Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value Bell House is one of four similar houses built for officers of the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps stationed at Howick and Panmure. Completed in 1851, it was built for Captain Charles Henry Montressor-Smith, of the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps. On 10 January 1851 Captain Smith received a Crown Grant of Lot 22 Pakuranga. The land (99 acres) had access to the tidal reach of the Pakuranga creek. Captain and Mrs Smith were temporarily housed in Cook Street, Howick, while their new house was being completed. According to contemporary reports, Mrs Smith was not too happy with the new residence. It was built on low ground near the creek and the Captain and his wife and servant were often ill. Captain Smith and his family left for another fencible settlement, Panmure in 1856. He sold all his land (Lot 22 plus Lot 26, a total of 78 hectares) to a wealthy Australian, Robert King. Twelve years later, King sold the house and half the land to a Scottish immigrant, David Bell. The property remained in the ownership of the Bell family until 1974, when R.A. Bell donated the entire house and grounds to the Historic Places Trust. Because of this association with the Bell family - one of the early Pakuranga families, this building has considerable regional significance. The house did not remain on its original location. In 1895 Ben Paton, a builder from Howick, removed the house to its present position for the owner, Alexander Bell.

Physical Significance

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: Bell House is one of the few remaining examples of a fencible officer's cottage. Houses built for private soldiers were double unit cottages (until 1847) and after this, single unit cottages. As Bell House was built for an officer, however, it was an elegant two storied homestead. There are very few remaining examples of this type of home remaining. The only other known example is the house standing at 7 Sale Street, Howick (from which the Bell house is believed to have been copied). Earlier examples of the architectural style of Bell House, described as 'Mission style' or 'portable Georgian' are the Kemp House in the Bay of Islands (1821) or The Elms in Tauranga (1847). The officers' houses in the Waikato, similar in appearance if not in plan, were exemplified by Bell House. The designs for the fencible cottages came from Army Ordinance Depots in England or Australia. Local materials were used but the bricks for the foundations, the chimneys and wells were sent out from England as ship's ballast. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE: Bell House is a significant structure within Lloyd Elsmore Park, in which various buildings of the Howick Colonial Village are located. Bell House is not visible from the main Pakuranga highway, but is prominently situated on Bells Road on the entrance to the Village.