- A Tudor-style home in Glentunnel, built with recycled bricks from the former brickworks, is for sale.
- Yerane Davies renovated the 373sqm house, preserving its native wooden features and adding modern updates.
- The property includes a converted post office cottage, with a rental appraisal of $450 a week.
A Tudor-style mansion built on the site of a former brick works has hit the market for sale.
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The five-bedroom house at 12 Philip Street, in Glentunnel, Selwyn, has been pitched as a piece of Canterbury history.
It was built using bricks that had been left on the 2.56-hectare site after Glentunnel Brickworks closed in 1983.
The mansion’s original owners, the Begbie family, had scoured the site for building materials and cleaned every single brick by hand before putting them to use.
The old brick factory is a big part of the town’s history and character. Photo / Selwyn Libraries
They created the totara doors, rimu staircase, rounded wooden windows and other intricate features in the house.
The property’s rich history is not lost on current owner Yerane Davies, who was just 15 years old when her parents purchased the unique property in 2002.
She bought the house two-and-a-half years ago after her parents split, and has spent last year restoring it to its former glory.
She kept all the native timber but put in a new kitchen complete with a scullery and custom-crafted joinery.
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Once the renovation was finished earlier this year, Davies invited the Begbies to view the property for the first time since they sold it. She said the mother and daughter had loved what she had done.
“I spent a lot of money, and I wanted to make sure it reflected their initial vision of when they first built the house. They spent two hours walking around – just two hours reminiscing.”
Davies said she had decided to sell now that her own kids had grown up and left the nest. “My kids are sad it’s being sold because it’s so private, and the schools are so established. It just feels like a fairy tale,” she said.
The nine-month renovation included installing a new modern kitchen with custom joinery and a scullery. Photo / Supplied
The native wooden joinery crafted by the original owner are impressive features of the house. Photo / Supplied
“I want someone else to take over and love it like we have.”
Davies also felt lucky to have grown up in Glentunnel, which is about 45 minutes from Christchurch. She hadn’t known quite how wonderful it was until she returned home with her children after living in Australia. “It’s a special place – under the foothills of the Southern Alps.”
Bayleys listing agent Duncan Absolum said there was nothing else like 12 Philip Street in the area. “There’s no other house with that kind of turret. It also has a castle-like staircase at the front and a horseshoe driveway that’s just begging for a water feature. It’s so picturesque.”
He said the house, which has an RV of $1.7 million, would suit families looking for a rural lifestyle. “If you’re an active retired couple, it’s got enough land to keep you busy and enough house to host the family Christmas.”
- 12 Philip Street, in Glentunnel, Selwyn is for sale by negotiation
