New owners of cottage aim to preserve it
An American couple who love history recently bought a 153-year-old box cottage in Riverton with the aim to keep it as it is.
The cottage, at 84 Palmerston St was first listed for sale in December by auction but was then re-listed for sale by negotiation in January.
Sabine Shields and her husband Brad Shields had noticed the two-bedroom house while driving past, and said their friends suggested to have a look at it.
“We both like history and the more we found out about the cottage, the more fascinating it became,” Sabine said.
“It’s just a wonderful little house.” Given its historic status, the couple planned to make only cosmetic changes to it.
The property, along with two others on 84 and 86 Palmerston St have historical, architectural and aesthetic significance, and represented its owners who worked in the expanding Riverton industries and economy at the time, according to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
The NZ Historical Places Trust gives the area aesthetic, architectural and historical significance or value, and it qualifies as part of New Zealand's historic and cultural heritage.
“It may need some painting, eventually some new flooring,” she said. “It does need new windows but we’ll contact the [NZ Historic Places] trust to see how we can go about doing that the best, keep it historic. We don’t plan on changing anything except paint colours, new curtains.“
Sabine described Riverton as a wonderful little town to live in.
The couple intend to gather information about the house and past residents and welcomed any inputs, which it will then combine into a brochure or a compendium.
This is their second time around in New Zealand, with both having spent seven years in Auckland previously.
The land was initially owned by Theophilus Daniel (1817-1893), who married Elizabeth Stevens, the halfsister of the founder of Riverton, Captain James Howells. Incidentally, Daniel was a squatter and later ran a drapery shop on the property from 1851, and was a Member of Parliament from Southland in the 1880s.
It was also owned by the Hancock family of Riverton.