BREVEG VILLA...

The End of an Era...

Built, owned and loved by the same family since 1885 this original square front villa is now awaiting new owners. Very well cared for over the years the home offers an exceptional opportunity to those of you who are seeking something solid and sound that you can make your own.

Right now: the 130m2 home offers 4 good sized bedrooms, separate formal living, small kitchen/dining and bathroom.

In the future: the options are endless - 797m2 of north facing sundrenched gardens make renovation/extension plans a dream for some lucky buyer.

We could go on extolling all the virtues of this unique property but thought it would be interesting for you to read the history of the home written and prepared for us by the present owners. We hope this story enchants you as much as it did us. If you have been searching for a special piece of Auckland and New Zealand history it doesn't come much better than this. Enjoy...

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

The house was built in 1885 by JAMES YOUNG, son of Joseph and Jane Young who came to Auckland aboard the 'Jane Gifford', arriving here on 9 October 1842. James was 10 - 11 years old at the time of the journey to New Zealand. His older brother (William John Young) and sister (Eliza Jane Young) were also aboard the ship. Eliza was older, and already married to Mr Archibald Scott, who did not follow the family to New Zealand until 1845, aboard the 'North Star'.

The family first lived in Shortland Street. Joseph worked on the erection of St Paul's church in lower Symonds Street, the wages being 2/- 6d per day. The family later acquired some 80 acres of land in what were then the back-blocks. They named their farm 'Arch Hill', after the farm Joseph had been raised on near Strabane, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Joseph died in 1880 on his 'Arch Hill' property at the age of 78.The district still retains that name today. The farm stretched from what is now Great North Road, down the gulley where now the North Western Motorway cuts through, and up the other side to the Morningside area.

James Young married Anna Breveg (born 1832), a young lady who had travelled to New Zealand from Norway. James built the house in Western Springs Road, at the far end of what had been the 'Arch Hill' farm. The house was the second to be built on the road, after 'Hastings Hall', which also still stands today. The house was known as 'Breveg Villa', and had a brass name plate bearing that name for many years. At some point it was removed and has since been lost, but recently replaced with a new version.

James and Anna lived in the house for the rest of their lives, having two sons to carry on the 'Young' family name; Joseph Breveg Young was the first born, followed by William John Young.
James was blinded by a kick to the face from a horse when the boys were still young, and died at the age of 66 in 1901. Anna continued living on her own with her sons, until William (Bill) married and built his own house at the top of Tuarangi Road. Joseph (Joe) married Janet Fleming, and they lived with Anna until he built his own house next door, at 45 Western Springs Road. They had two daughters and a son (deceased as a baby) by the time they moved into their new home in 1912/13. Another daughter was born in 1915.

Anna continued living in the house until her death in November 1921 at the age of 89. She is buried alongside James in the Anglican section of Waikumete Cemetery, with further family members, including both their sons, and grandchildren, being added over the years. After Anna's death, the house was rented out to several families, until Joe's middle daughter (Muriel) married (Paul Andersen) and they moved into 47 to make this their own home. They had two children - Timothy and Susan. They lived here together until Paul's death in 1996, and Muriel (Billie) continued on her own until failing health necessitated hospital care in 2009. She passed away in 2010 at the age of 99!

The house is now 127 years old, and much is still original. The living room, with the pantry off to the side, was the kitchen / scullery - with the range where the fireplace now is. The back door used to be where the porch enters the kitchen. The kitchen and bathroom have been added to what would have been a continuation of the verandas. A 'long drop' used to be at the bottom of the garden where ladder ferns now grow. A gas heater used to heat the water in the bathroom for the original claw foot bath, which is still there today. The fireplaces in two of the bedrooms are original, but the lounge one was modernised in the 1950's.The sliding doors replaced those like the bedroom doors - during the 1960's. A wooden paling fence between the two properties was there until the mid '50's

All the fruit trees (21 at last count) were planted by Paul, and provided the family with an abundant supply of fruit for jam through the seasons. The vegetable garden used to cover the entire bottom part of the section. The wooden lacework and brackets, which used to adorn the front and side verandas, were removed in the early 1960's - and burnt as firewood! A photograph showing the style is still available. The wooden front steps and sides were replaced when too fragile in the 1960's as well. Concrete paths were added in the 1970's, along with the carport. The original roof lasted (just!) until it was replaced in 2007, along with most of the spouting in 2008. An upgrade of stormwater drainage on the property was completed by Auckland City Council in 2006.

An era has come to an end for the Young family, and it is now time for a new family to stamp their mark on this amazing property, which has such a long history stretching back to the Colonial times of Early Auckland.

Susan (Sue) Andersen
June 2012
(Verification of Joseph and Jane, and their children William, James and Eliza, can be found in the publication "Early Settlers Roll" - available on-line through Google search)