Some homes are bought. Others are entrusted to their next custodian.
Woodcroft is one of Havelock North’s rare architectural homes - designed and built in 1921 by James Walter Chapman-Taylor and recognised on the Havelock North Architectural Trail. More than a character home, it is a house with provenance, permanence and purpose; a remarkable example of New Zealand’s Arts and Crafts movement, created by one of the country’s most distinctive architect-builders.
For those drawn to history, craft and architecture, Woodcroft offers something increasingly difficult to find: a home with genuine soul, but without the compromises often associated with heritage living.
Its original Chapman-Taylor character remains deeply present - roughcast white walls, hand-adzed timber, intimate detailing, small-framed windows, and the enduring sense of shelter and calm that defines his work. Built with his experimental honeycomb concrete construction, Woodcroft was designed for permanence.
Yet this is not a house preserved in the past.
Between 2021 and 2025, Woodcroft underwent an exceptional programme of restoration, alteration and systems renewal in partnership with Designgroup Stapleton Elliott. The intention was not to turn the home into a museum, but to allow it to live beautifully in its second century - retaining its architectural integrity while making it warm, functional and deeply comfortable for modern family life.
The result is a rare balance of heritage and ease.
At the heart of the home, the living spaces retain the quiet strength and craftsmanship Chapman-Taylor is known for, while the contemporary kitchen pavilion creates the connection and practicality expected today. This is where the home shifts from admired architecture to everyday living - a generous, social space designed for family, conversation, food, and long evenings that naturally spill outdoors.
The garden has been reimagined with the same level of care. Designed by landscape architect Shannon Bray, the grounds now unfold as a series of outdoor rooms - established, private and beautifully resolved. A heated pool, new cabana and generous outdoor entertaining areas create a resort-like layer to the property, while mature trees and layered planting give the home the sense that it has always belonged exactly here.
Adding further flexibility, the original brick service building has been transformed into a high-specification self-contained studio apartment with its own independent access - ideal for guests, extended family, older children, or working from home.
Importantly, the restoration has gone well beyond what is immediately visible. Major upgrades completed between 2021 and 2025 include a full roof replacement across the house, garage and studio, new insulation, an extensive electrical redesign and rewire, substantial plumbing replacement, restored windows and hardware, refreshed bathrooms, new carpet and floor tiles, and pool restoration.
It is this combination that makes Woodcroft so compelling - the romance of a significant Chapman-Taylor home, with the reassurance of serious investment, modern infrastructure and careful stewardship.
Set on 1,386m² in one of Havelock North’s most established and tightly held locations, Woodcroft is also a remarkably practical family address - within walking distance of four Havelock North schools, close to the village, and positioned among some of the area’s most enduring homes.
Woodcroft will not be for everyone; nor should it be.
It is for those who value architecture over fashion, substance over scale, and the quiet privilege of owning a home with a story already more than a century in the making.
For the right buyer, this is not simply a beautiful Havelock North residence.
It is a home to live in, care for, and carry forward.
Key features
• Designed and built in 1921 by James Walter Chapman-Taylor
• Recognised on the Havelock North Architectural Trail
• Significant example of New Zealand Arts and Crafts architecture
• Major restoration, renovation and systems renewal completed 2021–2025
• Renovation design by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
• Garden design by Shannon Bray, Landscape Architect
• Main home: four bedrooms, two bathrooms including ensuite, plus separate W.C. Approx. 238m²
• Self-contained studio apartment with bathroom, living and kitchenette - approx. 34m²
• Designer kitchen with Archant porcelain benchtops, two Smeg wall ovens, Miele induction, Fisher & Paykel dish drawers, plumbed fridge/freezer, wine fridge and InSinkerator
• Heated 5m x 5m low-salt swimming pool
• New cabana and poolside entertaining area
• Roofs replaced across the house, apartment and garage
• Plumbing and electrical substantially renewed
• New meter board and relocated circuit board
• Garage approx. 33m²
• Walking distance to four Havelock North schools
For a full information pack including floor plans, title and the LIM, please place this link into your browser - https://bit.ly/Woodcroft51SimlaAve
For sale by Negotiation.
