Historic Lewis Cottage bought by ‘local’

Lewis Cottage in Deborah Bay. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Lewis Cottage in Deborah Bay. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
A new chapter is about to be written in the Lewis Cottage history book.

A "local" has bought the historic two-room wooden cottage on the edge of Deborah Bay, which had been in the same family for nearly 120 years.

It was placed on the open market earlier this month when owners Mick and Keith Lewis and niece Mona Cromb (nee Lewis) — now in their late 70s and early 80s — felt it was becoming too difficult to keep up with the maintenance.

Mick Lewis said he was "quite happy" with the new owners.

While Mr Lewis would not reveal the price, the buyers, who did not want to be named, had said they intended to continue restoring the cottage to its former glory.

Eventually, they would use it as a holiday crib, but would be careful to keep it as a historic place that could be admired by future generations.

"That’s what we wanted," Mr Lewis said.

The 7.3m x 3.7m cottage is believed to have been built in the 1880s and was bought by William and Adelaide Lewis in 1906.

They raised their family of 17 there, on a diet of fish and rabbits.

The youngest sibling, Ernest "Mungo" Lewis, inherited the cottage in 1951 and was the last person to live there.

When he died in 2007, aged 83, the property passed to his nephews Mick and Keith and niece Mona.

The cottage received a lot of attention when it went on the market, receiving more than 120 Tall Poppy digital leads, 38 email inquiries, 15,070 unique website views and 26 groups viewing the property.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

 

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