Architectural designer selling show-stopper home after luxury restoration

Canterbury architectural designer Simon Johnson, a new-build specialist, recognises the irony of owning and living in an 1870s Victorian villa.

But when he and wife Annie viewed Hamilton House in 2022, they immediately saw the potential of the old two-storey property in Springston to be their “forever” family home.

“I grew up in the country, not far from here on a farm in Southbridge and my wife grew up in a house similar to this in New Plymouth. When we moved back from Brisbane a few years ago we really wanted to have the country lifestyle,” he says.

The couple have spent the past three years turning the historic home into a show-stopper - a happy marriage between original fixtures and fittings and comfortable, contemporary style.

The result is a country house par excellence - replete with polished timber floors, leadlight windows, ceiling roses and moulded fireplaces.

“It was easy to see past the cosmetic issues that were here when we bought it, and in terms of the house, the structure was very sound,” Johnson says.

“We’ve tried to bring a lot to it, but we’ve been careful to retain the history and integrity of the house. There’s a lot of beautiful old features like the wood panelling and the crystal chandeliers that were bought over from Paris last century, but we’ve also tried to make it modern and comfortable.”

Hamilton House is a well-known historic property in the Canterbury region. According to handwritten notes left by a former owner the house, originally called Hatton Farm, was built from wood felled on Banks Peninsula, rafted across Lake Ellesmere and transported by bullock-pulled sleds to the site.

It’s also featured in the Canterbury Country House IV book by Vicky Heward, which sheds more light on the owners of Hamilton House, who came and went over the decades, including Harry and Rose Hamilton who stayed for 50-odd years and who the property is now named after.

“In the last year or so we had members of the Hamilton family here for a reunion,’ says Johnson. “They’ve got such strong ties to the house.”

There are some lovely nods to the story of this house still in existence - the original deed of sale and old photos of previous owners are framed for display, and they will be passed on with the property.

As befitting a grand country home, Hamilton House is approached from a coach-lamp lighted drive. It boasts five double bedrooms, three bathrooms, three living areas, a tennis court, a study, a gym room and an annexe - all on a 5059m² parcel of land. In the early years of the house, what is now a three-car garage was used to stable horses and house the family’s carriage.

One of the more obvious updates is the tennis court, which the Johnson’s put in for their two children, who love playing. The gardens were also extensively landscaped and, as well as the 100-year-old elm at the front of the house, there are fruit trees, a glasshouse, a hen run, a water feature and a wisteria-cloaked pergola.

Johnson says the property has been an ideal place for the family, in part because it has the benefits of a tranquil country lifestyle, but without the stress and maintenance which goes with having to manage extensive farmland.

The family have now decided to move closer into town - and Johnson is designing a new build for them to live in. “We’re going from a 5000m² property to a 450m² one so that will be a bit of a shock,” he laughs.

“This was going to be our forever home. But our kids are now at school in town and my work is there too and it’s just a bit too much commuting time. It will be hard to leave - the kids really enjoy running around this property and they’re hand-rearing chickens at the moment. We probably won’t fully appreciate this until we don’t have it.”

Hamilton House at 68 Curries Road, Springston, Canterbury is being sold by auction on December 11, unless sold prior. There is an open home on Sunday November 16. The CV on the property is $1.43 million.