Quiet charm of the country

GREENHITHE

27 BERNARD MAGNUS LANE

Jenene Crossan and Scottie Chapman were looking for a home for their blended family and this 1912 classic with white walls and red Marseilles tiles was the first one they looked at.

They took their time and kept looking for a while — but this one beckoned them back.

“I’ve always referred to it as my dolls’ house,” says Jenene. “Well, it kind of is, isn’t it? It’s like a big dolls’ house.”

The house was once located in Remuera, on prestigious Victoria Ave, but in 1985 it was moved to its leafy spot in Greenhithe and became the first house on the street.

Back then, it didn’t even have a street number, Jenene says.

She has always loved the country lane feel to Bernard Magnus Lane, and the fact that though you feel as if you are living in the country the city is only 20 minutes away.

That has been important to Jenene and Scottie, who both run businesses in the city — Jenene is the founder of Flossie, a consumer technology company, and Scottie has a sheep milking company.

Jenene says Bernard Magnus is the name of a farmer who owned two farms in the area.

When the farms were sold, a covenant meant each parcel had to be just under two acres so most of the properties on the street have a large amount of land.

Her house has landscaped gardens and a native bush backdrop with a look-out: “We’ve got tuis and all sorts of native song that happens here every morning.”

There’s also has a deep blue swimming pool, plus a self-contained pool house.

“We have developed a small reputation for being the party house around here,” Jenene says.

“The best way to not annoy neighbours is to invite them, and usually there are a lot of squealing kids hanging around here.”

You will also often find the family’s black labrador called Dog in the pool — “It’s his favourite thing in the world”.

“Last Christmas we had this epic party with Scottie’s company and mine. We had several hundred people here. We hired lit-up bars and did little couch areas. It was like something out of LA. It was so outrageous, it was brilliant.”

Jenene says last year they re-concreted, re-tiled and put new plumbing in the pool so it’s like new.

While she doesn’t know a lot about the Remuera history of the house, apparently the kitchen was once four individual rooms, and she thinks the house must have been a wonderful homestead.

It is packed with features of the era, from the high wooden ceilings to the native timbers.