Castles are hard to come by anywhere in New Zealand, much less in central Auckland.
But in the heart of Remuera, on a sprawling 1963 sq m of land, Ricky Cave and Jayne Keily of Ray White Remuera have just the place for you: a double brick house of over 440 sq m with its own turret, chateaux-style stained glass window and sweeping central staircase.
Cave and Keily say the house at 48C Benson Rd is in a league of its own, not only for its design, but also for the amenities it offers – a pool pavilion and another two bedroom self-contained guest house, as well as the requisite tennis court, pool and spa. The carriages can live in the three-bay garage.
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Described as a melting pot of Continental styles – France meets England with a touch of Greek villa – the double brick house was built in the 1970s by expatriate Englishman Jim Banner. His miniature castle/dairy/café at Mangatawhiri, sadly now shuttered, was a favourite pit-stop for travellers heading to the Coromandel.
Banner, a builder by trade, collected a posse of master craftsmen in lead-lighting, copper work, shingling, bricklaying and wood carving to create his dream home. They used 150,000 bricks, and installed 47 leadlight windows depicting English legends fruit and flowers and, of course, a castle (in the upstairs hallway). There was originally a swirling carpet of reds and golds especially loomed for the property, now replaced with up to date neutrals.
There was also originally a bar room that looked like an English pub and a wine cellar cut into the rock under the house, but the current owners have re-worked the manor-style into today’s modern style, plastering the brick, adding louvred ceilings to the pool pavilion and lush landscaping.
The hand-turned wood staircase that is the heart of the three storey home, and the detailed iron work remain, but the kitchen is beautifully modern. The turret, the most striking castle feature, is now a dining room on the main floor and a beautiful master bedroom suite on the top floor, complete with arched and shuttered windows that give leafy views across the suburb. It has the expected royally sumptuous bathroom. The dining room’s parquet floor is now complemented by painted and bagged brick and stylish modern light fixture and the parquet continues into the modern kitchen.
The sunny first floor living room is anchored by a heavy baronial fireplace in granite and ornately carved wood, the first floor rooms all lightened by French doors leading on to the northwest facing terrace that overlooks lush lawns and the tennis court. The pool room repeats the castle turret roof and the spa is tucked behind a clipped hedge.
In lieu of court jesters or minstrels, there’s a rumpus room and a music room for entertaining the lords and ladies.
Cave says: “This exceptional land holding and residence unfolds splendidly to encompass multiple accommodation and living options to house your own regal dynasty.
“The pavilion holds a full kitchen and living space which can be closed or opened depending on the season. The scope to indulge guests at events ranging from intimate to extravagant creates a dynamic opportunity for entertaining seldom found in private homes. Enhanced by the near endless bedroom options, you have the chance to truly hold court."
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