Bruce Renshaw’s family connection to the quiet cul-de-sac at the end of Victoria Avenue, where he lives with wife Sue, goes back 150 years to when his great-grandfather, Royal Navy Captain Thomas Capel Tilly, made the first of many journeys from England to New Zealand.
Having developed an affection for Auckland, in 1870, Captain Tilly purchased a large block of land that lay between the site of today’s St Kentigern School and Victoria Avenue – running from Shore Road to Wilson’s Beach, the latter named for Auckland’s iconic Wilson family – once publishers of the Herald.
Captain Tilly built a magnificent home for himself but much of the the land surrounding it was eventually sold off in parcels by his descendants during the Great Depression of the 1930s and is now a neighbourhood of 25 or so homes, including Bruce and Sue’s, which was constructed during the early 1980s on a 1057sqm site the couple bought from Bruce’s mother, Joan Tilly.
“We wanted it to have an English feel, so we repurposed 120-year-old bricks from demolished buildings in Queen Street and Karangahape Road to ensure that although it was new, our house looked as if it had been there a long time,” says Bruce.
Start your property search
The three-bedroom property with its pretty dormer windows and a gracious north-facing veranda also has a home office along with a generous kitchen, dining, living and entertaining areas infused with plenty of natural light. It also has a pool.
“We’ve looked after it carefully and upgraded the kitchen and bathrooms along the way, but I think a new owner would probably want to make some more major changes,” Bruce says.
The vendors repurposed 120-year-old bricks from demolished buildings in Queen Street and K Rd to build their home. Photo / Supplied
Bruce and Sue Renshaw are in their late 70s now and enjoying overseas travel so they’ve decided to downsize. Photo / Supplied
While he has certainly enjoyed his home, surrounded by country-style white roses, as well as kiwi nikau palms for a tropical touch, Bruce is at his happiest when out on the water.
“Mine was the classic kiwi childhood. I was always swimming, fishing and sailing with friends from Remuera and Parnell,” he says.
His passion for small, and remarkably secluded Wilson’s Beach, reached via a private walkway, has been lifelong, and he has recently taken an interest in the re-sanding of the beach and building of the walkway around the foreshore, which begins there.
Bruce and Sue are in their late 70s now and enjoying overseas travel so they’ve decided it’s time to downsize.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has a floor plan of 202sqm and sits on a 1057sqm section. Photo / Supplied
The couple bought the section from Bruce’s mother, Joan Tilly, granddaughter of Captain Thomas Capel Tilly. Photo / Supplied
Chances are they won’t be going too far though. The near neighbours hold a regular summer party at the beach each year and wild horses wouldn’t keep Bruce away – especially as a plaque celebrating Captain Tilly’s life and notable achievements is now situated there.
Steve Koerber, from Bayleys, says that Bruce and Sue’s home is very pleasant, with plenty of scope for refurbishment, but as opportunities to buy land in this special spot are rare, a prospective buyer might appreciate the potential for development.
“I can imagine somebody building an incredible new dream home on the site and taking full advantage of the views.”
- 279 Victoria Avenue in Remuera, Auckland, is for sale by tender, closing October 16
