- Jim Stuart and Cristine Leitch have listed their Edwardian-style home in Matangi, filled with over 3000 antiques.
- Stuart hopes to find a buyer interested in both the home and its collection, or he’ll turn it into a museum.
- The six-bedroom property, valued at $1.68m, offers potential for renovation or use as short-term accommodation.
If Downton Abbey’s Violet Crawley had ever found herself in Matangi, she’d feel right at home, homeowner Jim Stuart told OneRoof.
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That’s because his Edwardian home looks like Downton Abbey had a garage sale, and he bought everything.
The 81-year-old couldn’t be happier, living in a home that looks like it was staged for a period drama. But he accepts that even though he still owns a business and works, he’s not young, and at some point, he will need to move on.
“I’m 81, my wife is 20 years younger, and she has visions of going to Perth.”
Stuart and his partner, Cristine Leitch, have just listed their six-bedroom mansion-style home at 346 Tauwhare Road, and they hope that buyers are just as interested in his extensive collection of trinkets as they are in the property itself.
Stuart, who runs a shuttle service business and works as a private chauffeur, started collecting in the 1960s. He lost count of his treasures long ago, but he estimates he has over 3000 pieces, including some rare items.
The dining table is large enough to seat the entire Grantham clan from Downton Abbey. Photo / Supplied
Homeowner Jim Stuart has been collecting antiques since the 1960s and estimates that he has more than 3000 pieces. Photo/ Supplied
The cast of Downton Abbey. Stuart says he owns several antiques similar to those featured on the popular UK show. Photo / Supplied
Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham. “I think she would feel at home," says Stuart. Photo / Supplied
“I grew up very interested in history, and I’ve had a lifetime of collecting. In the 1960s and 70s, antique shops were going to the UK, filling up containers, and bringing them back to New Zealand.
“I got really quite interested in some of the stuff that they brought back. In those times, some of them were affordable.”
As time went on, Stuart refined his taste, zeroing in on rare items. “I wasn’t a collector of Clarice Cliff, which everyone collects, and I acquired real one-offs.”
An example is his huge Dresden vase, which, had it stayed in the city in which it was made, would have been destroyed during WWII, when the city was razed to the ground by British bombers. “It was in the French exhibition in 1855 and bought for 155 guineas by a Lady Wyndham, who was a daughter of a German baron. She died in New York in 1916.”
How it and many of Stuart’s other treasures made it to New Zealand is anyone’s guess.
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He said he frequently sees antiques he owns in the movies he watches. “If I watch a movie, especially American movies of the Wild West, you’ll get different things in there that I’ve got too. Mirrors and sideboards and things like that.”
Stuart told OneRoof he hopes to find a buyer willing to take on both his home and its collection, ideally someone who would open the property to the public in the same way as other historic homes around the country.
If he can’t get that, he’ll turn the house into a living museum for tour groups.
“I did do an exercise where I let about five or six different Probus groups in; about 20 at a time. The big table in one of the rooms seats 20 people. And they just loved it,” he said.
And if Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, turned up? “I think she would feel at home. There are a few antiques I have that are similar to what was in Downton Abbey,” Stuart said.
The period detailing is superb. Photo / Supplied
The six-bedroom property sits on a 1.08ha landscaped section and was originally constructed in 1910. Photo / Supplied
Stuart hopes whoever buys his home opens it up to the public. Photo / Supplied
Harcourts agent Vicky Wang and her colleague Tony Tang have not held open homes because there were just too many people wanting to have a look, without any interest in buying, Stuart said. “Some of my pieces are well over 200 years old and fragile.”
In their listing, Wang and Tang said the six-bedroom, three-bathroom home on 1.08ha was originally constructed in the 1910s and a substantial residence.
“Rich in history and personality, the home showcases many original features, including decorative plaster ceilings sourced from the historic Frankton Town Hall, elegant bay windows, and a distinctive Fijian kauri bathroom. While comfortably livable as is, there is also an exciting opportunity for new owners to add their own touches and further enhance this remarkable home.
“The property comprises two dwellings positioned side by side, offering a total of six bedrooms and three bathrooms, providing outstanding flexibility for a range of uses. Whether as a primary residence, multi-generational living, or combined with income potential through short-term accommodation such as Airbnb, this setup offers exceptional versatility.”
Wang said a variety of potential buyers have shown interest in the property, including investors looking for a renovation project and families with school-age children.
The home, which has an RV of $1.68 million, is close to St Peter’s and is less than a 10-minute drive to Hamilton Airport.
- 346 Tauwhare Road, Matangi, Waikato, is for sale by negotiation
