SCHOOL ZONES:
Ponsonby Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls Grammar, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
Chris Batchelor, 021 217 7026 or 375 8492, and Karen Spires, 027 273 8220 or 375 6829.
AUCTION:
May 30, 5.30pm.
AUCTION:
May 30, 5.30pm.
It will be a sad day for Bev Lytollis and her siblings when their family home in St Marys Bay is sold and the keys handed over to new owners.
"Walking out of here for the last time is going to be very difficult," says Bev, her voice wavering slightly with emotion. "It's been more than a house, it's been a family home for nearly 70 years. It has meant so much to us, and it really is the end of an era."
Bev, her brother Michael and sister Wendy may have moved out of the villa a long time ago but they still talked about 'going home' when they went to visit their mum Lorna, who lived in the house until her death, aged 90, in February.
"She did not want to move -- she loved it here so much," says Bev. "To live in one place for nearly 70 years is pretty incredible."
Lorna and her husband Bernie McGivern bought the villa, which dates back to around the turn of the century, in about 1948, not long after they were married.
"We're not sure, but we think it might have been the original farmhouse in the area, judging by some old photographs," says Bev.
Her dad Bernie loved the harbour view from the front of the house -- a big fan of cruise ships, he would sit on the front veranda watching ocean liners coming and going. He was also a keen observer as the Auckland Harbour Bridge was constructed in the 1950s -- he had the perfect view from his veranda.
Bev recalls many happy memories of walking to nearby St Mary's School -- "It was so close, if you forgot anything you could run home and get it" -- and playing tennis in the quiet street with Wendy -- including once breaking a neighbour's window.
There were trolley buses into town from Ponsonby, just a short walk up the road, or they could get to the waterfront via Jacob's Ladder -- something they still do.
"It has always been such an amazing location -- the city and Ponsonby are so close."
Image 1 of 5: A home full of memories in a family-friendly street.
The house itself was ideal for the family of five. Until recently, it was configured as four bedrooms, all of them extremely generous and with the high board and batten ceilings that help to give villas so much character. Bernie and Lorna carried out renovation work in the 1970s, which included opening up the back of the house and providing a spacious kitchen and laundry.
After Bernie died seven years ago, Lorna made a few more changes, including converting what had been Michael's bedroom at the front of the house into a lounge.
That should have been done years earlier, says Bev. It's probably the best room, with its outlook of the harbour bridge, and it gets all day sun. A bay window was put in, along with sash windows to match others in the house.
The other major change was the installation of a lift down to the tandem garage in the basement.
"That made life so much easier for mum -- she absolutely loved it," says Bev.
The master bedroom at the front of the house also has great views, along with access to the generous bathroom, which can function as an en suite. The former lounge at the back is now a very spacious dining room which has French doors out to a patio and the garden.
Lorna loved visits from her family, including great-grand-daughter Lily-Anne, but many of her neighbours were also like family, says Bev.
"She couldn't have stayed here for long if it hadn't been for the neighbours, especially Jane next door, who kept an eye on her. It's that kind of neighbourhood -- people really look out for each other. The street has changed a lot, with people doing up all the houses, but it still has that lovely friendly feel that it had when we were growing up."
