Why is this place significant?

ARCHITECT/ENGINEER/DESIGNER: Patrick Young WALES (1864-1939) for MASON & WALES (Architects) ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Manono is a large two-storeyed Edwardian house. Seven hundred and forty square metres in area, the house is asymmetrical in plan and elevation and stands amidst a garden which was developed by its original owner. The brick walls of the building are simply laid in stretcher bond, beneath hipped and gabled roofs, and the surface texture of the principal elevations is enlivened by the use of timber detailing and different groupings of casement-and-fanlight windows, which break up the composition of the exterior walls into smaller units. The principal elevation of Manono faces north-east, overlooking the garden, the city, and harbour beyond. Framed by two gabled bays of unequal size, the main entrance is sheltered by a verandah and an open balcony on to which two of the first floor rooms open. The north-west elevation also features a verandah between the bow windows which light the living and dining rooms, although here the first floor balcony is roofed and extends over the living room window below. The tiled roofs have broad eaves and are bracketed or fitted with plain bargeboards which enhance the solid and unpretentious appearance of the building. Inside the house the principal rooms are arranged around a central entrance hall, stairwell and landing which make extensive use of French-polished mahogany. The walls of the hall and landing are fitted with mahogany battens and the same timber is used in the panelled ceilings of both rooms and the closely set balustrades of the half-turn stairwell. Offering a contrast in scale and colour to the darkly stained woodwork are the coloured leadlights, depicting willow leaves and bunches of grapes, which fill the sidelights and fanlights of the front door and the "stepped" window which lights the stairwell and landing. Throughout the house the internal fittings are largely intact and can be seen to their best advantage in the former library, now the living room, which has an inglenook and built-in mahogany bookcases, and in the former drawing room, now the dining room, which features a Minton tile fireplace, ornate light fittings and a decorative plaster frieze which complements the fire surround. These rooms are connected by a pair of sliding doors and together measure seventy-five square metres. The original dining room on the opposite side of the house is now the living room of a self-contained apartment. Upstairs there are seven major rooms, most of them currently used as bedrooms, and two adjacent bathrooms which are above the large kitchen and former service pantry on the ground floor. The master bedroom is the only first floor room to feature leaded fanlights, but the four largest bedrooms, one of which is now used as a workroom, all feature fireplaces with decorative surrounds. In the southern corner of the building is the former servants' wing. This originally communicated with the main section of the house but has since been converted into two self-contained flats. MODIFICATIONS: c.1940s (?) - Fire in servants' quarters; wing rebuilt in Art Deco style and extended to include a garage on the ground floor. This wing was later closed off from the rest of the house and converted into two self- contained flats.

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This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.