Eastnor: Montville’s original pioneer homestead
This Old House: Eastnor, by Cate and Doug Patterson of Montville History Group
This old house at 15 Western Avenue is the original pioneer homestead of early settlers Henry and Jane Smith who built their home in 1895. Now in 2024 it is the heart of the newly named ‘Montville Estate.’ Its transformation from a simple dwelling to a substantial home reflects its change of purpose from a rural fruit growing property to a gracious manor house with all the benefits of town living. Today in keeping with so many larger estates, the property can also offer guest accommodation. With six owners over its lifetime of almost 130 years the house represents the growing prosperity and gentrification of Montville over time.
‘Eastnor’ was named for the castle in Herefordshire, England where Jane had worked. The house sits on a large north sloping site of 2.5 acres now of the original Portion 70v of 154 acres selected by Henry Smith in 1893.
The Smith house was about 40ft by 35ft and consisted of three bedrooms, a dining room, and kitchen. Provision was made for a front room to be used as a store and receiving office. Later this was converted to a sitting room. There were 8ft verandahs on the eastern and southern sides and a western verandah about 22 ft long gave entry to a side door and the small washroom at its north end. Jane had no separate laundry – the washing was done in the bath tub. The outhouse was along a path on the western side. These verandahs did not join together and a Smith granddaughter commented sadly there was no running around the verandahs to play.
The house had 1inch thick weatherboard cladding and a corrugated iron roof. The floors were hoop and cypress pine. The rooms were generously sized with pressed metal ceilings 10ft 6 inch (3.2m) high. There was a different pattern for each of the kitchen, dining room, drawing room, hallway, best bedroom and the two other bedrooms With a growing family of 12 children the Smith family house was added to and embellished from 1910 through to the 1940s.
Henry was both a successful businessman and a nurseryman. Originally the citrus orchard with 100 trees flourished on the land to the east of the house right down to the corner where the Back Road, now Western Avenue, met Main Street. Today neatly landscaped gardens surround the home.
A house of many ‘firsts’
The house has known many firsts. In 1897 Henry Smith set up the first receiving office and store which he operated from his house.
Montville’s first telephone line was installed at Eastnor in 1911 so that Smith’s Montville residence and his Palmwoods store could be connected. Stringing the single line from tree to tree from Montville to Palmwoods over broken billy goat country was undertaken by Henry’s older sons, Alf and Tom, along with the neighbour Bill Phillips.
Montville residents came to ‘Eastnor’ in the early 1900s to do their banking and hold meetings in a small building Smith leased. There was a packing shed and a barn for the horses and their feed. Henry was very fond of his horse Laddie and the older boys had horses as well.
Montville residents also knew ‘Eastnor’ as a social hub for Church meetings and social gatherings, for card games of Euchre, for musical entertainment nights which often included Henry playing the organ, and as the wedding venue for a number of sons and daughters. Jane and Henry were gracious hosts and generous neighbours.
An air of mystery
Albert and Emma Rann lived at from 1954 to 1964. Over the years a large privet hedge had grown up and ‘Eastnor’ took on an air of mystery for the passing school children who could never quite see in. The property was then purchased by architect Callum Coats and his wife Emily in 1970.
They renamed the property Paisley Place in honour of the ancient peerage origins of the Scottish Coats family in Paisley, a large town bordering Glasgow. They established an avocado orchard on the western side of the house and proceeded to design and draw up plans to modernise the house. A Palmwoods railway cottage, was relocated to the west of the residence for additional space and to provide Mr Coats with an office space as well as a studio bedroom style of guest accommodation.
Ian and Jenny Russell
Ian and Jenny Russell purchased the property in September 1979, but unaware of any previous names they renamed the house Belbury in recognition of two historic family properties, ‘Belgravia’ and ‘Wembury’. Ian got busy and repaired the leaking underground water tank. He reinforced and repaired the almost derelict machinery shed and workshop to the west of the house. He unsilted the dams that were essentially mudflats when he purchased the property.
The fences also needed repair as they were overgrown with lantana and in such a poor state that the cattle Ian had introduced soon made their way into neighbouring properties.
With a growing family, the couple decided to extend upwards and create an attic with casement windows providing two bedrooms and built in cupboards. These additions were made in 1983 and not only provided more space but enhanced the visual appeal of the home.
French Provincial theme
Anita Price purchased the house in 2011. Favouring a French Provincial theme, she set about renovating and refurbishing a new kitchen and bathrooms. She created an ensuite and a walk-in robe for the main bedroom by claiming some of the verandah space. Price demolished the old bathroom and laundry and extended the north west wing of the house to create a family/informal dining room, laundry and bathroom with its own verandah. Travertine flooring through the new kitchen, family room, main bathroom and the open laundry, along with door handles sourced direct from France completed the French Provincial look.
The house was now a stylish showpiece with fretwork above the French doors, quality furnishings and elegant fittings, chandeliers in almost every room.
When Price sold in 2019, she was assured that the new owners, a young couple would respectfully maintain the historic elements of the house and thoughtfully incorporate them with their own contemporary style.
New owners respect for history
And that’s exactly what Nichola Spain and Jordan Potts have done.
Their first job was to clean the mould from the walls in the railway cottage which had not been used for some time.
With a freshen up and redecorate and a new name, ‘The Postman’s Cottage’ is now a popular Airbnb.
Nichola and Jordan are hands-on renovators where possible and have created light, airy spaces with a fresh coat of paint throughout. The task of removing the lead paint on the pressed metal ceilings they left to the professionals who carefully garnet blasted the ceilings. Verandah decking was replaced where needed.
Many of the decorative features and the general design of the front of the building are representative of the 1940s. Nichola has enjoyed her foray into interior decorating and styling and the house is now available as a Luxury Stay.
The renamed ‘Eastnor House’ on Montville Estate is in great hands as it approaches its 130-year birthday.
Nichola and Jordan are renting Eastnor House along with Postman’s Cottage and hope to travel for the next few years with their son Indigo and new bub, but look forward to it always being their home base where they will raise their family.
