Built in circa 1898, the house at 63 Aldwins Road in the Christchurch suburb of Linwood has aesthetic and architectural significance as a standard small square villa built, unusually, in stone by well-known builder William Rennie for himself and his family.

In November 1898 Mary Josephine Fuchs sold the section of land at 63 Aldwins Road to William Rennie for £48 10s and Rennie probably built the cottage soon after. Scottish born and trained carpenter, Rennie worked in the United Kingdom, North America and South Africa before settling in New Zealand and was the senior partner of the building firm Rennie and Pearce (established 1888). The firm built several large buildings in Christchurch, including Canterbury Hall (later City Council Civic Offices, now demolished) and the renowned extensive residence Holly Lea (McLean’s Mansion).

The single storeyed house is a good example of a standard small square villa in terms of scale, layout and general design yet the choice of stone as a building material is not common in Christchurch for this style of building. Of note are the neat squared basalt rubble walls and finely executed dressed stone door and window reveals. The main façade has a central front door flanked by sash windows, and a narrow verandah with a sloping roof.

Rennie died in 1908 but the property remained in family ownership until 1935 when it was sold to William John McIlroy. Minor changes have been made to the building. Some original window frames have been replaced in aluminium, and a sunroom extension has been added to the rear of the house. Damage was caused to the building in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2011.