Leaving a much-loved home is always a life-changing event but it’s proved to be especially poignant for long-time Devonport resident Dorothy, who bought this gracious waterfront Edwardian villa on Cheltenham Beach with her late husband Jack back in 1967.
“It was a huge commitment for my parents,” says Fleur, one of the couple’s daughters.
“They paid £20,000 for it, which was a lot back then. Dad told me and my siblings that there would be no more family trips away, but honestly, that didn’t matter at all because every day here in the neighbourhood felt like a holiday anyway.
“He always said that he bought a property by the beach to avoid getting sand in his car!”
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Fleur says that the house – with its beautiful leadlight windows, intricate fretwork and wide water frontage was in three flats, something that was quite common in Devonport at the time, but Dorothy and Jack turned it back into a single dwelling with six bedrooms.
“I even got my own bedroom,” remembers Fleur.
After Jack’s death, Dorothy continued living happily at the house, even after her children left home. In the early 2000s, she embarked on a major renovation project, beginning by removing a brick unit, which had stood between her home and the beach for years.
The clever changes to 36 Oxford Terrace itself were designed by Fleur’s sister-in-law, who is an architect.
A major renovation in the early 2000s opened the home to Cheltenham Beach and Rangitoto views. Photo / Supplied
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence sits on a 1234sqm section of absolute waterfront. Photo / Supplied
“The house was completely opened up at the back so Mum could sit outside and see Rangitoto and the cruise ships going past as well as watching the moon on the water at night,” says Fleur.
“She would walk directly down to the beach, accompanied by her three cats who loved swimming with her. In fact, Mum and Bon Bon were on the front page of the Herald in 1991, after a photographer spotted this very unusual sight!”
The renovation also saw the addition of a classic period-style gazebo, which now looks as if it’s always been part of the property and regularly attracts compliments.
At 93, Dorothy’s no longer able to swim every day. Once a keen gardener and golfer too, she’s now enjoying a new life in a nearby retirement village.
Linda Simmons lives in Devonport herself and loves the suburb’s unique architecture. She confirms that the process has been an emotional one for the whole family, and even for her as the listing agent.
The current owner, a 93-year-old matriarch, is enjoying a new life in a nearby retirement village. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys agent Linda Simmons says 36 Oxford Terrace, in Devonport, is a generational opportunity for another family to make this special property their own. Photo / Supplied
“We have loved hearing Dorothy share her stories of the happy family times they have here, with many tears being shed, both of joy, as well as a tinge of sadness at leaving this very special home. She shares some of those stories in our video.”
Linda describes this as a generational opportunity for another family to make this special property their own.
“The big renovation in the early 2000s opened the home up for the way we live today, and now it is a really exciting blank canvas for someone else to create their forever home,” says Linda.
With quality, character waterfront properties in Devonport being tightly held and seldom coming to market, she is ready for a huge response from potential buyers.
36 Oxford Terrace in Devonport, North Shore, Auckland, is on the market for sale by tender closing March 18.
- Sponsored by Bayleys
