- A Christchurch home designed by Sir Miles Warren is heading to auction on April 24.
- The three-bedroom house, largely untouched since its construction, survived the 2011 earthquakes.
- The property has gained attention following a documentary about Warren and Maurice Mahoney.
A home designed by famed Kiwi architect Sir Miles Warren is up for grabs in Christchurch.
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Retired Canterbury farmers Graham and Valerie Wells bought the three-bedroom classic more than 20 years ago after missing out on another Warren creation.
The couple had tried to buy Warren’s house on Glandovey Road, in Fendalton, but were pipped to the post. Luckily, nearby Papprill House, at 31 Idris Road, hit the market a week later, and the couple pounced.
Valerie told OneRoof: “It was love at first sight.”
The kitchen and bathrooms were sympathetically remodelled by architect Kerry Mason who had worked with Sir Miles Warren. Photo / Supplied
It has retained a lot of the features synonymous with a Sir Miles Warren design including the original joinery, wooden detailing and concrete block walls. Photo / Supplied
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house is a Warren classic, with two parallel pavilions linked by a third smaller block, all with separate pitched roofs.
“I think we were very lucky in getting this one. This one has the stream boundary and the one on Glandovey Road didn’t, and it was terribly damaged in the earthquakes. Whereas ours, it had damage but it was repairable. Again, we were just lucky.”
The Christchurch earthquakes in 2011 destroyed most of Warren’s masterpieces, with Papprill House one of only a handful left standing.
Valerie said they added a well-engineered glass conservatory when they moved in, which may have been one of the reasons the house survived the quakes. “It held up beautifully and with all the steel we had to put in it, it may have helped hold the wings together.”
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The property has been attracting more attention than ever following the release of the documentary Maurice and I, which tells the story of the relationship between Maurice Mahoney and Sir Miles Warren and how they redesigned Christchurch in the 1960s and 1970s.
Warren devotees had even knocked on their door and asked to look inside. “It just has a charm. I think all his houses have charm, but this one is absolutely beautiful. He captured the angle of the sun.”
Harcourts Grenadier agent Alison Aitken said the house was popular was buyers and architecture fans. “It’s been really popular just because of what it is and where it is.”
The Wellses added the conservatory after they moved in and believe the glass and steel addition may have saved the home from being destroyed in the earthquake. Photo / Supplied
Aitken said the property had been largely untouched since it was built. The negative detailing, block walls, internal cavity doors, joinery, brass fittings and door handles were still original. “It’s fabulous - nothing has been ruined,” she said.
“If you are a fan of his designs, I can understand the attraction.”
The kitchen and bathrooms had undergone upgrades with the help of Kerry Mason - an architect who had previously worked with Warren before the Wellses moved in. The windows were also double-glazed.
The home, which has an RV of $1.8 million, was built for a Christchurch lawyer and, according to Aitken, would have been expensive for the period.
She said the house would suit downsizers. “People trying to fit their teenage kids in, it’s not the house for them,” she said, adding it was “just gorgeous, it really is”.
- 31 Idris Road, in Fendalton, Christchurch, goes to auction on April 24
