden that wraps around the western and southern sides of the house. A sunroom at the eastern end of the house on this level is bathed in light all morning and looks out to One Tree Hill. From the entranceway, you ascend a cedar staircase to the top level where the main bathroom, three double bedrooms, one with its own, north-facing balcony, and a master bedroom fit for a king and queen open off the landing. Two dressing rooms and a marbled en suite complete the pampered picture on this level.

Although it is just six years shy of 100, this robust home has been so well cared for that, other than its splendid architecture, it shows no signs of its age. Previous owners have restored the leadlights and copper spouting, five original chandeliers are still there and all the rooms have been rewired for the latest technology. The house is too big for Leigh and Charles now and they are thinking of moving to the country.