Greenock history
This Colonial house was built in the early 1850’s, originally on a block of land at the top of Curran Street and Shelly Beach Road, Deadwood (now Herne bay). The land around the house was subdivided in the 1880’s, keeping two sections, one behind the house on Shelly Beach road and the main section on Curran Street (no 9). Unfortunately most of these homes are gone or hugely alter
ed, although the shops on Jervious road remain. A developer purchased the property in 1992 and wanted the house removed to make room for a row of town houses. The house was moved to the family farm at Karaka in January 1993. The house was in a very poor state of repair and looked very neglected. No maintenance had been carried out for at least 50 years: There had been no rubbish collections, power or water for at least 15 years. The house had been empty for about six months when I purchased it. The previous owner had lived in the house since she was a child in World War Two. She had turned quite eccentric in later years and boarded herself up in the house as it fell into disrepair around her. She was taken into care after a severe stroke and has since passed away. Major water damage from two internal gutters, a weak point in these early homes, had caused one wall to collapse and the house to sag in the centre. This put most buyers off, but proved not too difficult to repair. The house was very original; some of the windows had been replaced in the forties and fifties. The veranda had been removed, and the drawing room was enlarged into this space with a thirties bay window fitted on the front. A laundry was added to the scullery and removed as we moved the house. Having had little or no maintenance the house was saved from the destructive renovations that have destroyed the integrity of a lot of New Zealand’s old homes. We moved the house in four sections and many truckloads of bricks, windows, doors, timber etc. All the bricks were handmade, having shells and the makers thumb print in many. When we started to dismantle the house for removal we could see that the construction was of the rarely seen balloon construction, with the wall studs made in one length of timber from the floor bearers to the roof (Kauri was plentiful in those days). All the framing joints were mortised and tennoned with minimum nailing. Handmade nails were pricey, while labor was inexpensive. Because of assembly marks on timber framing, balloon framing construction, generous dimensions for its era and American styling, I suspect that the house is a Pre-fabricated from America, most likely San Francisco. Kauri was often taken over as ships ballast with some coming back as a Pre-fabricated houses. It was built in two stages; with the interior being fitted later, looking around 1860’s or 1870’s. The interior would have been quite Spartan if the house was completed in the 1850’s. Once situated on sight we replaced the under bearers, did all the necessary repairs, then lower the house onto its new footings. The exterior was completely stripped and the incorrect window openings were framed to accept the original style windows. All the frame work was repaired as necessary and most of the windows were replaced with new units. The thirties bay window was removed and the drawing room restored to its original size. Both front and rear doors and the bay window were stripped and restored. I have kept all trims, ceilings, stairs, moldings, door hardware, mantles and coloured glass from the house or found correct replacements. All electrical, plumbing and heating fittings are period to fit in with the house. I have made five changes to the original design, all made sympathetically and in keeping with the design.
• I have installed two internal bathrooms; the downstairs bathroom is where the washroom was at the end of the hall. It includes a claw foot bath and Victorian toilet and hand basin. I enlarged a cupboard at the end of the upstairs hallway to accommodate the bathroom; this has a shower, wash stand and Victorian toilet.
• The addition of the upstairs bathroom necessitated fitting a dormer window at the front of the house. I also fitted dormers in the three double bedrooms to balance the design.
• The verandah was originally fitted to the front of the house; I enlarged this to go around the corner as well, period French doors replaced the windows from the drawing and dining rooms.
• A balcony from the master bedroom was built over the existing scullery, with the window being replaced by a set of French doors.
• For mainly practical reasons I fitted a small porch over the back door, once again this was built to match the styling of the house. New weather boards were machined to match and the exterior was reclad, restoring all the original exterior details. The chimneys were rebuilt using the original bricks and reproduction chimney pots. The roof was very rusty and once removed we could see the original hand slit kauri shakes or shingles. I have reroofed in Welsh slate recycled from the Dunedin University, which is in keeping for a house of this age. The ridges, valleys, gutters, spouting and downpipes have all been replaced in copper. The exterior and parlour were completed in 1998 for a friend’s wedding; the garden was also started at this time. All interior scrim boards have been replaced with gib board and this with the four fireplaces, completely hidden DVS, and full insulation make this cosy in winter and cool in summer. Both bathrooms, parlour, hallway, and master bedrooms have been completed. Plumbing, wiring, insulation and ventilation systems have also been completed, leaving little to do to finish the remaining rooms. The Kitchen will be complete last, with period cabinetry and fittings, modern appliances will be hidden away. The kauri floor will be polished and stained dark with a matt finish throughout the house. The three main downstairs rooms; Parlour, Drawing room and Dining room downstairs have fireplaces fitted with modern open fire boxes behind tiled cast iron Victorian registers and the correct Kauri mantles. The kitchen has a cast iron coal range fitted with a wet back. All the fireplaces when new would have had simple bricked fireplaces, with the kitchen having a bar over the top to hang your pots from for cooking. The gardens have been evolving along with the house and are now well matured and frame the house perfectly. A garage in the style of a stable will be the next project outside. In 2004 an American movie “Boogeyman” was filmed here using the house for the exterior shots. This was a horror film and the house was aged down to make it look creepy and derelict. They gave the gardens the same look and they took quite a hammering during this time. After they finished the pond was dug and the rest of the section was planted. A music video from Kiwi band Blind Spot, Truly Deeply was filmed here in 1995. I’m in the process of completing painting the exterior of the house for the second time; it is nice to see the last of the “aged” paint from the movie. I was unable to find the houses original name so I have named the house Greenock, after the coastal village some of my ancestors departed from on their way to New Zealand. The Scottish meaning for Greenock is “basking in a sunny meadow” which seemed appropriate. We love our home and will never part with it. At this stage I’m looking at leaving the house to the Karaka community as a Museum when we die; hopefully this will ensure the houses survival in its original state for generations to come. Ian Ferguson and Kevin hunt.
