1860s heritage home called a ‘magical link’ to the past is on the market

Joe Brankin admits he has to pinch himself sometimes to believe he owns a slice of Canterbury history.

He’d admired the colonial-style house near Kirwee all his life. As a local, he’d seen the heritage building fall into disrepair and then undergo restoration, and when the opportunity came to buy it, Brankin and his wife Tracey didn’t think twice.

There’s a lot of history in 2195 Old West Coast Road. Built in 1864 by Charles White, the property was one of the first “coaching inns” between Christchurch and the goldfields on the West Coast.

White's Hotel, formerly known as the Courtenay Hotel, was a centre of activity in the region, hosting travellers, social activities and council meetings.

Brankin says some famous names passed through too: “One example is Arthur Dobson, who was the man who went up and discovered Arthur's Pass, which is the main route from Canterbury for the west. He stayed there on the night prior to going up and making the discovery of where the road now is.

“The forbearers of the current local body, the Selwyn District Council, had their initial meeting in the building too.

“It's quite sobering when you're in the house and you're sitting there thinking, ‘well, this room housed a meeting 160 years ago’. I actually enjoy that.”

The building had fallen into disrepair over the decades until the previous owner to Brankin took on the project, bringing it up to date by fully insulated it, doing the re-plumbing and re-wiring.

In his previous life working in real estate, Brankin was brought in to appraise the house, and ended up buying it.

The couple had a blank canvas as all the hard work had been done by the last owner: “They did a fantastic job and they didn't cut corners ... all we really had to do was just fit it out.”

The only original elements from the 1860s are the Baltic pine floorboards on the top floor and a back-to-back fireplace.

The building is designated a Heritage Place, meaning the outside, especially the view from the road, “is not to be tampered with”, but Brankin says they had more freedom inside. Following consultation with all the relevant authorities, they were allowed to take down a couple of walls to “open things up a wee bit”.

Because of its former life as a hotel, the proportions are generous inside, particularly in the kitchen: “It was designed with a commercial application in mind.”

The couple added a walk-in pantry and a large bench space to utilise the space. It flows into Brankin’s favourite room in the house, the main living room with a fireplace, or as he calls it, the “hub”. A second room with a log fire is where the couple retreat during the colder winter months.

There are two master bedroom suites, each with its own ensuite, as well as smaller rooms where beds can be added.

Outside the gardens are mature and contain trees more than 150 years old. When they first moved in 11 years ago, one of the first jobs the Brankins did was to introduce plants “in an effort to keep it as it would have been back in those early days”.

“We didn't need a lot of talent to do that. And we were fortunate there are a number of very historic, old original trees around the property.”

Brankin says the couple had initially given themselves five-to-10 years to stay in the property. It’s now 11 years and time to move on and downsize.

“We're of the age now where we're really wanting to set ourselves up for what we hope is another decade of retirement. We think that, with the amount of travel we may want to do and various other things, we have in the back of our minds something a bit smaller.”

He hopes that whoever buys the house will continue the legacy of a “magical link” to local history.

The CV in 2024 for 2195 Old West Coast Road was $1,130,000. It’s to be sold by deadline - January 14. Emma Gillard is the agent at Harcourts Four Seasons Realty, Kaiapoi.