Waione

22 Domett Avenue, Epsom, AUCKLAND

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Situated in Domett Avenue in Epsom, Waione is an Arts and Crafts-style cottage designed by the noted Auckland architectural practice of Bamford and Pierce. Constructed in circa 1910-11, the timber dwelling is a distinctive design based on the concept of a butterfly floor plan and illustrates the design skill and attention to detail for which Bamford and Pierce were renowned. The site lies within an area successively occupied by Ngati Awa, Te Waiohua and Ngati Whatua before Auckland's founding in 1840 as colonial capital. Subdivided into farms as early as 1842, Epsom became renowned for its large country homes and later as a prestigious city suburb. The site lies within a former Crown endowment reserve that was subdivided as the Alburnia Estate in 1906, possibly to assist with raising funds for construction of an Infirmary Ward for Incurables at the nearby Costley Home for the Aged Poor. Real estate agent Arthur Frater (1882?-1957) took on the lease for the site in 1909, the year of his marriage to May Hesketh (1885?-1971), and soon began erecting a matrimonial home. Hesketh was the daughter of a local body politician and longstanding member of the Auckland Anglican Synod, Samuel Hesketh, who was a senior partner of the prominent law firm Hesketh and Richmond. Designed by the Auckland architectural practice of F. Noel Bamford (1881-1952) and A.P. Hector Pierce (1879-1918), construction of Waione appears to have been underway by October 1910. The single-storey cottage reflects the influence of the rural-inspired English Arts and Crafts movement adopted in New Zealand in the early years of the twentieth century, which particularly appealed to those who saw themselves as building a new Britain. The building's low-sweeping roof, shingled gables, slender brick chimneys and small-pane sash windows drew on the designs of eminent English Arts and Crafts architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens, under whom New Zealand-born Bamford and Pierce both studied. Detailing included subtle single-piece timber hood mouldings, shingling, and terracotta vents in basalt foundation walls, which stemmed from philosophies favouring natural materials and simple craftsmanship. Other elements, such as Tuscan columns, suggest Queen Anne Revival influences. The concept of a butterfly floor plan, adopted at Waione and for an earlier 1907 Bamford-designed residence, represented a significant departure from the predominant villa house style of the time. The three-bedroom cottage comprised two irregularly orientated wings radiating from a substantial central area containing an entrance hall, living and dining room. The layout enabled the compartmentalisation of the sleeping and ablution area; the living area; and the kitchen or service area with a small outbuilding adjoining. A verandah overlooked Waione's extended grounds which included an adjoining lot to the east. Subsequent alterations included the extension of the bathroom (1928) and the master bedroom (1947) into the verandah space, and an addition to the kitchen wing. In circa 1963 a fourth bedroom was provided and the site was subdivided to its current size. Some internal partitions have also been removed to achieve open-plan living and better indoor-outdoor flow. Waione remains in use as a private residence. Waione has aesthetic significance as a timber cottage of visually interesting design. The place has architectural significance as an early single-storey Arts and Crafts-style house designed on a variation of the butterfly floor plan. It is also of value as a comparatively early work by the noted Auckland architectural partnership of Bamford and Pierce, and as one of a relatively small number of works by the practice. Waione has social value for reflecting the existence of social networks and relationships among a group that provided Bamford and Pierce with a number of their architectural commissions. Members of this group included wealthy professionals and individuals connected with the Anglican Church, as well as direct and indirect relatives.

Waione, Epsom | Joan McKenzie | 15/09/2009 | NZ Historic Places Trust
Porch with flared roof and Tuscan columns, main entrance, west elevation (looking east) | Joan McKenzie | 15/09/2009 | NZ Historic Places Trust

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 2

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

4506

Date Entered

4th April 2010

Date of Effect

4th April 2010

City/District Council

Auckland Council

Region

Auckland Council

Extent of List Entry

Extent includes the land described as Lot 1 DP 52430 (RT NA3C/684), North Auckland Land District and the buildings known as Waione thereon, and their fittings and fixtures. (Refer to map in Appendix 1 of the registration report for further information).

Legal description

Lot 1 DP 52430 (RT NA3C/684), North Auckland Land District

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