Pioneer Homesteads—XI The Kauri House

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31119, 23 July 1966, Page 13

Pioneer Homesteads—XI The Kauri House

''Specially written for "The Pres*** bu

JOHN A. HENDRY)

TN 1868 a Crown grant of R. 5.12723 was made to Clinton Cortlandt Anderson, a civil engineer, of Delhi, India. Some years later Anderson leased it to Adam Smith, of Fernside, with the right to purchase at £3 an acre.

Smith duly purchas- , 1 ed before he died, al- J though the transaction | was not recorded at jthe time of completion. However, in 1 8 7 9, I when his son, William, i inherited the property ' the change of title was j recorded. From this time the property remained in the Smith' family, passing by inheritance ’ from one member to another, until in 1960 Mr and Mrs P.t H. McGioin bought it from, Mrs Aschen who was the widow of Samuel Smith. | This quite delightful house, although modernised, still retains its character and many of the features so typi-i cal of the late 1860 s. It wasbuilt of kauri after the great' flood of 1868, it is said, by Adam Smith who moved here presumably to be out of reach of any future recurrence of I flooding. I' The roof form, with the ' 1 two large well proportioned

dormers, is most attractive,'! and is pleasantly accented by it the soft curving lines of the I pierced bargeboards and I 1 quaint turned finials, all ; painted black to contrast with ; the white walls and deep gold < of the sashes. ( Typical Feature i Another typical feature is the almost total absence of overhanging eaves, while the double-hung windows to the j dormers show very finely . moulded glazing bars’. These windows, by the way, , are mock double-hung, as there never has been any cord, pulley, or weight to the sashes, the upper being fixed, j >and the lower sliding up and held in place by means of a [small bolt The veranda is very ! pleasant, with slow curved ' sweeps between the posts, ’ this appearing to give extra length to the house—an ’ i illusion heightened by the i projecting wing to the left ! and the later addition to the 1 [ right i Even the modern casement i windows fit into the general ■ design quite well, although I ; feel the doors are not so i

happy. Nevertheless it still is' quite charming. It is interesting to note that not very far away there is another old house, now almost a complete ruin, much in the same style with a slightly different dormer < treatment but with almost identical bargeboards. Simple Stain On entering The Kauri House we come into a fairly narrow, long hall, with a delightfully simple stair rising to the upper floor. Of [ the closed string variety, it[ has well designed turned; newel posts, a simple fine : handrail and small square' balusters. But alas the head-; room does not match the stair, being so “fine” that one; has to duck to avoid hitting; one's head. To the right is the livingroom, quite large with a low stud height and a modern stone and tile fireplace at the far end and pleasantly furnished in fawns with contrasting chintz covers. There are several attractive pieces such as a delightful walnut veneered side table and an

old rocking chair complete with original upholstery. Opposite is the main bedroom of reasonable size with a modernised fireplace, while at the back of the living-room lies a quite large diningroom boasting a steeply sloping ceiling, quite in the modern manner, which adds greatly to the character of this room. Pleasing Design There is another modernised surround in stone and tile of pleasing design. In this area also there are several other rooms—in fact one is amazed at the number and complexity of them, and at the amount of space available. Upstairs are two further bedrooms which have steeply sloping ceilings coming into a flat area in the centre of the rooms with the windows set into the dormers in an interesting way. The small landing, lit by a high dormer overlooking the back of the house is also distinguished by a converted oil lamp of painted china, brass filigree and chains—a charm ing piece which strikes the right note for the house.