Iconic Dilworth Terrace home belonging to Grand Designs stars for sale

If you know Parnell, you know the row of quaint Edwardian homes on Dilworth Terrace. Their decorative peaked roofs have been a landmark feature of the skyline for more than 125 years.

Today they are a picturesque row of eight Heritage NZ Category 1 listed homes. But they have very nearly been turned into a load of rubble, not once but twice, in the past.

Built in 1899 in the English style, the homes were threatened with demolition in the 60s, and only saved by being converted into 28, low rent flats. It was during this period that Rosemarie Dunning, who now owns one of the homes, first got to know the Terrace.

“I used to work down the road,” says Dunning. ”Many people in my age group would have been to parties there. It was young working people in the flats. Auckland Council wanted to pull them down at the time, which is quite ironic.“

Ironic, because 50 odd years later, they are now a cherished feature of Auckland’s architectural history. That the row survived to be cherished is due to the restoration work of architect Don Ellison and his wife Alison Ellison, who stepped in to save the homes when they were threatened with demolition again.

Ellison restored the buildings, and converted them back into a row of eight homes in the late 1970s.

Dunning and her husband Matthew bought 3 Dilworth Terrace in 2017, after they struggled to find an apartment that met their needs in their price range.

The couple has a love of good architecture - if their names sound familiar, it may be because you saw them with their son Nick in a recent episode of Grand Designs NZ. The history behind Dilworth was an “added bonus” for Dunning.

"Our checklist, sun on both sides, good outdoor living, elegant design, car parking, were incredibly expensive. We saw a listing for Dilworth and were just so intrigued by the elegance," she says.

“[Walking in] it's like you're in another part of the world. It's the type of place you'd find in Melbourne or London, but there's very few places in Auckland that have this volume, scale and views of the sea. It's a mews, we all did our OE in Europe, and you'd peer down those London mews, and it looked so cosmopolitan and that's what Dilworth offers.“

For a central city townhouse, the property has a lot of outdoor space. The home has private gardens to the front and rear of the house, and access to a common which is shared by all the homes.

Inside, there are three bedrooms, three bathrooms and two reception rooms, as well as a formal dining room. One of Dunning’s favourite things about the home is the size and scale of the rooms.

"Don designed his reboot very well. He put in skylights exactly where they needed to be. He brought a connectedness to all the rooms. But then you've actually got the kitchen to yourself, which can be quite good when you've got guests over."

Dunning says the house is wonderful for entertaining. They have hosted a baby shower for 40 people, as well as other family events, comfortably.

The home was large enough for them to share with their adult son, and to live in during Auckland’s five month lockdown, because there’s room to get away from each other, and come together.

If you did see the Dunnings’ episode of Grand Designs, you’ll know they now have a bespoke home in Mangawhai, designed for them by their son Nick, which is why they are parting with what is, for Dunning, an exceptional home.

"We value good design. We get a lot of pleasure out of doing a tweak, which is what we've done to this home [Dilworth]," she says. "The garden on the ground floor is like a painting to me, and I've simplified the design so that it's lovely to look down on, but still very serene."

Now, she says, the home is ready for its next custodian. Dunning imagines they will either be a young professional family with a love of architecture, a Kiwi returning from overseas, or downsizers.

“It's ideal for having your grandchildren visit. My grandchildren love riding their bikes up and down the mews, because it is so totally safe,” she says. "I've been very proud to have been a custodian for the time that we've had it. We are one of many, and we think that's a nice feeling."

With a CV of $3,175,000, No. 3 is for sale by auction which kicks off on December 3 at 10am. The listing is with Nick Gilbert for Bayleys.