Terry Sutcliffe is a fervent collector and restorer of timepieces but his interest in items from yesteryears extends much further, and when he bought the house on the corner of Collingwood and Heke Streets he had a feeling it would be full of pleasant surprises.
The parcels of land changed hands several times before they were purchased in 1874 by a French polisher, Edward Drinkwater and he, or one of the former owners, erected a brick building on one of the lots, probably where Terry’s house now stands. He obtained a list of all the ownership transfers in the Deeds Register Office pertaining to Auckland and bought the house from the latest owner, Doctor Ruth Helen Butterworth who received a gong for services to tertiary education and had owned it since 1978. He learned from Ruth that number 17 had once been a hub of the Labour Party and the young Helen Clark cycled to many of the meetings held there.
Once Terry and his wife gained possession of the house they embarked on a refurbishment that eventuated into a major restoration project which was costly and time consuming. However, they were determined to bring the house back to its original state no matter what. The downstairs bathroom was falling apart but they managed to rescue some tiles that depicted major causes that were a reflection of what was happening during Ruth’s time, such as the Dawn Raids, Bastion Point, the All Black game against South Africa, the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior and others.
These were probably done by studio potter, Warren Tippet whose work was a departure from the traditional anglo-oriental stoneware that dominated pottery until new aesthetics started to emerge. Warren’s colourful work was radically different and reflected a Pacific setting, as well as Asian and Mediterranean ceramic influences. They are a work of art and Terry has set them on a framed panel that will be set on a wall in the house.
When the house was being prepared for a paint job, Terry noticed high up under the eaves on the Heke Street corner a small piece of metal that bore the original name, Clyde Street, but would have been painted over after the name change. Another intriguing sheet of metal was exposed after the old fibrous board lining in the basement was removed. It proved to be Muntz metal, which is an alloy of zinc and copper used for cladding wooden ships to protect them from an underwater worm, Teredo navalis, that attacks floating and submerged wood, the damage undetectable till the whole structure collapses.
Terry’s assumption is that whoever built the house went down to the Freemans Bay shipyards to obtain seven sheets in order to fireproof the wall behind the coal range. After a thorough cleansing and polishing the Muntz trademark became visible and the metal regained its original gleaming patina. These will also be displayed in the house along with the tiles.
Leading down into the basement there is a huge stained-glass sash window that extends from the floor to the ceiling allowing access to a balcony. It’s a very important architectural feature not commonly seen in New Zealand houses. They are sometimes called box or Yorkshire windows, where they were once widely used. Other features such as the original gas and rewired old light fittings have been retained so everything is original.
The Suttcliffe’s project was to take the lovely old villa built of heart kauri back to its original state and they hope it will last another hundred years and maybe beyond. Terry loves old houses because their history speaks to him. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS)