Built in the 1890s, one of Karori’s first farmhouses has hit the market.
Loved by many families over the generations, the walls of this three bedroom home are packed with history.
Located at 136 Parkvale Road, the property is brought to market by Ray White Karori agents Will Calder and Lucy Clements on behalf of the vendor who has owned the property since 1989. The vendor decided to sell as she has moved into a retirement village.
“The most appealing aspect of the house is its authenticity,” Ms Clements said.
“The fact that it hasn’t changed over the generations is what makes it unique.
“The original weatherboards were probably handsawn. It still carries the quaintess and charm from when it was first constructed. We don’t see that very often.
“When you enter the property you can almost sense the history it holds.
“You can imagine the families over the generations sitting at the kitchen table. You can see where the flour was stored, where the meals were cooked, where the clothes were washed.”
Once, while working in the garden, the vendor was approached by an elderly gentleman who came up the driveway and introduced himself, stating that he had grown up in the house and had lived there in the 1920s.
“Eleven children grew up in the modest little cottage. The boys slept upstairs in an attic room and a small bedroom downstairs was for the girls,” Ms Clements said.
“With no official bathroom, the children would walk to another house once a week, further up the hill, to boil up the copper to have a bath.
“In the 1930s, during the Depression, the family took in two Irish men who were down on their luck to camp on their property.
“These men were builders and actually rebuilt parts of the cottage.”
Located on a large 617sqm site, close to Karori mall, schools, and cafes with an easy walk to the CBD, Ms Clements said the property would suit a range of buyers including historians and developers.
The property is being offered for sale via tender, closing on 5 October at 1pm.