Herne Bay - Turning back the clock

A sympathetically restored villa of grand proportions is looking good for another century.

54 Wallace Street, Herne Bay.

From restoring the glory of the old Ponsonby Post Office, producing the edgy Apex apartments in Blake Street and now restoring this magnificent villa in Wallace Street, developer Greer Stephens has an eye for what appeals to inner city aficionados.

This grand old lady of a home speaks of a more gracious era at the turn of the century.

``As far as we can tell, based on architectural style and general historical info, the house was built between 1905 and 1910, by members of the Goldie family,'' explains Greer.

``Mamie lived there through to 1952 when the property was bought by Sir Alex and Lady McKenzie. Their son John brought up his own family there, until we purchased it in 2004, so it had been home to three generations of the McKenzie family.''

The Goldies were well-known timber merchants in Freemans Bay. The house is built from kauri from that yard and features many original features: turned and carved staircase banisters, lead-light windows, magnificent pressed tin ceilings and dado panels.

Sharon Crossen, who did most of the design and restoration, is particularly fond of the carved fireplaces in the formal lounge and dining rooms: the mantels were stripped and re-stained so dancing cupids and a particularly friendly pair of animals keep watch over.

``It is the most significant house I've worked on,'' she says ``so we just wanted to retain its bones, clean it up and modernise it.''

The grand entrance of the house on its corner site is retained, with landscaping to highlight the front porch and magnificent trees.

Inside, the double-height entrance lobby elegantly leads to formal dining and living. The dining room has room for a wine cellar, but also a bathroom tucked off to one side so it could be converted to a ground floor granny room if needed. The contemporary kitchen and family room is off to the western side of the house.

To the convenience of modern gib re-lining, insulation, wiring and a partial re-roof, Sharon has brought a contemporary colour palette of greyed and blacked whites, stained kauri flooring and a crisp, muted carpet for the upstairs bedrooms. The ground floor living spaces indoors and out were designed for privacy and to capture afternoon sun.

The dark oak kitchen includes a scullery. A gas fireplace warms the family room, which opens to the back deck and a pool, sheltered by a double garage, with a studio above.

Upstairs in the main house, Sharon and Greer mimicked the corner balcony facing the street with a second covered balcony on the western side of the house, perfect for sunset watching.

The front bedrooms look over the sea and harbour bridge. ``Our craftspeople loved working on this property,'' says Sharon. ``They really got into doing their best work. So did we.''

This Edwardian lady is now ready for her next 100 years.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4+

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 2+

SIZE: Land area 900 sq m; floor area 270 sq m plus 40 sq m garage.

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2005) $3.9 million. Sale by negotiation.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 3-3.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.rwponsonby.co.nz # PON11059.

CONTACT: Jan George or Heather Lanting, Ray White, ph 027 478 4119 (Jan), 0274 394 124 (Heather), 376 2186 bus.

FEATURES: Restored Edwardian mansion with views of the Sky Tower, bridge and harbour. Original fireplaces, ceilings, dados and lead light windows. Decks and pool. Bedroom loft.