In search of a new family to make happy memories within its elegant walls, iconic Cotter House is up for sale.
Built in 1862, stately Cotter House is a Remuera landmark, one that has seen family gatherings, stylish functions and heads of state meet within its walls.
Sitting elegantly on a prime site and commissioned by settler Joseph Newman, the residence was based on the latest European designs of the time, and crafted in the Gothic revival style using only the best local tradesmen. The second owner, Mr Thomas Cotter, added a large ballroom to the home’s footprint in 1910, further cementing its role as the place to be seen as the new century began to gain traction.
Since then, Cotter House has been a grand family residence, a girls’ school, a private hotel, and more. Rolling Stone Keith Richards famously stayed there while he recovered from a head injury falling out of a palm tree in Fiji, the property recommended by his Remuera-based neurosurgeon, Andrew Law.
The residence’s current owners, Kim McWilliams and Tom Bowden, purchased the home in 2020, after seeing it was up for sale and keen to check out the renovation. The pair share a love of historic properties and had attended events at Cotter House, but agree that they really weren’t looking to buy.
“We made the mistake of taking one of the children,” laughs Kim, “who immediately fell in love with it and picked out her bedroom. The biggest one in the house!”
With six children between them – four of whom were still living at home – the blended family saw immediately it was wonderfully fit for purpose. “We loved that the recently completed renovations had been done to a very high standard, with great effort made to match the original architectural style,” says Kim.
Having previously renovated old houses, the pair agree they would not have been keen on embarking on yet another renovation – especially one of this size.
“It’s a wonderful home for larger families as no one is ever in anyone’s else’s pocket,” says Kim, “and also for someone community minded as it represents so much to the people of Remuera.”
Tom adds that it’s also the perfect arrangement for multi-generational families, “as it has five bedrooms that include one in a completely self-contained apartment”.
The swimming pool has been one of the most used parts of the home over the summer months, while multiple living spaces abound. Options include the formal dining room and formal lounge, plus another lounge and a games room, with pool table and full bar. When we speak Kim is in the ballroom, “where we spend a lot of our time. It flows out to the veranda and pool, and has seen a lot of parties over the years”. There are over a hundred palms on the property that now benefit from a full irrigation system, and a well-tended vegetable garden.
The couple are now down to just one child at home, so are ready to move on from Cotter House, which they refer to as “the perfect chapter for us in the final years we would have a full house of kids wanting to come and go”. Kim says they have loved hosting many charitable and other events in the home and being an integral part of the Remuera community, and both will miss the ever-growing abundance of fabulous dining in the new Village Green development “and the three-minute walk to the supermarket!”
Marketed by Leila MacDonald of Barfoot & Thompson Remuera, the experienced agent calls handling the sale of Cotter House “a true privilege”: “It really is the most fantastic family home in the most incredible location. I can’t wait to introduce a new family to one of Remuera’s most stately homes, a true community icon.”
021 928 926 l.macdonald@barfoot.co.nz
021 650 901 d.macdonald@barfoot.co.nz
