Located in the Willowbank Residential Heritage Precinct, 2 Willowbank was built in 1898 by builder and developer William King. The building has historic, architectural and aesthetic significance as a notable example of vernacular, brick cottage that was popular in the Victorian colonial era and is important to the streetscape of historic precinct.
Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kāi Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. Traditional Māori place names include Ōwheo (the Water of Leith), a river that runs in North Dunedin in front of the property, would have facilitated travel by waka from the coast to places further inland and the mouth of Ōwheo, known as Te Tutai o Te Matauira, was likely a valuable settlement area for accessing kaimoana and other resources.
By the 1870s Pākehā settlement also saw the value of the Water of the Leith and breweries and distilleries were established in the area where they could access a source of fresh water. Well Park Brewery was established in Block 34 by George Duncan in 1862 and later operated by James Wilson. James Wilson went bankrupt in 1894 and the many sections he owned taken over by the Standard Insurance Company. Builder William King purchased these sections from Standard Insurance Company of New Zealand in 1898, as well as others in the block.
King was selling land and new brick buildings in the 1890s and he operated initially from the corner of Duke and George Street. He first entered into partnership with Richard Pope and George Albery. After their deaths King continued, operating on a large scale in buying and subdividing blocks of land and building on some, particularly from 1894-1898. He built nearby 1008 George Street (List no 4731), 1014 George Street (List No 4732) and Victoria Terraces (List No 2232), all of which are strikingly similar and all add to the attractive streetscape. King quickly on sold the property at 2 Willowbank with the newly built house to Walter and Isabella Evans who had recently arrived from Orepuki, Southland with Walter pursuing study for the Presbyterian Church. He sold the property in 1902.
2 Willowbank is a notable example of a vernacular, brick cottage that was popular in the Victorian colonial era and is important to the streetscape of historic precinct. It has a steeply pitched roof with brick chimneys with corbelled tops. The house has 4 bedrooms with a hall running through the middle that connects the rooms. It has many interior decorative features such as skirtings, door and window architrave’s, mantlepieces and fireplaces.
The house passed to Robert (tailor) and Alice Rossbotham (she advertised painting at the house in 1909) in 1904 until 1924 where it was let out. There have been a few owners over the next few decades and property has been little altered since its original construction. The bathroom fixtures were replaced in 1983 and a new wood burner was installed in 2014. The current owners have owned and cared for the house since 1989.
Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kāi Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. Traditional Māori place names include Ōwheo (the Water of Leith), a river that runs in North Dunedin in front of the property, would have facilitated travel by waka from the coast to places further inland and the mouth of Ōwheo, known as Te Tutai o Te Matauira, was likely a valuable settlement area for accessing kaimoana and other resources.
By the 1870s Pākehā settlement also saw the value of the Water of the Leith and breweries and distilleries were established in the area where they could access a source of fresh water. Well Park Brewery was established in Block 34 by George Duncan in 1862 and later operated by James Wilson. James Wilson went bankrupt in 1894 and the many sections he owned taken over by the Standard Insurance Company. Builder William King purchased these sections from Standard Insurance Company of New Zealand in 1898, as well as others in the block.
King was selling land and new brick buildings in the 1890s and he operated initially from the corner of Duke and George Street. He first entered into partnership with Richard Pope and George Albery. After their deaths King continued, operating on a large scale in buying and subdividing blocks of land and building on some, particularly from 1894-1898. He built nearby 1008 George Street (List no 4731), 1014 George Street (List No 4732) and Victoria Terraces (List No 2232), all of which are strikingly similar and all add to the attractive streetscape. King quickly on sold the property at 2 Willowbank with the newly built house to Walter and Isabella Evans who had recently arrived from Orepuki, Southland with Walter pursuing study for the Presbyterian Church. He sold the property in 1902.
2 Willowbank is a notable example of a vernacular, brick cottage that was popular in the Victorian colonial era and is important to the streetscape of historic precinct. It has a steeply pitched roof with brick chimneys with corbelled tops. The house has 4 bedrooms with a hall running through the middle that connects the rooms. It has many interior decorative features such as skirtings, door and window architrave’s, mantlepieces and fireplaces.
The house passed to Robert (tailor) and Alice Rossbotham (she advertised painting at the house in 1909) in 1904 until 1924 where it was let out. There have been a few owners over the next few decades and property has been little altered since its original construction. The bathroom fixtures were replaced in 1983 and a new wood burner was installed in 2014. The current owners have owned and cared for the house since 1989.
