When Nicola Gainsford is out tending to the front garden of her home at 19 Buchanan Street, in Auckland's Devonport, it’s not uncommon for passersby to stop and tell her: “I was born here!”
For 50 years the picturesque villa was a maternity hospital called Pentlands, and many thousands of babies were brought into the world there. What’s now the kitchen was once an operating theatre and the TV lounge used to be a nursery, complete with a big window where the new parents could view their babies asleep in their cribs.
“It’s got an amazing history, and feels like a very happy place,” says Nicola.
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Before it was a hospital, the house was the home of a prominent Devonport family. James Mays, who made his fortune in the Coromandel gold fields, built it for his wife Kate in 1893. Then called Lowestoft, it was for many years a one story house, the downstairs area undeveloped, until it became fashionable to have a kitchen in the home, so one was located on the lower level.
Eventually the whole ground floor was turned into accommodation, creating a 450sqm home that is much bigger than it appears from the street. The size of the house was one of the factors that appealed to Nicola and her husband Alistair when they first saw it 10 years ago. They weren’t in a position to buy it then, but when it came back on the market six years ago, they didn’t hesitate.
“We loved the character of the home, although we knew there was a lot of work to do,” says Nicola.
The house had mostly been a private home since Pentlands closed in 1975, and needed some TLC.
Over the years the Gainsfords have painstakingly restored much of it to its former glory. They have removed numerous fake ceilings, and pulled off gib to discover kauri paneling on the walls. In a downstairs bedroom, gib around a fireplace was removed to reveal a woodburner that still contained ash. It has since been replaced with a beautiful fire surround and mantelpiece.
It took months to strip paint and shellac from wooden paneling but was worth the effort, particularly in the master bedroom where the warm wood is now complimented by cosy dark blue paint on the walls.
Nicola and Alistair have also removed walls, replaced windows, put in central heating, and redecorated in shades befitting the heritage of the home. Not all of the rooms have been tackled – the kitchen and a bathroom are among those still ripe for renovation – but the work they have done has been meticulous and a true labour of love.
Nicola points out that the house is very flexible, with rooms that can be adapted to suit different purposes. They currently only have three of the bedrooms set up with beds – others are used as an office, a gym and a dressing room. There are multiple living areas, including two separate formal and informal living rooms, a separate dining room, a sun room, and a large living/dining space at the back of the house that has wonderful views across Devonport village to the harbour and the city.
“We get the most wonderful sunsets and it is also really lovely at night with all the lights on,” says Nicola.
The garden is another delight – large, flat and private, it extends behind the neighbours’ house and there’s plenty of space to put in a pool. There’s also an option to provide access to a private lane between the garden and the shops behind the house, and the couple considered putting in a garage that could be reached that way, and finding another use for the existing tandem garage under the house.
The garden also includes a courtyard area perfect for al-fresco dining and a huge garden shed that used to be the laundry for the maternity hospital.
The location has been perfect – it’s about a minute’s walk to wonderful shops, eateries and the Victoria Theatre and Cinema.
“When we go to the movies we don’t leave until a few minutes before they start,” says Nicola.
There’s also a beach at the end of the road, and it’s a short albeit strenuous walk up Mt Victoria.
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