SCHOOL ZONES:
Devonport primary, Belmont Intermediate, Takapuna Grammar.
CONTACT:
Victoria Bidwell, Bayleys, 021 947 080.
Every house has a story. But the intriguing thing about the grand old charmer on the corner of Allenby Ave and Lake Rd at the beginning of Devonport, is working out which story is true.
Owner Callum Ross was told that the huge house was built sometime between 1910 and1915 as a showplace for a building manufacturer -- which would explain the sampling of ceiling finishes in every room, the window awning trims and detailed doors -- but he also has a floorplan dated 1929 which suggests other uses. Certainly, when Scotsman Callum and his wife bought the property in 2004, they could see that it was full of character and deserved a new life. With four boys, they could see huge potential in the four double bedrooms and multiple living rooms, as well as a gloriously un-touched attic.
However, the family were living in another part of Devonport and never quite got around to renovating the old lady, so have had tenants in the house for 12 years. They are selling now because their nest is nearly empty, the last son at university, and they've got plans to build in Scotland, on Callum's family land next to Loch Ness.
"We saw that the house was eminently liveable as it was -- the kitchen was dated, but large and sunny, the bathroom had been fixed up before we bought. The living rooms were great," says Callum. "But it was the huge attic that really captured us. We thought we could build four or five bedrooms up there without having to push out dormers or alter the roof, just with skylights."
Over the years, the house has been kept in immaculate condition (for a year or so, one of the tenants was their own university-aged son). Thanks to heartwood floors and old-school building materials, it has stayed dry and sound all these years. Nobody lived in that attic, but it is a beaut: easily tall enough across most of the width of the house, with a sash window in the gable end that looks down the avenue at the flanks of Rangitoto. It is accessed by an intriguing hidden ladder-stair in a closet off the entry lobby, and is warm and dry.
Image 1 of 7: One of the histories of this extensive house is that it was a show home. Photos / David Rowland, Getty Images
The layout of the house is typical of the gracious Arts and Crafts era. Oddly, the entrance porch on the southern side of the house is never used, access from the street blocked off by tall clipped hedges (which have proved very effective at blocking traffic noise from Lake Rd). In typical style of that period, there is a bench seat outside the door, leadlight windows, and the original front door. It opens to a well-proportioned square lobby, off which run the two principal bedrooms and the formal living room. A deep verandah runs around the two street aspects of the house, framed with a simple corbel with french doors opening to it from one of the bedrooms. There are two further generous bedrooms along the hall, with a single bathroom at the back of the house -- typical for the era. One of the bedrooms has a fireplace mantelpiece, but a delve under the house (the basement is full height, ideal to dig out as a double garage) reveals no chimney foundation, supporting the tale that this house was originally just for show. Fortunately the fireplaces in the living and dining rooms are working (one has gas), with an intriguing mix of original mantelpieces.
The reception rooms are well-proportioned and both open to a delightful sunroom, which captures views down to Rangitoto. The kitchen has hints of original features -- shelf brackets, ovens tucked in a chimney breast that would have housed a coal range -- with a sliver of window catching more of the view.
With its easy access to the village, main roads to Takapuna and schools, and the local beaches, this old gem is ready for the next chapter in her rather mysterious story.
