AUCKLAND

Two 'Grand Dames' of Devonport recognised

Lochiel House (left) and Considine House.

Two Devonport residences, Lochiel (List No. 4525) and Considine House (List No. 4520), have been added to the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Korero as Category 2 historic places, formally identifying the century-old homes as places of heritage significance.

WRITER & IMAGES: Anthony Phillips

Located on Auckland’s North Shore, Devonport has retained many of its well-preserved 19th and early 20th Century buildings including the recently listed Lochiel and Considine House (former). These two visually prominent Devonport landmarks were built at a time when Devonport was emerging as one of Auckland’s growing desirable suburbs. The houses are very different from each other, but both are fine examples of villa-style architecture and contribute to the special heritage character of Devonport. Lochiel With commanding views over Torpedo Bay looking across to the Auckland city skyline, Lochiel sits nobly within its setting. Built at the end of the 19th century, it is a good example of a well preserved, two-storey villa in the Gothic Revival style; richly ornamental with the bay windows, gables and veranda incorporating highly decorative timberwork.

Lochiel reflects the financial success of Malcom Murchie, a tailor operating in central Auckland. Murchie bought one of the Torpedo Bay lots in 1874, 11 years after immigrating to New Zealand from Scotland, and built his first house there. He then bought additional neighbouring lots in the 1880s, and in 1891 replaced his original house with the impressive Lochiel – a clear trophy of prosperity that remained within the Murchie family until 1959. “By 1883, Murchie was the largest importer of tweeds in New Zealand and had even taken a trip with his family to London in 1885 where he personally selected tweeds to import for his Auckland business,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Heritage Assessment Advisor, Alexandra Foster.

Considine House Built 14 years after Lochiel, Considine House, by contrast, is a single-storeyed, double-bay villa described as having “noble proportions” and a classic Marseilles tile roof. Other features include its ornate fretwork, leaded stain glass and decorative pressed metal panels inside. Thomas Considine, born in County Limerick in Ireland, moved to New Zealand in 1885, marrying Jessie Boyd in 1902. Their Devonport house was built as a family home. “Thomas Considine worked as chief storeman and grocer in Auckland’s city centre and was active in local politics, serving as vice president of the Waitemata Liberal Labour Federation, a member of the Devonport Borough Council and, on at least one occasion, as Acting Mayor,” says Alexandra. “He was also one of four council members to represent the Borough at the funeral of the ‘Father of Auckland’, John Logan Campbell.” After the Considines sold up in 1913, Robert Cleland lived there with his wife Annie and their children. Cleland distinguished himself in racing circles by being the first person to win the Melbourne Cup with a New Zealandowned horse in 1907. He also worked as a tobacconist and a bookmaker and was the proprietor of the King George Picture Theatre in central Auckland – one of the earliest cinemas in Auckland – during the time he was living at the house. Josephine Grierson, Trustee of the Lochiel Trust, is pleased with the new listing. “Lochiel has stood proudly against the elements for 130 years and is part of the fabric of Devonport’s architectural heritage. It's wonderful that its listing will help protect it for the future,” she says. As part of the heritage assessment process, Alexandra has conducted significant research on the houses and their histories as well as the history of the area. “Both Lochiel and Considine House are wonderful examples of villa architecture which contribute to the special heritage character of this suburb,” she says. “They reflect a certain amount of ornamentation and public display common for the period; they also convey the status and material achievement of a rising middle class in colonial Auckland society. Both houses have stories to tell.” n