Picture a cottage that would fulfil all your wishes, not just three. Imagine a charming 1895 weatherboard with a bullnose veranda and a white picket fence, on a pretty street where rhododendrons and cherries bloom in spring and maples flame in autumn. Even better than a fairy-tale, this one’s for real!
“Ackroydon” was always going to enchant, it was built that way. Throughout its long and gracious years the home has been tenderly cared for and sympathetically renovated. It feels like home, even if it’s not yoursyet! It has an ambience that invites you to linger, relax, enjoy, curl up with a book on a comfy sofa with a cuppa and a cat. You want to have scones in the kitchen and GandTs on the veranda. You want to pick flowers in the garden. You daydream about dining under the stars with good friends by lantern light on long summer nights. Even if delightful weatherboards aren’t your thing(there are such people, apparently), prepare yourself to be surprisingly infatuated with this irresistible pocket full of Hat Hill Road gorgeousness.
Let’s start with the tick boxes: 15 minutes’ walk to town, a level landscaped corner block (dual access) with just the right amount of lawn, off-street parking, north-facing living and sunny verandah, tank water (for garden and toilet flushing), solar power, open fireplaces, gas central heating, not too big, not too little. Want more?- exquisite leadlight windows, ornate timber mantle, panelled coloured glass, timber-lined interiors, lamb’s wool insulation, dado rails and a renovated bathroom with a deep free standing bath. In the backyard, throw in for good measure an entire other self-contained cottage (one bedroom and bathroom, perfect for AirBnB income, granny flat or studio), that sits prettily in a cottage garden frame. Plus, there’s a welcoming bona fide fairy tree and a cute as a button backyard shed – throw open the double doors and voila – it’s a garden room!
There’s still even more to delight, but you must come and see for yourself to confirm if it’s your flavour of sweet, comfortable, historical charm. With nothing to do – except perhaps continue the custodial tradition of adding elements to enhance its character even further and update here and there – this one will long continue to capture many a family’s heart.