Brighton mansion ushers in a new age of elegance

71 North Road, Brighton
$6,000,000+
Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 2 Car spaces 2
Built Circa 1880 Extended 2010
Land: 1647 square metres
For Sale by Expressions of Interest: Closing 5.00pm Wednesday November 11
Agent: Ian Jackson, Kay & Burton – 0419 593 663
Inspect: Contact agent

Ah, Brighton, you never cease to amaze.  If you’re not buzzing down Bay Street in a Beamer or cellaring a Chateau de Chasselas, you might as well be camping out.

John Knox House, in the iconic church precinct of North Road, ain’t a campground.  The Gothic manse is a towering beauty, framed by a magnificent front garden, with its amenity brought effortlessly into the contemporary by a brilliant glassy extension. It’s worth lingering in the grounds for a spell.  

The parterre-style garden is a manicured wonder and the 100-odd rose varieties were researched by previous owners so the scent would perfume the air here much as it did in the 1880s.

The main entry to the house sits front and centre beneath a fine verandah, but the day-to-day access is at that brilliant glass pavilion. A long passage with three sets of glass doors introduces this wonderful, contained space.  

The kitchen, set to the rear, is an eye-popper, not only for its fine finishes, but for the incredible splashback that features an imprint of the original title of the home, magnified and spread across the coloured glass. Behind here is an excellent butler’s pantry and laundry, then back out in the front, the handsome space of the meals area and living room.

A soberly lovely concrete hearth anchors the airiness here perfectly as a wedge of glass supports the elegant cantilevered roof. The parquetry flooring conceals a subterranean treasure. Hit the remote control and a rectangle of floor rises to allow access to the 3000 bottle wine cellar and private bar.

Beyond the glass of the living area you head out to a large deck with perimeter seating, built-in barbecue and luminous pool. Back inside, the short passage that links old and new is perfect.  A heft of square glass on one side, a modish powder room on the other and double glass doors lead you into the grandeur of yesteryear.

There are three principal rooms flowing around the central staircase – all with the elegant dimensions of the era. The formal living room and adjacent dining room boast fireplaces, lofty ceilings and gorgeous garden casements. The main bedroom sits across on the other side of the entry hall and is a wonder of its own, taken up a level by the full-size dressing room and stunning Carrara marble trim en suite with pool views. Heavy sigh. 

Up those striking original stairs are four terrific bedrooms, serviced by a super bathroom, with twin-basin stone vanity and a cool mosaic delineating wall. Ah, Brighton, glorious and grand as ever.

Need to know: Last traded for $5,125,000 in August 2010. Highest recorded house price for Brighton (last 12 months) $8,525,000 for 38 Dawson Avenue in November 2014

Room for Improvement: You could use the upstairs rumpus room as a fifth bedroom.