Homes that have been around for 100 years or more feel different. They have a noticeable aesthetic, a richer story, a classic touch.
During 2020 and 2021 the Herald has covered several historic houses, and now we're going to revisit a few favourites.
In January this year we featured Wendy Horder and John Smith's gorgeous weatherboard on The Hill.
Eclectic and interesting, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was built in the 1860s and was originally owned by the Australian Agricultural Company.
It was a mining executive's house, and the kitchen would have originally been outside with the fireplace.
Before Wendy and John bought it, the house was owned by several different families, including generations of the Foggo Family. It's been through several renovations, including a second-storey addition and window installation on the roof. When Wendy and John moved in with their daughter, Chloe, they renovated as well. They changed the kitchen, added an ensuite and made a bedroom a study. They put a studio in the back where Wendy does arts and crafts.
"I would always hope to have a house like this," John says.
In December 2020 we visited a house in Speers Point on The Esplanade. The miner's cottage is more than 100 years old and has an unmissable long terracotta staircase.
Plasterer Brian Richards bought the house with his wife in 1982 and started to build on it. It was in bad shape and it proved to be a daunting task. The house needed a new roof.
"I had six carpenters for many weeks to make the home liveable," Brian says.
Now it's a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house with a double garage.
The house has high doorways, ornamental plaster ceilings, original wide architraves and special skirting.
The high archways and corbels match the intricate cornices and crystal chandeliers. He kept the original mouldings but added double glazed windows for the salty air.
In April this year the Herald visited a laneway terrace in the CBD once owned by Margaret Olley. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home has beautiful views of the city and was occupied by housemates Jess Wells and Andrea Hawke. In the 1870s it was first advertised for rent, and in the 1990s it went through a massive renovation.
Their neighbour, Rick, knows the laneway well and actually lived in the terrace before the women did. He was close with Olley, although he didn't realise she lived there until he ran into her unexpectedly in the lane.
"[The laneway houses] were in the very beginning of Margaret's property portfolio in Newcastle," Rick says.
Both Jess and Rick mentioned other artworks inspired by these historic terraces, including pieces by Grace Cossington Smith and Cressida Campbell.
In February of last year we spoke with Karen Crofts of the Hunter Writers Centre. For years she and her daughter enjoyed her Merewether cottage, with four-bedrooms, one bathroom and an extra toilet.
She thinks it's almost 100 years old. In a heritage-listed precinct, the home has hardwood floors and weatherboard frame with all Oregon timber original doors.
Before Karen, in the 80s, the owners extended the dining room and kitchen, perfectly matching the material. When Karen moved in she changed the cedar windows and door frames to brushed aluminium. She did some cornice extensions and put glass doors along the back wall to view the garden. There was a 60-year-old frangipani tree, and she planted new ones.
"It's been the most beautiful house I've ever lived in. All the other houses were long and skinny. It's fantastic to live in a square house, with a corridor down the middle, I tell you it does something positive for your brain," she says.
These houses are just part of the story, and all the occupants can tell you more about their personal touches, art, decor and more.
To read more about these homes and others, visit newcastleherald.com.au
