GLORY DAYS
Taking her daughter to play centre in Mount Eden in the 70s had an added attraction for Madge Kirk — it gave her the chance to look at the old house across the road and daydream about owning it.
Then one day, her late husband, Allan, had taken their boys to play tennis nearby, and came home to tell Madge that the house at 18 Poronui St, Mt Eden, was on the market.
It had been a boarding house mainly for students, and then divided into flats, and Madge recalls that it was very colourful, with an odd layout, and external stairs to reach some of the spaces.
Allan was an architect and town planner, and he told Madge: “If there’s a staircase inside the house, we’ll consider it.” They bought the house in 1974 and spent a year on renovations before they took up residence, moving exactly one mile from their former home.
“Dad was always about the integrity of the house and he wanted to bring it back to its former glory,” son Allan says. “He was a purist,” Madge adds.
They reorganised the space to give them four bedrooms upstairs, and added a conservatory on the back of the house. An old set of stables was demolished to make room for a bricked-paved potager garden, and the house became Madge’s dream home for the next 46 years.
It’s easy to see why. Built around 1910, the features Allan was so determined to preserve are still there. A capped brick wall surrounds part of the property, behind which the house presents an impressive facade with its traditional weatherboard cladding, corbelled brick chimneys, stained glass windows, finials, fretwork and villa-style verandas. . The verandas are highlighted with stained- and clear-glass panels and complemented by fretwork.
Inside, the heart kauri floor sets the scene for the spacious rooms with sash windows and French doors and battened, high stud ceilings allowing a sense of airiness and plenty of natural light.
The main lounge, which opens via French doors to the veranda, is painted a buttery cream, which perfectly showcases the timber detailing in the room. There’s a superb ornate fireplace with inset tiles and an elegant timber surround, and a fretted timber-framed alcove which expands the space.
A second living area, also opening to the veranda, has its own elegant fireplace with inset tiles, and the main bedroom boasts yet another ornate fireplace.
The kitchen with its adjoining dining space is timber-lined, and Madge well remembers them taking the old lining off the walls to reveal the T and G behind. They exposed the brick surround and chimney in here and added a pot belly stove. Allan was assisted in some of the jobs by a boat builder with a talent for woodworking and an eye for detail.
A detached garage offers workshop space, a separate laundry and storage, and the original "wash house" offers options for an office or studio.
Madge will miss the house that has been her dream home for so many years. “It’s been just lovely to live in,” she says. “It’s spacious and light and open, and upstairs there are views in every direction, including the mountain.”
Her time here is drawing to a close, but the stories of this beautiful vintage home will be told and retold by her children and grandchildren.
Sale: Auction, December 13 Contact: Karl Todd, Harcourts, 272 443 403