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The historic Riverina homestead, on the corner of Hepburn Creek and Wilson Roads in Warkworth, is on the market.
Built in 1901 as the retirement home of pioneering industrialist Nathaniel Wilson, founder of Wilson’s Cement Works, it is a Category 2 Historic Place, set on 5.4 hectares.
Heritage Mahurangi chair Dave Parker says Riverina holds a special place in local hearts, and in his own.
“(Former owner) Bev Simmons was very passionate about heritage. It was her influence that inspired me to form Heritage Mahurangi with a focus on preservation, protection and promotion of our district’s history,” he says.
Since Beverley’s passing in 2018, the estate has been held in trust by Perpetual Guardian, which has now made the decision to sell the property. Parker says he hopes the next owners will “fully understand the building’s significance and re-establish this unique heritage homestead with love and passion”.
Built from locally fired clay and lime blocks, the internal rooms are marked by soaring ceilings, decorative timber mouldings, polished kauri floors and finely crafted joinery with a traditional farmhouse kitchen. The plaster cornices and ceiling roses were made by an Italian craftsman from Sydney.
A sweeping staircase connects to the upper level, where three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a study or nursery overlook the stately grounds and surrounding hills.
During World War II, the homestead served as an army headquarters, then in the mid-1950s, it was the home of Keith Baker, the manager of a road building gang, and his wife. They shared the house with “a couple of dozen road construction workers to keep them company” while they upgraded the highway from Dairy Flat to Wellsford. The house continued to be used for groups of workers in the 1960s, when it became a hostel for postal and telegraph workers.
It was lovingly restored and structurally reinforced in 1969 by Ronald and Beverley Simmons. Their dedication preserved the villa’s elegance for decades, ensuring it remained one of Warkworth’s most distinguished landmarks.
Bayleys is selling the property by tender closing November 27, if not sold prior.
Riverina was featured in Mahurangi Matters in 2010. To read the article, go to: https://www.localmatters.co.nz/news/local-landmark-riverina
